Swimming and More

Last night we took the kids and went swimming at the YMCA. Not sure what incited this crazy idea, but it was more of an adventure than anticipated. The sheer logistics are overwhelming. Shoving all six of us into a family restroom and trying to get all six of us in swimsuits (usually we go IN our swimsuits so no changing is necessary but this time Dan and I worked out first) was kind of a nightmare. Not being able to put the girls down on the yucky floor makes it just that much harder. It ended up that the boys and I changed first and then we all changed the girls and then we went to the pool while Dan changed. Not too bad.

Swimming itself was fantastic. Not enough hands for a camera, so no pictures, sorry! Katie is a little water bug and loves it. As soon as I stood her in the water she started kicking and wanted to be sitting or crawling in it at all times. Molly was more timid until we got to the warm (92 degrees) therapy pool and then that girl was all over it. They both got the obligatory dunk to get use to the water. Molly was not even phased, Katie was ticked that we dare put her under with her consent. Both then swam and kicked the rest of the time. The boys always enjoy the water and with life vests are very independent. We recently discovered that Joshua CAN swim without one, but is not yet trustworthy. Especially with all four kids in the water.

Getting out was again nearly disastrous. How to stay dry?!! Eventually I changed and took the girls out and changed them in the viewing area while the boys and Dan changed. Seriously, who thought we could do this?! And why do we think we'll do it again...SOON! :)

In other news, Katie is easily crawling everywhere. Standing and holding onto everything and talking up a storm. That girl likes to sing and will even bob to the music when it's on. She continues to be a mama's girl, but is getting better for short periods of time.

Molly is CRAWLING! As of yesterday. She, too, is trying to pull herself up on everything. She's still an easy baby, but gets very angry if her needs aren't met immediately. She got her first bloody nose yesterday as she toppled over and bonked her face on the floor. With her extremely snotty nose and blood, it was quite a mess. (Doesn't help that at the exact same time I was trying to change my clothes, Katie spit up on the floor and was playing in it, and Joshua had used the bathroom and needed immediate assistance). Oh the joy of multiple multiples.

Here's to another day and more adventures!

Oh yeah, the girls are 8 months now! Here's a picture!

Sayonara 2009

Good-bye 2009, hello 2010. I admit, I'm a little sad to see 2009 go. It's been a good year for us. We bought a house, had two babies, got a new (to us van) and saw our oldest kids turn 4. What a year! Can 2010 top that? Only time will tell. Here are a few favorite moments from 2009...

More Christmas

Here we are, at the end of all of our Christmas celebrations. This week my brother Eric came into town from Seattle. The boys absolutely love when all the cousins are together and they get to play. And we like to have adult time while that happens! :)

Every year I get all the cousins matching/coordinating pajamas and we take a cousin picture. It's so much fun! The first year the new baby was cousin Sawyer. Last year it was cousin Natalie. This year it was the girls. Who will be new next year? (DON'T LOOK AT US FOR THAT ONE!)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! What a fabulous holiday. A wonderful church service, family time galore, and children that are exhausted AND happy! What more can a girl ask for?! NOTHING!

We have been very busy the last couple of days. Christmas Eve we spend with my family. We had a great dinner and opened gifts. The boys have been playing with their Batmobiles nonstop. Dan and I love our new skillet and are excited to use it tomorrow morning! Following that celebration we had a great service at church. The boys did well (Thomas slept through most of Mass so that kept him quiet!), the girls did well (passed around between family members) and I had lots of time to focus on the reason for the season.

This morning we got up bright and early and opened our family gifts and stockings. Thomas ran out and after being read his letter from Santa, pranced around, "I was a good boy. Oh yeah. I was good!" We opened presents (the boys got a dinosaur castle and a digital camera, I got an IPOD, the girls got toys and Dan got an outdoor BBQ pit). We then jumped into the car and went up to the traditional Domrese breakfast. YUMMY! My favorite part? Cinnabons! Everything went swimmingly and we headed home for a nice rest time. Then we went back into the car for a Christmas gathering with the great grandparents. How fun! Another great time with family.

We are now home. I am blogging and then skipping all the pickup and getting one good nights sleep to catch up from the last few days. Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!

My Hilarious Children

My kids crack me up. After a crazy long day, we were finally eating dinner at IHOP with grandpa Bob and grandma Patti at 8:00 PM. Yes, so late. We NEVER do that! The boys were exhausted, starving, and delirious.

When given a paper menu at a restaurant, we have the boys circle what they want and then place their own order (helping them to gain independence). When asked what they wanted to drink, Joshua gave his typical "root beer" order. Thomas, on the other hand, realized it was IHOP and ordered coffee. :) So cute!!!

Thomas then placed his order. And generously placed an order for grandpa Bob as well. *Grandpa Bob changed his order. Apparently he didn't want a smiley face pancake?*

Joshua, apparently losing coordination when sleepy, fell out of his chair twice. Just sitting there and then toppled out falling into an unoccupied car seat. He definitely kept us laughing!

Katie slept the majority of the time. Molly decided to be a big girl and sat in her highchair and ate pancakes, broccoli, crackers, and cantalope. Anything put in front of her, that girl ate!

My children are hilarious.

*An exciting post and pictures to come tomorrow....

A Stranger to Blogging?

Have I been a stranger? Yes! It's been busy! Apparently having mobile children makes it less likely you get to sit on the computer. :)

Since I last wrote here are the updates:

Thomas and Joshua continue to do great in school. We have started learning sight words at home. The boys are ready to learn sounds and begin reading. So exciting! They are very excited for the snow and have been playing independently outside and inside recently. So great!

Katie can now officially crawl and pull herself to standing. There is no holding that girl back! She is saying 'mama' and loves her some food. But real people food, none of that baby food mush!

Molly is now competent at sitting and can scoot if she desires. She is so laid back, something has to be well worth her while to make the effort to move. She is most content just lying on the floor with her feet and arms in the air. She's going to have some mega-ab muscles if she keeps that up! She likes to say 'dada' more than anything else. :)

Here are a few pictures to tide you over!

Christmas Lists

I just posted the boys' Christmas lists on the blog. Hopefully this helps family and friends who are searching or wondering the boys' deepest desires. :) This list is, of course, narrowed down from the hundreds of items the boys cut out from newspaper ads. This might be the most fun Christmas yet!