Days with the Dorans

Yesterday was a beautiful day and so we decided to load up the kids and take them to the zoo. We bought a zoo membership last year. For just $70 (I think it's 70...) the 6 of us get to come to the zoo as much as we want and there is free parking too. We came to the zoo a lot last year and now that summer is finally about to begin (it's had a slow start for us), we plan on coming a lot more! The zoo has a new dinosaur exhibit! We had to pay an extra $20 to see it, but it was worth it. The dinosaurs were quite life-like with moving eyes and heads. They would growl at you too! Sean stared for a long time at the first dinosaur we saw with the strangest little look on his face. Of course by the time I got out my camera he looked at me, but his expression was petty much the same... "What the heck is that?" Each dinosaur had a sign that told us their name, size, where they were found and some facts about them. The Bigs LOVED it and Joe (especially) asked the moment we left ...

On Wednesdays all over the internet , bloggers post a photograph with no words to explain it on their blog. Hence the ‘wordless’ title. The idea is that the photo itself says so much that it doesn ’t need any description. I will leave you with one word... ZACH!

When we were looking to move from the home I bought (Yes~ I saved all my $ and bought my own house when I was 24), it wasn't easy. Thankfully we sold that starter home for a little profit and were excited to move into something bigger. We stayed away from newer builds because in the end we missed the mature trees. I drove by our current house many times without a second look because I didn't like the way it looked from the street. The realtor suggested we just take a look. The house was perfect inside right down to the paint colors. There was a pink room for Al, a blue room for Joe, a large light green room with two closets for the baby I was expecting (Z), and the master color even matched our comforter. But it wasn't just the inside we fell in love with, we loved the backyard. Walking into it feels totally secluded and quiet. I love the mature trees and all the hostas and ferns that line the perimeter. What I don't love, is weeding... but there is a certain satisfact...

Last week was VBS (aka: Vacation Bible School). It felt like it came earlier than usual because school got out later (and I still hadn't finished up at school). It worked out great though~ I would drop off 3 Bigs (this was Z's first year being old enough), work 3 hours at school, pick them up and then we'd go home for a yummy family lunch. Each day the kids played fun games, did neat crafts and learned all about God. When I think about all that makes me who I am, makes my marriage as wonderful as it is, makes my family as amazing at it is~ it all comes down to one thing... God. God is the center of our lives and because of that everything seems to just fall into place. Some of the 'falling' can get sloppy of course. Mid-week I got Sean's pink eye and then later in the week we visited the ER with Sean (as previously mentioned). Joe's "prayer journal" that he made at VBS came in handy during the week (of craziness). They loved the new Pandama...

It is strange to wake up and look out my window and see an empty next. For the last few weeks we have been captivated by the view outside our window. First we noticed a nest. Then I got to watch as the mother bird laid her eggs (which was very cool). We watched as she sat upon them day and night with short breaks to grab some food. I finally got wise and started taking some video which I first posted here. We learned that there were three babies in that tiny nest and each day they seemed to change (and I thought my babies grew up fast...) They started as hairless little creatures, to creatures with sealed eyes and a few feathers, to little baby birds. Each day I watched as the mommy and daddy robin would come and feed their little babes and take away their waste ( Ewww ... guess I never thought about how they used the bathroom in that nest until I looked out my window). They brought worms each morning and berries throughout the day. And then last week Wednesday I noticed there w...

We should have known that one day our luck would run out. We’ve been parents for almost 8 years and so far have had zero trips to the ER (not including the time I took Z for a midnight case of croup and mosquito bites ~. not one of my finer moments...). Yesterday our luck ran out and it all started at Ali Jane’s ballgame. Jeff had taken Sean down the slide (there is a small park at the fields) and then he put Sean on Joe’s lap for a turn. The only problem was Joe started going down before Sean was ready and in the process of going down the slide, Sean’s legs got trapped under Joe. He cried a lot (obviously) and was quite clingy through the rest of the game and for the remainder of the evening. He would calm at times so we thought it was a combination of sore legs and just a tired camper. When we got home and Sean refused to stand on his own and screamed any time someone even brushed his leg, we knew something was wrong. I called my mom and she came over to watch the three Bigs a...