Monday, August 10, 2009

The Best of Summer (so far)

I can't believe that I haven't updated our blog in over a month!  We have been fully enjoying these summer months and time is just flying by.  It is hard to believe that Brady is already 5 months old and Abi is going to be starting preschool next month!  Since I am a bit behind in posting, I thought that the best way to catch up would be to compile a list of our recent activities, celebrations & milestones.  So, without further ado, here is the Doehne Family's Top 10 Summer Moments.

10.) Derby Days - Although we have "marched" in the kids parade for the past 2 years, this year was extra special because Abi rode her bike for the first time.  We practiced for about a month before the big day.  Even though we kept a snails pace on the parade route, Abi complained that she was "going too fast" (I think that if Josh didn't start pushing her, she would have stopped!)  Regardless, she did a great job and looked fantastic in her princess outfit.



Brady waving to all of his adoring fans!



9.) Brady Starts Solids - Similar to Abi, we started introducing Brady to solid foods after he turned 4 months old.  According to Josh, one of the reasons kids are crabby for the first months of life is because they want to eat some "real" food (only a man could come up with such as philosophy).  Well, so far Brady has loved his food and some of his favorites include peas and sweet potatoes.

Before & After Brady's First Meal

8.) Abi's Swimming Lessons - Abi took 2 weeks of swimming lessons.  The first week was pretty rough and generally ended with her crying hysterically; however, she stuck with it and now is becoming quite a good swimmer.

7.) Our Big Night Out - Josh and I got a night out of the house (kid-free!) with our friends, Jami and Colin.  We started off at a bar that served Absinthe - an "experience" that Josh and Colin had been looking forward to for quite some time.  Then we headed to dinner and to a movie at the Gold Class Cinemas (you can't beat recliners, pillows, blankets and desserts delivered right to your seats at the push of a button!)


 

6.) Brady Learns How to Roll Over - Although Brady learned how to roll over from his stomach to back pretty early on; during the last few weeks of July, he learned how to roll from his back to stomach.  He has became quite the expert.  Now, if he is left alone, I often find that he has rolled himself across the entire floor within a minute or two.  He seems to really enjoy his new found freedom and LOVES sleeping on his stomach.  I have a feeling that I am going to be very busy as soon as he can figure out how to crawl!


5.) Picking Raspberries - We headed out to Remlinger's Farm this year to pick raspberries.  We had great weather and came home with LOTS of berries.  Josh made some delicious freezer jam and we even had some leftovers to snack on.
 


My current favorite picture of Brady


Abi eating raspberries...I think she ended up bringing home about 50% of her take


Our secret weapon to get the best berries!

4.) Abi's Dance Class - In addition to swim lessons, Abi also took dance class this summer.  It was a tap and ballet combo class and all of the kids were SO cute!  Generally, in the past, I have always been an active participant in Abi's classes, however as she gets older she has been taking these classes by herself.  As a spectator, I have discovered that half the time she is goofing around and not paying attention when she should be.  It is so hard for me to sit on the sidelines and bite my tongue but I figure that this is good practice for preschool.  I am already dreading our first parent-teacher conferences! :)



3.) Family Visits - Towards the end of July, Grandpa, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Bob flew in from California for a few days.  It was great to spend time together and catch up.  Abi had a great time showing Aunt Peggy her princess bedroom and I'm glad they got a chance to meet Brady. 

Kids hanging out with Great-Grandpa

2.) Brady Moves into his New Digs - On August 1st, Brady graduated from his cradle (which was in our room) to his own room.  He is now sleeping in his big boy crib and seems to like the ability to sleep on his stomach and move around a bit more. 

1.) Heat Wave - At the end of July, Seattle experienced the hottest and driest spell ever recorded.  At the peak, Redmond hit a record 107 degrees.  Without air conditioning, it was about 90 degrees in the house.  Luckily, my parent's have air conditioning so the kids and I spent a few nights at their house.  During the days, we spent our time in the inflatable pool trying to stay cool.

Fillin' up the pool




Brady is not amused by my attempts to keep him cool
      


Thursday, July 9, 2009

Summer Moments







All dressed and ready to go to Princess Regen's Birthday Party














"The Little Mermaid" Movie Night











Hangin' out with Cousin Paige

















Having fun with the girls...



















Mariners Game with Grandma & Mom














Happy 4th of July!

We had a fun 4th of July weekend. With the weather actually cooperating this year, we headed out to Poulbso to celebrate and watch the fireworks on the boat with "Ferryboat Grandma and Grandpa" (this is how Abi identifies Jeanne and Jim and distinguishes between the two sets of grandparents). It was a beautiful night and both kids did great! After last year, I was a bit worried that we would be seen running from the marina with two terrified, screaming kids in tow. Brady fell asleep at 7:30 and slept through the entire firework show (I couldn't believe it!). And Grandma very wisely set up a TV with a few movies for Abi and it proved to be the perfect distraction. During the fireworks show, she split her time between Peter Pan and actually watching some of the fireworks - the ones that looked like worms were her favorite!

Thanks to Aunt Peg for the cute 4th of July outfits!




Relaxing with Dad - For Brady, sucking his thumb is a two-hand job!


Grandma with her grandkids





On Sunday, we headed down to the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Abi enjoyed running around the park and looking for crabs in the low tide.






Monday, June 22, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

"Daddy will tell me" - these are the words I hear from Abi every time she asks me a question and I tell her that I don't know the answer. It could be a very important question such as the name of the prince in Snow White or a tricky question such as the name of the dog that a stranger is walking in downtown Seattle. Lucky for us, Daddy is a pretty smart guy.

To celebrate Father's Day, we started off at Redhook Brewery for dinner...
The Dads

Abi & Colby

Then we headed over to our friends for a Father's Day Brewfest. Despite the absolute CRAZY weather, we had a great time catching up with good friends and enjoying yummy food and beverages - thanks Jami and Colin for hosting a fun day!

Trying to keep dry from the hail, thunder & lighting while BBQ'ing

Daddy (with Brady in tow) partaking in brewtime festivities

And what would a Father's Day blog post be without some pictures of the kids?

Hey, who is this guy?

Big sis showing Brady how the toy ring works

Abi got dressed all by herself after bathtime (don't you just love the headband?)

Inspector Abi

My big boy in the Bumbo

Thursday, June 4, 2009

A Heat Advisory...Seriously???

It's hard to believe but last week we experienced a heat advisory...in Seattle....in June - now that's crazy! We had record temperatures in the 90s. We took full advantage and spent lots of time outdoors, enjoying the warm weather by heading to the beach, picnicking at the park, running through the sprinkler and exploring the zoo.







The Whole Gang


Mixing up a delicious concoction for Sadie

-A Playdate with the Girls-



-Woodland Park Zoo-