Floor Art

Katharine used to line up all of her toys just like Keira. 

Of course, she loses sight of that shared bond between sisters every time she realizes that Keira has gone into her room and used her toys.

Kassidy uses stickers right now, but she might be the next Doescher girl to follow in this tradition. Hopefully Keira will be more accommodating than Katharine (but that is very doubtful).

Above is a classic Kassidy pose with the head rolled back, probably learned when she was always trying to look through the big flop of hair that fell down over her face.

Ten bucks says she is still doing this 10 years from now...

Happy Birthday to Me

Duncan Hines cake was eaten (my favorite), 

cool hand drawn cards were presented (Keira gave me around two dozen), 

and a jar of Swedish Fish was given (mmm).

All in all- a very nice birthday!

Except for the age thing...

Random Erik facts:

I am a video game designer, currently working on Aliens: Colonial Marines for Gearbox Software

My hobbies are bike riding, drawing, and photography

I've always wanted to learn how to play the banjo

Favorite healthy food: skinless chicken breast, asparagus, and Perrier
Favorite junk food: Red Hot blue chips, German pretzels, and sweet tea

I always read before going to sleep, no matter what time it is

Currently reading: Thomas Pynchon's "Against the Day", the New Yorker, NYTimes, and digital comics

Twenty years ago I was living on the Upper West Side in NYC doing freelance illustration

Favorite childhood memory: biking across state lines to play at the arcade

Favorite subjects in grade school were Art, History, and Science

I love watching sports, and wish I had the time and ability to play them
The last few music tracks I listened to were by: Sinatra, U2, Pulp, Dylan
Goal for this year: stretch out so that I can touch my toes
Favorite thing about parenting: watching the kids grow up and turn into their own person
Least favorite thing about parenting: putting them to bed (Google "Samuel Jackson" and "sleep")
Hanging out with Kassidy- playing catch and peekaboo
Hanging out with Keira: playing 'My Little Pony' and reading books
Hanging out with the boys: Legos during the week, Lego video games on the weekend
Hanging out with Katharine: art and stories
Hanging out with Iria: corralling the kids by day, reading and TV on the couch by night
Favorite TV shows: Daily Show, Amazing Race
I am really bad at remembering names...

Ok, enough for now. I'll save some for next year.

Swimming with Grandpa

The hotel pool is always one of the biggest attractions whenever my parents visit- and its even better when they get to splash and ride on Grandpa.

One of her favorite things

Playing cars.

After the Recital

Here is Katharine after two days of performances, where she typically danced in 4-5 numbers per show.

She managed a few more smiles for the camera, and then dug into her new book.

Miss Kassidy wasn't tired, but then again, that girl is hardly ever tired...

Waiting

A classic kid pose: waiting by the window for the Grandparents to arrive.

Texas Cloud

This cloud formed right before sundown, ushering in a cool breeze and a lot of oohs and ahhs within the neighborhood.

Rehearsals

Thursday is the rehearsal day of the annual dance recital weekend for Sheena's Dance Academy. They go through all of the dances, and the parents are allowed to snap pictures and take videos.

I was watching the kids this week, so with no baby on her arm Iria got to take a lot of pictures. 

Here are my favorites:

All of the kids did awesome with their dances- and it was great to watch.

And holy crap- Katharine is becoming quite the ballerina!

Wednesday Morning Gallery

Studies in pink.

by Kassidy

by Keira