Saturday, July 28, 2012

STP 2012

Another great year of cheering daddy on for his bike ride from Seattle to Portland. Of course, we took the short route and met him in Portland at the finish line!

On the way to Portland we stopped at Hood River (my personal favorite stop)
Our sand castle

Dan didn't get into the finish line until 11:30 PM. BUT, we had our signs made and met him nonetheless. I won't try to say that we were all awake though.




We stopped at Hood River again on the way home. This time it was colder and we were all exhausted, but we never turn down sand and sun!

Nothing happier than a boy and his stick.


Caught another awesome Molly pose.


Katie......


We proclaim this island "Domrese Island" and we shall stake it for our own.


Just a brisk walk on the beach.



Friday, July 27, 2012

Flying Through the Air

Days at the river make everyone happy. The new thing is to fly through the air off the dock or otherwise. It's really fun to watch. Here's the highlight reel:




Independence Day 2012

Independence day is a predictable day for us. River and fireworks.

This year we asked our friend's Lauren & Phil with daughter Sami out to the river to hang with us. Uncle David also came out for some quality time at the river. Here are some highlights.

The kayaks are always a big hit.






Swimming is also a big hit.

And then the beach provides entertainment too.



If not at the beach, the toys by the house are fun too.
(But take your eyes off them one second and you can be surprised at what they come up with!)

The annual fourth of July picture.

Uncle David is an absolute favorite!!! (The boys even got to go for a ride in his jeep!)




The end of the night was spent with cousins at grandma Patti's work watching fireworks. (The girls didn't make it that late, but the boys had a blast!!)

Park Playdate (One of Many) 2012

Today was a cold one! Apparently early July is not reliable for warm weather! It was overcast but became cool and windy.

Katie decided she liked the splash pad even though it was freezing! At least she had it to herself!



Molly has the best facial expressions and sometimes I catch them on film!!

The boys are obsessed with warrior training. Here is a glimpse of life as a ninja-in-training.


And some candids of the kids. Can't seem to get a picture of them actually looking at me anymore!








Sunday, June 24, 2012

Nevus Appointment 2012

Joshua had a follow-up appointment with his nevus specialist this week and Dan had to stay for drill, so the kids and I loaded up and headed over to Seattle.

We left a day early so that we could have a day at the zoo. So much fun!

This picture pretty much sums up Katie's attitude about the day. :)


It's no secret I'm raising monkeys

The boys got to feed elephants. It was the most frustrating experience. Katie really wanted to feed the elephants too. But for Molly to accompany us inside the gates but NOT feed the elephants I still had to pay $5 for her and me. Or, I could leave her unattended and out of my sight. Um, no. So the girls and I stayed outside the gate, a nice father behind the boys kept track of them when they were away from me, and the zoo person took pictures of the boys since I couldn't be in there. We were going to go feed the giraffes, but I was uncomfortable leaving the boys unattended while I took the girls in, so we didn't do it. Molly is devastated. I've promised her next time she gets to do it no matter what.

Sometimes a big brother is better than a mama.

Joshua was our tour-guide for the day. In fact, both boys carried around maps and led us to their desired locations. I think we walked around the zoo FOUR times seeing everything we could mulitple times!

The day at the zoo was awesome!!!! We had so much fun!
The next day was Joshua's nevus appointment. In December, when we were there for our check-up, Joshua's lymph nodes were very enlarged. Because of this, we followed up with his regular doctor until our follow-up. Bloodwork and such proved that it was just winter bugs that he was fighting.

This appointment was to A) set us up for summer yearly appointments instead of winter appointments, which will be safer for crossing the pass and B) to check those lymph nodes.

The doctor was happy with his lymph nodes. They are still there, but much smaller. His nevus is growing proportionally with his head and is perfect. They are very happy with his progress. Thus, we are clear! We go back yearly for our checkup, but the worry is put to rest for now.


After the appointment we stayed in Seattle for cousin Jamison's 6th birthday party which was loads  of fun for the kids!

This is Thomas eating a doughnut off a string. Hilarious!


After a few fun-filled days in Seattle we headed home. All was well until we got to an accident right at the summit of the pass. The children were not thrilled to sit in the car for an extended period of time without moving. But eventually we made it through the wreck and then the traffic and we arrived HOME! We were all happy to be back at home! What a great trip!






Triathlon/Dance Recital/Domrese Gathering 2012

Lucky for us the boys' triathlon fell on the same day as Joshua's dance recital. And after all that was the Domrese Family Gathering for June birthdays! That meant we got some real quality family time running all over Spokane!

The morning started with the triathlon.

The girls made a sign
Joshua showed me his mean mug
The boys got tired of posing for pictures

They did a great job and both crossed the finish line with smiles on their faces


After that, we ran quickly to Joshua's dance recital. The children were tired but managed the two hours of recital beautifully. No pictures allowed, but here's his formal picture in his recital costume.

Following the recital, we ran home for a quick rest and loaded up for the park gathering with the Domrese family. The most fun was playing tennis. The kids had a blast!



The last day of Kindergarten...sniff

My babies are growing up! I'm not ready!!!! They've officially graduated from Kindergarten.

Last day of school picture with Mrs. Su.llivan

After school we rushed to their old school to say good-bye to that kindergarten teacher as well.


I'm excited for first grade, but nervous to lose my little boys for the full day! It will be quite the change for those little sisters too!!!