Bradley turns 3!!!

opening up a cool remote control car from papa and gege
Rachel's sassy pose...don't know where she learned this one!

the cool shark that Bradley got

work that remote control, buddy!

still workin' it

(and looking like my daddy)

the MOST delicious dinosaur birthday cake ever!!!

from Sam's

the gang watching Bradley open presents

time to go splash around in our HUGE pool!!

(but we loved it!!)

I'm so happy with a dinosaur, a shark and a kiddie pool!

Thomas thought he needed a float in the kiddie pool! :)

just woke up...about to open my presents

(I think I look my handsome daddy did when he was a young boy!!!)

Birthday morning opening family presents

trying out the defective tent...it wouldn't stand up

Birthday afternoon...after a nap and with a new tent

Rach trying out the tunnel

Bradley in the new tent

It's hard to believe that our sweet Bradley is already 3 years old!!!! He has certainly become quite the charming and funny big boy! We had two celebrations...one with grandparents and cousins and one with just us. He got all kinds of great toys that he loves!! We bought him a tent that we ended up taking back because it was messed up. The one we replaced it with has a tunnel and the kids LOVE it! I think Bradley's favorite present was a cloth covered, battery operated triceratops that moves it's head and makes dinosaur noises. He still hasn't stopped carrying this one around! We ended up with a dinosaur cake (AGAIN) this year, but it was Bradley's party, so we didn't care. We were confused about what kind of cake he wanted about a week before the party because he was going back and forth between dinosaurs and pirates. But, we weren't even sure he knew exactly what pirates were, so we were afraid to go with that theme. Thankfully, Bradley was very excited when he saw his dinosaur cake...so excited that when he and Rachel went with Nick to pick it up, he was obsessed with it and wanted to open it, eat it, look at it, touch it, etc... It was very hard for him to wait till the party to eat any. As a result of his "patience" we did presents and cake first, then dinner. :) Hey, how often are you 3 and think things should go in this order?! :) His party was small this year...just family, which I think Bradley preferred. He loved getting to spend time with his cousins and grandparents and he wasn't overwhelmed by a huge crowd. We love our precious big boy so much and are so blessed to have him as our special middle child!

Happy 3rd Birthday sweet Bradley!!

Fernbank Museum

two cuties in front of some gigantic dinos!

Nick and the kids under a 123 foot long dino.

Sweet Trent enjoyed the museum and his rattle...

Rachel said his camo overalls made him look like he

"was going to go shoot a deer"

just your everyday lion!

Nick and Bradley make giant bubbles

2 of my precious kids at an exhibit that we couldn't figure out

Nick, Rach & Brad walking into a cave

their hands were in the footprint of a dinosaur!!

Nick and I took the kids to Fernbank a couple of weeks ago and it was a blast!!!! We knew Bradley would love it with all the dinosaurs, but both kids were equally as excited. They just walked around in awe of everything they saw. There were so many exhibits, like dinosaurs, but there were also early American artifacts, a shells exhibit, a star-cyclorama thing with the constellations, an Okefenokee exhibit and 2 small children's interactive areas where the kids could play and experiment with things. There was a really cool interactive/experiment area for older kids and adults where we got to try all sorts of illusions and mind games. We had such a GREAT time exploring the whole museum and the kids were sad when we had to leave. Even Trent had fun...using a stroller for the first time ever...and he didn't complain or fuss the entire day!! We can't wait to go back OR try another neat museum!

SO many changes...

Okay, so the pictures I'm posting are from Rachel's 1st day of Kindergarten at Monroe Elementary. Nick and I had discussed many options before Kindergarten began and we thought we should at least give public school a "go". Well, Rachel LOVED it...the teacher, the class, the lunch, her bookbag and lunchbox, her new friends...etc... The problem is, Nick and I weren't so sure. The make-up of the school was much more diverse than we had thought...(I'm not even sure that there was another white girl in Rachel's class) plus the school system is less than status quo AND it was a 15 mile drive one way...so that would be about 60 miles every day since we would not even consider letting her ride the schoolbus. Anyway, we have decided to homeschool our precious girl. I was so apprehensive at first when we discussed this option, thinking that there was NO way I would be able to teach Rachel anything with Bradley and Trent at home. But, then I figured, I could do as good a job as the school she was going to be attending and it would just take some adjusting our schedule to make it work. So, we have become a homeschooling family...for the time being anyway. We will re-evaluate when we sell our house and see if homeschooling is working for us or not. I'm actually excited that I get to teach my daughter, who is so precious to me and who I've always loved spending every minute with. I'm not denying that it won't be challenging, but I know it will be worth it. We'll have some trial and error as we see how we can plan our day and how the boys handle it! I feel so lucky that I get to keep Rachel at home...I always thought she would have a "normal" Kindergarten experience away from home. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have LOTS to blog about homeschooling and the many joys that it brings.

Fun Times with the Lanes

AJ...not sure what to think, but glad to be out of the car!

Juj...ready to play

Rach doing a pose

Bradley playing with dinosaurs in the sand...his favorite thing to do!!

opening up some great presents!

Juj swimming with the swim dog

Rachel jumping in and showing off her swimming skills

Pop and Rach

(reminds me of myself with dad!)

