Cute

I go in their rooms at night to check on them and I watch them sleep so peacefully. They make me laugh with their hilarious sleep positions.

Bermuda, Bahamas, C'mon Pretty Momma.....

In October my parents took my younger brother and me on a Bermuda cruise. It was so relaxing and wonderful. I didn't have to clean or take care of anyone but me! I slept, read, swam, took in sun and a lot of good food. Thanks Mom and Dad! Thanks to my wonderful husband, mother-in-law and Carol who held the fort down at home!

This is one of my favorite spots on the trip. It was absolutely gorgeous.

This was the ship, I was on my way to shop and hit the beach with my fam.


We took a cab tour of Bermuda as a family. This photo was taken on a 100 million dollar estate. The concrete/grass pattern in front of us was a map of Bermuda. The mansion overlooked this pool. The average home in Bermuda is worth $1.3 million.

This was taken on an old military base. This bench had the most incredible view of the water - which had SO MANY different colors.

I took this picture at a park we visited. The cab driver led us as we walked behind a parking lot and down a little trail with no one was around. Just when I thought he had lost his mind, this view appeared. I just stood there for a long time, I didn't want to leave but we were at the top of a cliff and it was dangerous.

This was the fist thing I did on my cruise, I sat down in a lawn chair. This was the view as we headed down the Delaware River out of Philly towards Bermuda.

Here we are pulling out of Philly to start the trip. It was cool to see the skyline and go under bridges. (I didn't know if we were going to be able to fit!)

Milton Reunion

On September 22, 2007, we had a Milton Family Reunion in Fredericksburg with Luder's parents, siblings and their families, (minus Becca/Uli and Shannon). Patti had organized a very special hay ride at a local farm just for our family. We had a great time.




Abram thought the hayride was a blast - he just threw his head back and laughed for about 3 minutes straight!


Then he started getting hot......


Just as the kids started melting they got to hit the watersports!


None of the kids could get up enough speed to get a good slide on the slip and slide so Gramps got pressed into duty. He must have been bent over slinging kids down that slide for about 45 minutes. I imagine he was sore later but the kids absolutely loved it. I thought a few of them were going to catch some air!

First Day of School

On September 10, Cason went to his first day of preschool for the year.

We went to a family reunion in NC and he was so excited to be in a hotel!

I take the boys to the Children's Museum frequently and they love playing in the water exhibit.

Where are they going?

Summer 2007

Thanks for checking out our blog, scroll down for more eventful entries. We hope everyone is having a great summer.
Lots of Love, The Milton Family

What goes on during a normal day in our family? This is my current day to day. These little men are so funny!


A modern-day toddler campsite transformation.


Cason has learned to play educational games on the computer. His little bro is fascinated.


Bum Bum watching TV. Abram's nickname is "Bum Bum," he got it from his cousin Nathan.

I had to take this picture to show you that this IS MY DAILY LIFE! I hope I never forget it. Did you get any pudding in your mouth, little man?


After baths, before bed.

Beach Fun 2007

The last week of May we went to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week. We had a great time. We were able to spend time with almost all sides of the family (my Mom and Dad's sides and Luder's Dad's side.) It was a great reunion every day on the beach. We never knew who we were going to see the next day! Abram loved running on the beach, mostly away from me (it's a good thing he is so cute!) and Cason loved to play in the water with his cousins. People on the beach came up to me and told me that Abram was "entertainment" for them. Luder got to read a few books and we ate a lot of good food and went shopping. The highlight for Cason was the Dixie Stampede. The boys loved the show with all of the animals. The weather was 80 and sunny every single day!

Abram doing what he does best. He didn't really like the water this year.

Cason enjoying the waves. He became more and more brave as the week went on.

This was Luder's first full week off since becoming an attorney. He was pretty happy to be away. The kids really missed him when he went back to work.

Here are the boys before going out one day. They're at our "little house" as Cason called it. He loved it, but was glad to go back to his "big house."

If you look closely, you'll see that Abram is covered in sand, peanut butter and jelly. It was a hard week for a neat freak!


Abram had fun playing in little puddles with his sand toys. Each morning we would dig him a hole where he would sit and play in between sprints.


Cason fell asleep reading a book on the way to Luder's cousin Shannon's house. The beach wore them out!

Early May 2007

So much has happened since I last wrote. Luder started a new job on May 7, 2007. He moved to another Richmond law firm - Hirschler Fleischer. We are very happy with the switch!

http//www.hf-law.com/HFlmilton.asp

During Luder's job change, he turned 30, so I took him to Boston to see the Red Sox play at Fenway Park, ("Fenway Paawk"). The Sox played the A's. We both really enjoyed the game. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself, everyone else really enjoyed themselves and some even a little too much! Those fans like their beer! LOL!The game was the highlight of our very busy trip.

