Joshua Sayings...

While getting ready to go swimming today, Joshua decided we needed to have a discussion...

"Mommy, where we going again?"
"Joshua, we're going to the pool to go swimming."
"This time, you will listen to me?"
"Yes Joshua, I will listen toyou."
"Mommy, I will be so proud of you."
"Thanks Josh."

We've Been Busy....And Tired!

A little update. In an effort to keep some sanity, we've kept the weekends full of activities so the boys get lots of attention. During the weekdays, we do a lot of activities at the home base to conserve energy. Here's some of the things we've been up to:

A trip to Jump 'N Play with cousins and family. The boys had an absolute blast. And it wore them and me out! After Jump 'N Play, we took the boys through an automatic car wash. I have gone through one maybe twice in my life, so it was exciting for everyone in the car. The boys were enthralled with the brushes and colored soap. AND, my brown van...is actually blue! The boys now constantly ask to go through the car wash!

We also took the boys to Mobius where there was a Spokane Symphony Petting Zoo. The petting zoo wasn't well organized, but the boys were excited to play the violin again. Thomas really enjoys the sports centers, and Joshua was thrilled to be a bee again. He asked me repeatedly to take pictures of his stinger so he could look at them on the camera! :) We then went over to Riverfront Park to the 100th birthday of the carousel. The boys got balloon animals, cake, and several rides on the carousel. They were thrilled! Dan and Kim even got the gold ring! Woo-hoo! After a rest at home, we went to a birthday dinner and then went up to a BBQ. It was a busy day!!!!

The boys new favorite thing is to have daddy make them paper hats and "microscopes" (telescopes). New ones are made every day. These are also their 41 month pictures. At some point, do I stop doing monthly pictures?! I can't seem to!

On Monday we went swimming on base. The boys were sooooo thrilled to not only get out of the house on a weekday, but to interact with other kids AND play in the water!

Current Happenings

The fact that I cannot get up as quickly and am tired more frequently has not escaped the boys, here are some of their current tricks and sneaky behavior:

Thomas:
Peeling hard-boiled eggs...in the shower
Sneaking an entire pack of cookie dough into his room and eating it...twice
Writing in chalk and crayon on the kitchen wall and floor
Drinking his water-color water
Placing miscellaneous items in the fridge (tupperware, paper, crayons, etc.)
Cleaning the toilet with the toilet wand
Carrying raw eggs around the house in a tea kettle
Writing all over face and body with chalk

Joshua:
Peeling eggs...oops, not hard-boiled, raw!
Sticking chalk in his underwear and running around the house leaving it where ever it falls

Both:
Jumping off top bunk to reach a balloon that had traveled into their room...yes they finally got it!

The iron pills are making me extremely nauseous and putting me in a lot of pain, but the upside is that I have more energy. I'm working on changing around the dosage and timing so I feel better for more periods of the day (like today). THEN, hopefully I can get a hold on this behavior! Luckily, they are being nice together. Should I just throw up my hands and call it brotherly bonding? :)

Cute!

What Josh said moments ago,

"I love ho-ho treats." (Treats for pooping on the potty out of a Santa jar). "
"They are my favorite treats in the whole wide world."
"Well, I never seen the whole wide world, but I have ho-ho treats at my work."
"I have a potty at my work too."

Where is spring?

Still chilly and cold, but we're surviving. It's been a busy couple days for the Domrese Family. Friday the boys and I hung out at home, but in the afternoon a couple friends stopped by to visit. This is a friend of mine from high school, and we try to meet up fairly regularly (mainly when she's visiting Spokane). Her daughter was born only a month after the boys, so we've tried to take pictures of them together as they've been growing up.

This morning we got up and got moving right away. We have attended the St. Patrick's Day Parade every year since the boys were born.. Usually, Dan is at work and meets us for a few minutes before heading back. With his new job, only few Saturday's are needed, so we went as a family. He was surprised at all that I packed, but grateful for the blankets, chairs, etc when we got downtown and the ground was covered with snow. The boys loved the parade and got lots of "choking hazards." I reteach the concept of choking hazards at every parade we go to and the boys are really good about separating the bad candy from the good and knowing that I'll exchange it for good candy when we get home. We randomly ran into our friends the Shefflers (also friends from high school) and the kids enjoyed each other during the parade (rather Joshua enjoyed sitting on Eva's lap during the parade).

After the parade we got our season passes for Riverfront Park, grabbed some lunch, and went back downtown for a birthday party at the carousel. The boys have been begging to ride the horsies and were really excited to be there. Nonetheless it was Anna's birthday party (Joshua will tell you this is his best friend), so Joshua was in hog heaven. At one point he went over, grabbed her hand, took her for a walk, kissed and hugged her, and took her to open her presents. CUTE!

Now that we're home from all the festivities we're exhausted and ready for bed. Joshua didn't make it past 7:30 PM! Tomorrow we are skipping church and resting up. A much needed day for the Domrese Family. Here are some pictures to catch you up.

Why should you NOT take your 3 year old to your doctor appointments?

The #1 reason NOT to take your kiddos to the OB appointments is that they see you pee in a cup. This, in itself, is not a big deal. The fact that Thomas remembered and decided to attempt it today IS a big deal. He missed. And not a little bit. He managed to spray just about the entire floor including his clothing and his stuffed animal he had drug in. Nice.

The days have been rough lately. I'm hoping it's either just a rough spell or the end of the pregnancy...either way, I'm hoping it will pass. We've been playing in fresh snow. This is made more difficult by the fact that Joshua hates keeping his gloves on, but is too cold with them off. And he enjoys going to the furthest corner in the yard and slipping off a boot, leaving it there and trudging inside. It's painful. However, I DO have cute snow pictures that I'll try and add shortly. The boys are mischievious and full of energy. They are quite the pair.

We've been researching and trying to find a preschool for the Fall. The boys are ready. We've visited two this week. The first one was awful, but the boys were upset to leave anyway. Today's preschool was fantastic and the boys were even more upset to leave. I believe the director might have been ready for us to leave though as Thomas body-checked Joshua as we were chatting. Nice. They are excited now to go, but not so sure about the fact that I will not be at school with them. That will be a big change for them.

The house is coming along slowly but surely. And by slowly I mean we should be able to feel completely moved in by the time our children graduate from high school.

New House

We're finally moved! We are now in the new house, boxes and all. It was quite the experience and we want to send a big shout out to all those that helped us move! Some were there for all 9 hours and others were in and out throughout the day. Thanks to all of you. We couldn't have done it without you.

I just found my camera, so I'll try and update pictures and get myself back on track. The boys are loving the new house. They especially love the fact that they can go upstairs (where there is a playroom) and the fact that this house has cable. We called to downgrade from internet and telephone to just internet and instead got a great deal on cable. Hehehehehe. Dan and I might be just as excited as the boys. :)

Another week and I think we'll be loads closer to unpacked (at least hopefully). Small progress is made everyday. Hopefully we'll be out and about to enjoy the world of the living again soon. :)