Preschool Graduation #1

The girls graduated from preschool this week. It was bittersweet. I am looking for a different program for them for next year, so it was a sweet moment to see them say good-bye. I am happy to have them back and not be handing them off to other people. I miss my babies! I will be sad to have time by myself to run errands and just breathe though!

Looking back, the girls have made so much progress this year. Katie has really made some emotional/social progress. She started the year so raw and not happy. She had a lot of change towards the end of the year and really handled it with grace. She will always be my kid that likes consistency and routine, but she's learning to do transitions and change and I couldn't be more proud. Molly started off the year shy and not talking. That girl is gone and now there is a talkative playful little girl that wants to be a part of everything. They made some great friends, and I enjoyed a couple of the mom's too. I'm looking forward to finding something a little better fitting and I'm so excited to see them take off really love school!

On the last day they had a little ceremony. Here's a few shots of them. Remember that first day of school, how little they were?

Now they are big girls. Ready for whatever comes next.

 

Japanese Week 2013

We always enjoy Japanese Week in Spok.ane. You might not know this, but Japanese was my minor in college. One of my best friends is Japanese and lives in Japan. So, singing in Japanese, etc is really fun for me and the kids love it too. Back on track...

Japanese week is in April in Spokane. A favorite event is the family day of events at Mukagawa. The kids love it and I love it!

Happy Birthday Katie and Molly (The Girls Turn 4!)

Holy crap! Can you believe it? Could they really be 4? These beautiful tiny babies?

Now they're 4?!?!?!

The girls had a couple different parties for groups of friends. They had a birthday party scheduled for the park, but the rain made us move it to Chuck E Cheese (big bummer for them...not). Their chosen theme being "My Little Pony."

 

They had a family party at home. The chosen theme being "Hello Kitty."

 

Then they had the party they had waited for. On a trip to Claire's Jewelry in the mall to get spray for their dance recital, the cashier had mentioned they do birthday parties. Mind you, this was about 3 weeks before their birthday....well, the girls absolutely fell in love with the idea. They were allowed to invite one person each and then they invited their mutual friend and neighbor Camden. They were so excited to get their makeup done, get their nails painted, tattoos put on, and pick out prizes. So much fun!

 

 

Molly claimed she could not turn 4 until Camden placed a crown on her head. This was imperative. The Claire's party actually happened a week after her actual birthday, but she wouldn't say she was 4 until she had been crowned. And the moment it happened, the joy was clear. Thanks Camden for being their prince!

Spring Soccer 2013

The boys played spring soccer this year. It's finally happened. As long as the boys have done sports I've managed to follow two rules: the sports are indoors and they only have one obligation per week  (thus the practice and game are on the same day). This year they had one practice during the week and a game on the weekend! And it was outdoors. AND I signed up to help coach. There were two of us coaching and we traded off weeks heading the practice and took turns on the field. It was a ton of fun! And the boys really improved! Here are some highlights:

River.front Park Passes....

Last year we didn't get our passes because Dan was deployed and I was just too overwhelmed to do it! This year, I made sure to get those passes as our family gets full use out of them. The girls are finally at the right height to be able to ride most rides and the boys can ride everything. It's so much fun!

Family Hikes

We took our first family hike (as a family)! Dan is home from deployment and enjoying the sunshine as a family was on the plan of events. We took to a favorite trail and started hiking. The kids did not last long, but there were some great moments for all.

OOPS...Easter 2013

I'm really behind. My apologies to those who follow the blog to follow the family. It's been so busy and our computers/internet have all had to be replaced/worked on!


Easter was a little bit complicated as Dan was still deployed. Since he was deployed the same time last year, we just followed the same protocol. Our friends, Phil and Lauren, helped out with the Easter Egg Hunt at Gon.zaga Prep. Always fun!

We dyed Easter eggs.

We took our annual Easter picture with the ears (not the best, but it'll do)

We hosted Easter brunch here. The highlights were: watching the family play Bey-Blades and watching the NCAA tournament with grandpa Larry.

Snow White and the KING!

This winter Joshua participated in some Civic Theater classes on the production of Snow White. He was cast as the king. He was very excited and really had a great time. Dan was deployed during the time of the show so we invited as many friends and family as possible. The crowd was full of fans for him! He was so proud and did an amazing job. Thanks to all of our friends and family that attended and supported Joshua!