We toured Boston, Newburyport and Plum Island where Luder lived for two years as a child. We had such a great time and we were able to visit Harvard, the Boston LDS temple (beautiful), take a Boston Harbor Cruise, tour Bunker Hill, eat at the North End (known as "Little Italy.") It was a trip filled with lots of history and culture. We were exhausted when we came back but we had a great time.

This is Luder and I at the wheel of the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest ship in the US Navy. Luder wanted a picture here because his Grandparents posed in the same spot when they visited Luder's family in Newburyport.



Plum Island, Massachussetts on the wildlife refuge Luder's Dad managed while they lived here.



Boston Commons, right down from the Capitol Building.




Luder on the Harbor Cruise with the Harbor behind him about where the Boston Tea Party occured.

Christmas 2006

A quick glimpse into our Christmas, we were at the Cason's for Christmas Eve. We had a great time. We all really missed Nan but we carried out her great legacy of love by focusing on children, making her recipes and having "Santa" come. It was great to see the children so excited and also to be with Luder and my family.

Pre Christmas Christmas

On the 23rd we met up with Luder's; Mom, Dad, brother Jonathan, Aunt Peggy, Uncle T.W. and Cousin's Jessica and Thomas. We had lunch at a restaurant in Ashland and then went back to our house to have some Christmas bonding time.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2006, Santa came to Cason's school.




Christmas 2006


December 21, 2006

Dear Friends and Family,
It’s Christmas time again and we wanted to update everyone on the last year or so of our lives.
A brief recap for us: in the spring of ’05 Luder graduated from Washington and Lee School of Law and I graduated from Southern Virginia University. We did this while Cason was one year old. Then Luder studied for the bar all of last summer while I was pregnant and searching for a home for us in Richmond. He passed the bar and we bought our first home in Richmond. Luder began his legal career at Morris & Morris in downtown Richmond and we settled in and prepared for the birth of our second son. Luder Abram Milton was born on November 21, 2005.
Abram has been such a joy to our family. Shortly after his birth he had a prolonged case of jaundice. When that passed he became ill for the next several months. We quickly learned patience and long suffering. We were very sleep deprived. One of his last major battles with his illness happened to fall at the same time that I lost one of my best friends in this life. My Nan (my maternal grandmother) passed away on May 6, 2006. It was a really hard time for our family but we managed to get through it.
Abram is healthy now. We just celebrated Abram’s first birthday and Cason’s third. Abram is talking and walking. He can say mommy, daddy, duck, go, Bop, no, yes, bath, hot dog, book and several others. The words aren’t really clear but they are understandable. He grunts loudly and aggressively when Cason is trying to take something from him. It is really funny! He loves to eat, play and read books. He loves to try to keep up with Cason. He is an all around great baby!
Cason started school this year. He is in a preschool that is close to our home. He loves to go to school. He loves his friends at church and school and he loves visiting family. He isn’t a big eater but I guess that is normal toddler behavior. He is funny and very smart. He loves to learn and is very sensitive. He has recently told me, "Mommy, I'm crazy about you!" and "I couldn't have done it without you." Whenever I apologize to him he says, "It's Ok Mommy, everyone makes stakes." (He means everyone makes mistakes.) He really loves his brother, when they wake up they run into each other’s rooms and squeal. It is so cute!
Luder is still working hard in his career. He has more cases than ever and is really excited because he just landed his first lobbying client. Lobbying has been a goal of his for a long time. He was also called to be the Young Men’s President at our church. He still manages to be an incredible father. It really makes my life more enjoyable to see this type of love shared. Luder hasn’t had a lot of time for his hobbies this year but occasionally he exercises, reads and keeps up with sports. He really looks forward to going back to Costa Rica one day.
As for me, I am barely able to keep up with the two little monkeys at home. It seems like I am so busy with lots of “help” from the boys. We try to take time every day to play outside or go somewhere fun. We go to playgroup and the gym, which everyone enjoys. I am also in the Young Women organization at church. I teach on Sundays and help with organization and weekly activities. It is good to be around the youth. They are strength to me and provide an opportunity for me to make myself better as I know they are looking to me to be an example. Richmond has been a great place for me. I have met some good friends and found some neat places that I enjoy.
As usual, we wish there was more time for visits and less distances to be traveled to make that possible. As the year passes I realize that Nan's passing has had me thinking and reflecting about health, life, death and I guess I take more time to stop and be in the moment than I used to. This is why I didn't get out the traditional Christmas card. I just couldn't take the time away from the boys.

We wish you all health, safety and peace this year. We are so grateful for our many blessings, especially the birth of our Savior. I hope you will all stop and spend time with those you love and let them know how you feel. We love and miss you all.

Love,
Luder, Ginny, Cason and Abram Milton

Early Christmas

Aunt Becca came for an early visit to have Christmas with the boys before going to Mexico to see Uncle Ulises. We all had a really good time!