Rachel trying to get Bradley to play

Daddy and his little waterbug

Alex' preferred position

Bradley enjoying his float and water gun

the extent of Trent's pool activities--

don't he and Pop look pretty comfy?!

5 of the 8 Duke grandchildren!

Such sweet, precious kids!

We had a great weekend visiting with our precious cousins! Friday night was a blast at Nana and Pop's...eating a yummy meal of grilled chicken and salads. The kids (literally) ran circles around the upstairs. Rach and Bradley discovered the laundry chute and decided it would be a good idea to put all of Nana's Christmas stuffed animals down it. Juju didn't participate, but did report the incident to Nana. I'm sure it was all Rachel's idea and Bradley just followed her lead. :) Better get a lock on that thing, nana, or else either Rachel or Bradley is liable to be the next ones to go down it. :) Bradley was a shadow behind whatever Rachel and Julia wanted to do. Alex was an observer and very interested in seeing what everyone was doing, but mostly wanting to be with his mommy and his nana. Trent was a little quiet angel...only asking to nurse when he was hungry. Even more special was that Aunt Wendy, Uncle Matt, Juj and Alex brought birthday presents for Rachel and Bradley. The kids were ecstatic with the cool gifts they got. Bradley wouldn't put his dinosaurs down for days! Rachel's already made 4 bracelets with her new kit. Saturday, we all spent the morning swimming at Gege and Papa's. That was a blast! All the kids enjoyed it. The girls always have a blast playing and swimming together. Alex enjoyed the tanning ledge and just walking around outside the pool. Bradley enjoyed his float and eating snacks at the table. Trent enjoyed sleeping on the chaise lounge with Pop. Nana and Pop brought all kinds of deli meat for sandwiches plus chips and salads...it was delicious!!! After that, Nana and Pop went home to rest while the rest of us went back to our house so the kids could play. Rach and Juj had so much fun playing together all afternoon. We ended the night with some pitiful Little Caesar's Pizza and a bath. We all had such a great time and are so thankful for the Lanes! What a precious family...we love them so much!!!

Milligan Kid Update

Well, all 3 kids are doing great! We haven't had a very adventurous summer, but it's been very busy! The kids are all growing up and just getting sweeter and sweeter (for the most part) every day! Here's the low-down:

Rachel thinks she can do EVERYthing since she's 5. She doesn't want or need anyone's help at all. She's still extremely crazy about Trent and wants to hug, kiss, hold and talk to him as much as possible. She's still very sweet, very loving, very helpful and an absolute doll...full of interesting, sometimes deep questions for me and Nick. She's also still annoyed with Bradley alot of times and likes to pick and choose when she wants him as a playmate. She's also SO excited about starting Kindergarten and the many things she'll get to do there. She can't wait to meet her teacher and see her friends. I know this is going to be a HUGE adjustment for both/all of us, so we won't get into that in this post. We're just trying to make sure we are 100% positive when we talk about her new school and everything that goes along with it. We just want our precious little angel to have a WONDERFUL experience!!

Bradley thinks EVERYthing that his big sister does is awesome. He copies her every word and action. (Part of the annoyance factor that bothers Rachel, I think.) He has started saying, "hi cutie" when he sees Trent...just like his sister. His latest thing is to ask, "how come?" constantly and with a shrug of his shoulders every time. He'll ask "how come" and we'll give a perfectly understandable answer and Bradley will ask it again and again and again. Rachel told him the other day that she was tired of him asking her that. It's really cute when he starts, but it's hard to satisfy him enough so that he'll stop saying it, so I usually have to start ignoring his "how come's?" He's also doing much better on the potty. He still has at least 2 pee-pee accidents per day, but has improved quite a bit. He'll go pee pee and poo poo on the potty and he LOVES his underwear with all the exciting characters on it. So, we're getting there. He's absolutely a lovable, sweet, sensitive, precious child, who's funny and still adjusting to his role of big brother. AND, I cannot believe that he's almost 3!!!!!!!!! We can't wait to celebrate his big day!!

Trent is 3 and a half months and is now rolling over from his back to his stomach! He doesn't do it all the time, but he can do it! He's an absolutely un-fussy, un-demanding, sweet, laid-back, patient little baby. He goes with the flow and has to wait around alot, but just give the sweetest little grins when his needs are finally met. He's a good napper, a good nurser and a good sport with his "in-your-face" siblings. He's a precious little angel and we're so thankful to have him and watch how he changes and grows every day!!

I sure do love my 3 little babies and am sooooooooooooo thankful that God blessed me with them!!

Happy 4th!

Rach & Carter

the tie-dyed crew


Lauren & Bradley

We had a great 4th celebration with friends and family! We enjoyed the famous Milligan ribs along with a couple of butts (the pork kind) and a whole lot of fabulous sides! The kids swam, had water balloon fights and everyoe got to wear their new tie-dyed shirts. Sweet Sophia made each kid a special tie-dyed shirt...they were all so cute and creative! The weather was perfect and we all really had a blast!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Me and the kids

Just a picture that I liked. I love my kids and I'm so thankful that I'm their mommy!!