Graduation

Ryann is an official pre-K graduate. On Friday, May 18, we went to Ryann's school for graduation. We were fully anticipating her hiding her face and refusing to sing again. She had promised not to be shy and to do her best, but we can't always bank on her promises.

When she saw us, she smiled and gave a hug as they walked by. Then she got up on stage and put her head down, as expected. Once the music started, we were pleasantly surprised to see her join in. She didn't do the hand motions, but sang along with every song. When it was her turn to receive her "diploma" and tell what she wanted to be when she grew up, I expected her to clam up. She didn't clam up, but I was surprised by her response. She usually tells me she wants to be a library. I'm assuming that means librarian. Sometimes she says she wants to be a doctor. This was the first time I heard this one...

Yes, ....a cheerleader. Let's hope her aspirations change in the future.

To celebrate the graduation, we went to Johnny Rockets for dinner. "Kids eat free." However, Moms' and Dads' meals are ridiculously overpriced. The girls had fun , though. :0)

Birthday Time!

On Saturday, May 12th, we had Ryann and Avery's birthday party. This year we did a Hello Kitty theme. I kept the cake a bit simpler this time. It had a pink and white checkerboard inside with pink fondant and Hello Kitty picture.

We had about a dozen little friends come over and bounce in a Hello Kitty bouncy castle. They had cake and tore the house apart. A good time was had by all.

Ryann had a hard time understanding that she was not getting another one for her real birthday on Wednesday.

Road Trip

We just returned from a trip to Washington. It was quite an adventure. We left on Wednesday, May 2nd. It was Avery's 3rd birthday. We drove for about 11 hours, but we stopped at Applebee's to celebrate Avi's birthday. We also had cupcakes and presents in the hotel. We spent the night just north of Salt Lake City. Ryann & Avery love hotels. We arrived at Scott's Dad's house in Cheney around 7:30pm on Thursday, May 3rd. The next 2 days were spent visiting with family. It was nice to catch up with everyone and introduce Ashtyn. She got to meet Grandma Dobbins, whom she was named after.
Sunday was Bloomsday, an annual 12k race in Spokane. Scott, his brother, and his dad all ran in it. It was Scott's 12th time running it. Ryann and Ashtyn spent the morning with their aunt, uncle & cousins while Avery and I went to the race. Avi got to ride the carousel while we were waiting to meet Scott. Riverfront park is really scenic. It was a fun day. Scott ran well, so he was happy. We went out for Chinese food after the race. I was glad to be able to experience Bloomsday after hearing about it for so many years.
Monday was our last day there. We spent some more time with family and got packed. We headed back on Tuesday morning. We decided to stay at the same hotel on the way back. Avery insisted it was her birthday again. We arrived back home around 8:30 last night.
It was quite a trip. We love spending time with family. Scott and I have always enjoyed traveling. It's a bit more stressful to do with 3 little kids. We look forward to future trips, especially as the girls get a little easier to transport. :0)

Pictures

On Monday, I took the girls for their first pictures together. Ryann is almost 5, Avery is almost 3, and Ashtyn is 1 month old. Strangely enough, they were very cooperative with the photographer. Everyone smiled and followed directions. The trouble came at the end when Ashtyn had a stinky diaper and was crying for food. Then, when I was trying to order the pictures Ryann and Avery started fighting. It's just another day in the life of a mother of 3. Ugh.
I did think the pictures were cute, though.