Vacation 2011

What a vacation! We went with the Worthy Family (the girls' godparents for those of you that don't know) and had a blast! We had cabins right next to each other. The kids ran and played. There are so many pictures, I'll try to pick the best.

There was an old out of use gas station that the kids loved. They had freedom to ride their bikes (no cars allowed on campground) back and forth and had an absolute blast.

There were hermit crabs to be found. The kids were collecting bucketfuls and spent hours each day finding them. Thomas had an enormous collection of seashells that we had to dwindle down at the end of our stay.

We played baseball. And by played baseball, I mean that Thomas hit me with the ball leaving a huge welt on my arm. Yes, I was taking pictures instead of playing outfield. But, in my defense, I had warned them that I am a horrible baseball player. (Here is my favorite picture, Jake- age 3- hitting the ball)

We had Smores and campfires. Molly found out that she loves Kyle.

The trip ended with some beautiful sunsets...

Thanks Worthy family! We had a fabulous time!



Boys Triathlon

The boys participated in a kid triathlon this month. It was such a blast to be a part of! They swam 20 meters (ours wearing life jackets), biked 1 mile, then ran 1/4 mile. They did it with some good friends Kyle and Claire.

Here's a picture of the four participants beforehand:

Then, it was craziness and I got very few pictures. The boys were suppose to be in the second heat, but Joshua heard that whistle and leapt off the edge and into the pool. He swam amazingly considering he was being pulled under by the kid beside him (no lanes, so it was kind of a free for all). Thomas waited and went in the second heat as planned. Thomas passed Joshua on the biking and I ran the 1/4 mile with him around the track. Thus, there are no more pictures. :) But it was a great experience and we can't wait to do it again!

Dance Recital 2011

Tonight was Joshua's first dance recital. It was a very surreal moment...

It was a big realization for me while sitting there. This was the moment. We are "those parents." The kid up on stage? That was OUR kid! We both sat in awe as Joshua danced the best he's ever danced. We both wiped tears from our eyes and just watched him as our hearts swelled and our faces beamed. We are so proud of that kid. Here are a few pictures. The pictures of him dancing on stage are from the dress rehearsal (no cameras allowed at the actual performance). The rest of them are from tonight after the recital.


At dress rehearsal:

 With great-grandma Alice:

 Thomas & Joshua:

 The family pic:

Joshua and his teacher Julie:

Father of the Year 2011

Last year at this time, Dan was awarded the Spo.kane In.dians Father of the Year award and go to throw out the first pitch.

This year, he won the Superdad of the Year award from an online twins group that I am a part of. He won a $25 gift card to Be.st Bu.y.

Here's my essay:

Involved. Loving. Playful. Amazing. Those are the words I use to describe my husband as a father. When the first set of twins arrived Dan was incredible. He could change a diaper just in time to change another. He could thaw breastmilk in record time and get it to the perfect temperature. Listening to him sing to the boys was adorable.


Then, the second set arrived. Somehow, he seamlessly moved into a father of four, (at the time, four kids three and under.) He could deal with newborns, while entertaining the toddlers. I frequently wondered where he hid his cape.

Now, the boys are 5 1/2 and the girls are 2; he has only changed a bit. The wrestling is a bit crazier with four children. The songs are a bit louder. But, he can still change diapers in a wink. He can still calm a crying baby at 2 AM.

Even when deployed or gone for training, he managed to pull the super-dad card. If gone for a longer period of time, we'd 'Skype' before bed and he would read the children a story. When at his civilian job, he will meet me at the doctor's office in an instant; knowing to come just by the sound of my voice.

Loving. (That he loves me.) (Daddy kiss ME!) Playful. (That he rough houses with me.) Fun. (He sleds with me and it is so fun.) Cool. (He wears sunglasses and looks cool.) These are the words (phrases) the children use to describe daddy. I love that they see him in such a positive light. They live for the moment he walks through that door. I should someday look under his jacket, to see where he hides his cape.

Happy Father's Day to the Superdad of the Year! :) Love you honey!

Summer Days!!!!!

What a beautiful day! It was a child-led morning. That means we were doing water balloons at 8:45 AM. The kids loved it! Then we did a bath. While the boys waited and cleaned up their playroom, this accidentally occurred.

Yup, our first broken window. Total accident. Oh well.

