Days with the Dorans

In the summer we're all about lake living!! The kids are at such an easy age where I can just head down with them and read a book while they swim and play. I'm so blessed with how well they all get along (most of the time). Before our trip, I made a point to snap some pictures just to look at when I was missing my boys. Al is the only girl but she sure gets along well with her brothers!

 It's hard to believe that this is Ali Jane's and Sarah's last VBS (though next year I believe they are going to be "helpers"). The girls and our Littles went to church each day, had a blast learning about God, meeting new people and more! We did a carpool this year which was awesome. We dropped the kiddos off at church and the Macs picked them up! Our kids were soooo spoiled because Sarah's folks took them out to lunch just about every day!! The day of Jeff's accident, Sarah's dad also took them to the park and kept them later until my dad could get over to my place with Joe. It really takes a village and in addition to all their lessons in church, I hope they learned the importance of helping others in need. Being on the receiving end of it this week really reminded me what a blessing it is to have people who care!

We've learned by now that life doesn't always go the way you'd like but a bike ride made Jeff's (almost) entire summer not the way he'd like... He and Joe went mountain biking and (long story short), Jeff went down a pretty steep hill, hit some soft sand at the bottom and flew over his handlebars. Thankfully he had his phone with him but his call was confusing and he didn't sound well.  I was in a bit of a panic (not knowing EXACTLY how to get him) so did what most people would do in a panic situation... I called my mom.  She actually got to them first and had bikes loaded in the van when I pulled up (I was further away). She took Joe and the bikes and I took Jeff to the hospital and boy, was he in pain! I felt horrible just going around bends in the road.  At the ER they took x-rays and said it was a "good break" in his clavicle.  Jeff and I thought this meant that it would go back "good" but that wasn't the case.  Wh...

 My dad gave us tickets to the Tigers Game and boy was it fun!! I don't know the last time the six of us went together to a game (guess I should check the blog). Sean was the one we weren't sure would make it (attention span) but even he had fun.  Of course Sean didn't pay attention to the game at times.  He was taking "selfies" and pretending to sell peanuts to people. It was kind of a rip-off... he sold his peanuts for $20 when we bought them outside the stadium for $2. It was quite the mark-up but he was cute! Poor kid wore big shorts that kept falling down. We all had a good laugh (including Sean) and a good time. The Tigers played well and of course my girl kept score like her Papa taught her.  I really am blessed to have these amazing people in my life!!

I'm so bad.  I didn't take many pictures on Father's Day but I sure did (and do) appreciate the favorite dads in my life! Father's Day was perfect.  It was a lazy day in the lake with good food, drinks and family. Marty of course had fun too.

 Wow! It seems like yesterday I was sweating about putting Al's hair in a bun and mascara on her little blond lashes and now we're old pros! At this year's recital all of her fans were REALLY impressed with her growth as a dancer.  She is such a joy to watch and I snapped the pic above (which I LOVE) off stage when I was working... a little perk I stole- no worries- no flash! Now that Al is a Classy Dancer, she gets there earlier to stretch with that group and bonus... her costumes can stay there all week! I dropped her off and actually did some shopping before the recital we watched with family. I also watched her Friday show and worked backstage (as I mentioned) as a line up mom on Saturday night~ something I've done the last couple years. We were able to video the rehearsal so I took some pictures from my video (not the best but necessary for my blog book). I LOVED Al's ballet dance. She has such a grace about her. She was very proud to learn at recit...

As an end-of-year project, Zach had to research someone from history, write a report and then teach others about them in a "Wax Museum" format.  Z became Henry Ford. That green dot on his hand was the button you would push to start "Wax Henry Ford" talking about himself.  He had a lot of fun.  Papa was the only one that could make it (because of course this happened during the school day...) but he did take a couple pictures and said he was awesome! He said there were many kids that did a great job but one story was pretty funny and worth repeating. I guess he went and pressed the button of Tom Selleck. The boy started with, "I was born in 1945 in Detroit..." My dad stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, I was born in 1945 in Detroit...." The boy paused. Looked at him and said, "Are YOU Tom Selleck?!" BWAHAHAHAHAHA  Z had a great teacher this year who was wonderful at taking pictures and sending them to me. She loved ...

 I still can't believe that the girl who was put on the wrong bus her first day of kindergarten is suddenly graduating from 5th grade! I made her a noon-ish eye appointment so I could be at her graduation (after her appointment) because there was no way I would miss it.  I hate that my school won't let me take a personal day for something like this. Joe was in school but her little brothers were there along with Dad, Nana, Papa & TZ (who Papa was babysitting).  The ceremony was long. There were four kids that read essays (that's what took so long) and then each kid got a certificate and they sang two songs (which I really liked). After that they went to the new gym for a reception. I love that Al and her twin (and neighbor) Sarah were dressed similar (white on top black on bottom) without even discussing it.  Of course Al had her signature flower. She has her own style but she wears it so well.  Al had a great year and her teacher, Mr. ...

So Z's Jags experience is done! We have loved watching him play in whatever uniform he has on. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best experience for him and HE'S chosen not to do travel but stick with academy (which is a great choice for him). He didn't have the best coaching experience and I'm just glad he isn't giving up the game~ since he does love to play. BOTH Jeff and I missed Z's last two games because they landed on a Sunday when Jeff was leading church and I was the only soprano and couldn't find someone to fill in.  Nana took him and his sibs and we got out there just as the last game was ending! We went right from there to his team party which was a lot of fun. Outside from learning some new things in soccer, I think that Z learned other lessons too... It's fun to meet new friends, always try to be better than you were before and focus on the good. Loved cheering on my number nine this year and can't wait to be his number one ...