9 Year Anniversary

Happy 9 Year Anniversary to Us!

We had a mellow evening with some much needed adult conversation and a delicious dinner at Michael's on Naples.

It's Finally Summer!

We had our first trip to the island this weekend, making it officially summer for The Durnin Family. My mom joined us on the trip and we had a blast. We left Saturday morning and came home Sunday afternoon, but we made the most of our short trip and had such a great time.

We were trying to get the kids on the paddle boards, but Boomer beat them to it for a ride.

A man and his dog

Boomer thought swimming behind us was fun, that dog could swim for hours.

Bailey loves going on the paddle boards

Bailey's turn with Daddy, Raif and I are slowly making our way forward

Raif is still not sure about the paddle boards, let me tell you it is not that easy paddling sitting down!

Lily loved the paddle boarding.

Yes, that is my mom on the board!!!

Multiple knee surgeries and a knee replacement didn't stop her!

A much need cocktail after paddle boarding.

One more much needed cocktail after paddle boarding! Our first buffalo milk of the summer!!!!

Some french fries for our little guy.

A mouth full of fries for Raif.

My kiddos

We decided to take a hike to try and find Reagan and Aaron, who were camping with their Indian Princesses group.

After too many cocktails and a pretty good hike, we found them!

A beautiful view on the way home.

We fished for sand dabs on the way home.

Raif gave it a try. Success!

Bailey's Last Day of Preschool

Bailey had her last day of preschool today. I thought I would be a bit sadder than I was, but I'm excited for her. She is truly ready to start Kindergarten. It's hard to say, but she actually
out-grew preschool. That's the point, right? She isn't a baby anymore, but a little girl. Her time at preschool was wonderful. The teachers are so loving and the philosophy of learning was just perfect to fit the needs of Bailey. It's always hard, but exciting to close one chapter and open another. But, I can honestly say I'm ready for her to start Kindergarten. Although, I might need to be reminded of that when I'm crying my eyes out on her first day of kindergarten!

Bailey and Mrs. Moreno
Bailey with Mrs. Stocking

Bailey with Ms. Renner

I think Raif was trying to tell me he was ready to start preschool, this is the furthest he has ever ventured away from me

One of Raif's favorite things to climb in

Say cheese!

Father's Day

Father's Day morning started off at the bay. We were really hoping the sun would burst through the clouds and provide us with a beautiful day, however that did not happen. The other thing that did not happen was picture taking. Hey, sometimes you're in the mood for photos and sometimes you're not. We had Colby's parents, my parents, and my sister, Eli and their brood over for dinner. It was a pleasant evening, nothing spectacular. Just good food, good conversation, and a nice way to spend the day. Here are a few photos of the morning.

It must have been cold if even Colby had his sweatshirt on!
Reagan and Paige, they didn't seem to notice the chilly weather

Paige and Raif were creating a Happy Father's Day cake for the Daddys

Creativity and My Poor Baby Dog

Raif and Bailey have been playing pirates a lot lately. Probably due to the fact that they both like watching the new Disney show, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates." A show both of them can agree on watching together. Yesterday, Bailey asked me for some tape. I just gave it to her without asking what for. She's pretty good with stuff and knows where she can use it and where she can't. When I overheard, "hold still, Raif," curiosity got to me and I had to go and see what she was getting her little brother into. When I arrived, Raif held up his hand and said ,"Look, I Captain Hook!" The tape is securing on a salt shaker from her kitchen set. Pretty creative for a 5 year old!

Raif showing off his Captain Hook hand
Who needs a real hook when you can use a salt shaker!

Where's Lily?

My poor baby dog got an infected anal gland and had to have surgery on Wednesday (TMI, I know). She has been beside herself and is often found hiding wherever she can to escape the fact that she has a drain coming out of her bottom! If you enlarge the picture you can see she is hiding in one of the bags on the floor of our closet.

Just in case you didn't believe me, here is a close-up

I feel like she's auditioning for the part in E.T. where he hides in the middle of all the stuffed animals! Hopefully, she gets the drains out on Saturday.

Bailey's Dance Recital

This Saturday evening, Bailey had her dance recital. The title of the performance was "The Wishing Well" and Bailey's dance number was wishing that the little dolls would come to life. Bailey, as shy as she is to those she doesn't know, comes to life on stage. She loves to perform and her smile was beaming. Here are a few photos from her evening.

One of her many dance poses

Bailey with Colby and me, Raif stayed at our neighbors house.

Grammy and Grandpa Charley with Bailey

Daddy with his little doll

Grandpa and Grandma

Grandma Pat, she still amazes me

Another pose

Doll hands are up

Bailey's dance partner in the performance

Bailey's dance teacher, Miss Marissa

A beaming smile with all her flowers

Yosemite Trip

This year we finally got to join a huge group of friends on their annual trip to Yosemite. There were about 20 kids ages 2 to 10! We had such a great time, despite some undesirable weather. We could only go Friday to Sunday, but we made the most of our time and had a wonderful trip!

Raif having a little licorice snack
One of our little resident friends

Roasting marshmallows, a nightly ritual

Raif wants more!

Waiting for the shuttle

I think she wanted on her Daddy's shoulders.

On our little hike to Happy Isle

Raif needed a snack to get through the walk

Just beautiful

Family photo

The way the wood split was so beautiful

Bailey called this the fairy tree

Strike a pose

There are so many beautiful birds

The water was moving

We loved the little bit of water peeking through the rocks

More snacks

Striking another pose

Playing ring-around-the-tree with Daddy

Taking a little break...

for all of us

Bailey wanted to take some pictures

Kids playing some games during the rain

Big kids playing some games(poker) during the rain

By the beach at camp

It was getting a bit wet

Should I get even wetter?

Yup!

You can't see it, but there is a fox in between the trees

Such beautiful waterfalls

Clouds moving in for a night filled with rain

More clouds coming in

Nighty night

I'm glad the shelf was there

Our camp