We then prepared to go to daddy's Guard Picnic out at Cl.ear La.ke. The packing part is insane. It takes a lot of stuff to get 6 people to the lake for a day. Everything I did, Katie followed me around and undid. Finally we were ready.

It was a glorious day. Beautiful weather (mid-80's), clear skies, and lots of shade!

We found a great spot, got food, the kids played on the play structure (only a stones throw away from our spot, so we could sit and watch all four of them), and had a great time!

The kids decided they wanted to swim (See the boys in the blue hats? They swam WAY OUT!)

Then we went on our first paddle-boating experience.( I will leave out the part where I wait in line for 15 minutes, call the family over when it's our turn, only to realize that Molly has pooped in her swimsuit and it's leaking all over me and I then have to run all the way back to diaper bag and change her and book it back to boat. Forget that part, it really was a great experience). Thomas, daddy, and Katie paddled. Molly, Joshua, and mommy enjoyed the scenery. It was beautiful!

Then we watched the boat races. And by boat races I mean boats made of only cardboard and duct tape. Dan's cousin Tony was in one of the boats, and his squadron had a boat as well. There was lots of cheering! While we watched, Thomas played volleyball on the sand volleyball court (he had been waiting all day for the little kids turn and LOVED IT!)

The day ended at home with some ice cream after a dinner of pot roast (which I started in the crockpot this morning), green beans, and rolls. YUM!

What a great start to summer!!!!!

Big Changes

The Domrese household has been full of big changes.

We had a timeframe that nursing was acceptable for this house (not that we judge any other style, it's just what we felt we were comfortable with). We had decided that by 2-years old, we should be near weaning. Well...the girls' birthday came and went and we were still nursing. I scaled back as much as I could but those darlings just weren't ready. Well, in the past two weeks, the girls hit some developmental jumps and they showed signs of being ready (and mama was ready too!). The girls and I sat one night and nursed and snuggled and had that "last moment." Nursing was a special bonding time for us and it's something I was sad to say good-bye to (even though I am thrilled to be free!). :)

After the last nursing session (on a Friday), Dan took all nighttime duties (since they didn't sleep through the night). Well, I can happily say that here we are and the girls are weaned and rarely ask to nurse (and if they do, they really just want a snuggle or some personal attention). AND, the biggest news in the Domrese house.

EVERY SINGLE PERSON SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! (SORRY FOR SIDEWAYS PICTURES)

The boys slept through the night the moment we weaned. The girls were essentially the same. It took them about a week, but everyone sleeps through the night. EVEN ME! It's amazing! I haven't slept through the night in over 3 years. Wow.

So, now I have big kids. The baby stage is officially over. The toddler stage is almost over. On we go to the next stage. I'm excited. I'm sad. It's a great place to be.

Katie's Tailbone

How did I NOT post this??????

In early April Katie went down our little slide and landed on her tailbone. This sent her into 90 minutes of unconsolable crying. She couldn't get up off the ground and collapsed at the attempt. It was scary but after 90 minutes she slowly became herself again.

The next day she was playing with Thomas and fell on it again. Then followed 3 hours of crying and the inability to get up off the ground. I called her pediatrician. They said she likely broke/fractured her tailbone and that there was nothing to do but let it heal slowly. They asked if I wanted to xray it. I asked if treatment would change with xray results and the answer was no.

I then began to look at alternative treatments. Katie was in a lot of pain, crying all the time and grabbing her backside and screaming in pain. I called a chiropractor and since it was already Friday afternoon and the girls were napping, we scheduled a Monday appt. Katie woke up at 4:30 PM crying and upset and unconsolable. I called back the chiropractor to see if there was any chance of getting her in pronto. They agreed and squeezed her in.

This was a new experience for me. I've never been to a chiropractor. The entire experience was rather uncomfortable. I was not convinced that the outcome was going to be acceptable or even genuine.

He did some testing (again not real comfortable) and then treated her. My theory was that if it didn't work- at least I tried. But if it did work then I had done something right. He tapped on her and she screamed in pain. We took breaks, I held her, she did as well as anyone could expect. Big crocodile tears down her cheeks.

He finished, she sat up, looked at me and said, "I better! Mama, I better!" The girl smiled and was ready to go. Can't argue with that! She was still tender for a few weeks, but I can't deny that he really helped her. Still not an experience I'm entirely comfortable with, but something that was successful nonetheless.