Pizza with the principal, Potty & Muffins with Mom

 Max has thoroughly enjoyed kindergarten so far...he has his super days and he has some days where he just wants to be at home...but he diligently gets up, gets ready and gets on his bus which drives him about 1/2 a block to the school. 

You can imagine my surprise when I picked him up one day and he said he was sent to the principals office...he said his teacher gave him a note for me to read in his backpack...I wanted very much to riffle through his ninja turtle backpack and find the note immediately...instead I patiently waited until we made the four minute walk home...

I was happy to find out that he had been chosen to have Pizza with the principal by his teacher for being an exemplary student and example. I. Love. This. Kid.

 

 He's singing, 'I tricked you, I tricked you!'

 

 Then, "I get yummy pizza! I get yummy pizza!"

 This is his principal, Mrs. Searle, she not only served it...I believe she made it!

Here he is with two fellow pizza with the  principal attendees (all three are part of the Mrs Merlee preschool crew!) 

While Max has been having his adventures at school without us...the girls and I have been having some of our own. When I potty trained Max, he was barely two and had shown the first signs of being ready as he routinely woke up in the morning with a dry diaper...the force was strong with him and he had no problem understanding and wanting to be out of those wretched diapers. He also loved Elmo's potty time....and that was that...  

The girls are three and started sleeping through the night with a dry diaper about a year ago...but one was more consistently dry than the other...one of my first real attempts to potty train them was last summer, I had heeded the advice of many successful moms and just let them run diaper free in a contained area and would routinely put them on the potty...since I don't have a bathroom with two toilets...I had them separated by a hallway...after deciding that I would wait it out and that certainly my will would be stronger than theirs...Kiri finally said that she went potty...so, I left Lia on the potty in Max's bathroom and ran down to the girls' bathroom...after putting a diaper on Kiri and feeling defeated (as she had NOT gone pee and merely stuffed the toilet full of toilet paper)... Lia then came running down the hall yelling that she had gone poo...after cleaning her up, I went back to Max's bathroom to find the toilet: empty...following the scent I can't logically explain her reasoning for getting off the potty, wandering to her brother's room and defecating on one of his favorite books...and I was defeated...so defeated that I didn't even try again for 6 months....

Alas I was shamed into a second real attempt and surprisingly, it only took a total of about 10 days and they have never looked back!!!!

 

 Lia and Kiri conversing about where the poo goes after it gets flushed...Lia quickly answered, "with the ninja turtles!"

 Celebrating our outing to buy big girl panties!

Kiri got an array of princesses and Lia chose Kai-lan, Team Umizoomi, Wonder Woman
& a few princesses

 Muffins with Mom...being on the PTO has given me a real appreciation for all the goes into these activities...I love seeing Max enjoying and adapting so well to school...And I love muffins!

 

Max turns 6!

 Max turned six this year!

 My mom surprised him and came to visit after Christmas and stayed until his birthday...his birthday spoils

 I love this kid!!!

 His teacher Mrs. Lewis is so great...every week I go volunteer in his class & I take something that I can use at home...she's just so clever!!!

One of the things she does on each students' birthday is that they get a whole poster filled out at home about them and the other classmates get to go over it with the birthday student...then if treats are brought (what cruel parent doesn't bring treats on their child's birthday) the birthday student gets to request the song sung in any style (Max chose Chinese, which the other kids vetoed!) and then the birthday student gets to stand on the chair and after they are sung to, gets to take the first bite. I think Max thoroughly L-O-V-E-D it.

 This kid still loves Ben 10..so he requested green Pistachio cupcakes with Pistachios/Almond custard

 I have a shockingly similar picture of me in preschool...

 Then, a week later, we had his birthday party at the legacy gym...I am in love with these parties where there is a finite amount of space, time and activities you can take up for the party, the parents can freely drop off their kids and can pick them up knowing they will have been watched, fed and exhausted...and there's no mess in your home to clean afterwards!!

Everything was green, silver and black for Ben 0 which worked out alright because all of the stores were clearance-ing out all of the Christmas items...I just have a lot of red candy and paper items left over!

It was a Nerf Gun party and the instructor was a man who was so spectacular with the kids and really was passionate about Nerf Guns...the kids had a blast! I took a few shots of each child that would let me...

 Teag!

 Max & Leah

 Faith & Max

 Will!

 Ty!!!

 

Caleb!!!

 Carter!

 Tahlia!

 Brinlee!

 Andy man!!!

One of Max's favorite parts of his birthday: presents!!! He made a haul this year...I think I say that after each holiday or birthday...so much more than I ever dreamed of when I was growing up! I was most pleased with how much fun Max and his friends had and that Max felt loved. He is without a doubt the happiest, sweetest, most clever and imaginative boy I have the honor of knowing and raising...he already helps  his sisters pray and reminds me to have family scripture study, he is so eager to please everyone and forgives in a heartbeat, we LOVE him so much and can not imagine our family without this boy!!!!

A day in the life

2014 brought lots of change...Max started Kindergarten so, days like this were numbered...

A Sunday with out Church caused mass hysteria at our house...

Story time became less traumatic for the girls

...and more fun.

Cribs were finally out of our house for good and pottery barn beds were brought in...

you gotta love Garnett Hill bedding!

 

The girls got their own play group to be a part of...

The long summer brought  lots of fun days on the tramp in the backyard

fun outings with new friends

Taco Tuesday at Cafe Rio

Mall Monday ( I just made that one up) eating pretzel dogs and smoothies

walking home with friends...here is the Four Arm Alien (from Ben 10) shadow Faith and Max are making

At the corner of Pike's Market on a trip with my parents to Seattle...the girls kept asking who, 'Attle was and if she was related to Mommy and that's why we were going to see her...' here you can see the girls' with mouths full of chocolate courtesy of Gong-Gong

My brother and Kristina welcomed their third child and first little girl, Sierra. She is a beautiful, alert little sister who fits well into a rambunctious house of boys...she sleeps through it all peacefully and is a delight to her parents and all around!

Seattle, Thanksgiving, Christmas 2014...ward party...Christmas morning...Christmas at Grandmas!

 My father had a conference in Seattle the week before we were headed out to visit for Thanksgiving and invited me to come with the kids...since Max was in school, he stayed behind for an extra week with Eric.

 Beautiful glass sculptures...

 while my dad was in his meetings, my mom an I would take the girls and go exploring around downtown Seattle...that's a bagel we got at Pike's market one morning that Kiri said she ate into a, 'duck!'

 They loved exploring and walking around and seeing different things... they kept saying, 'ride like the wind. cow girl,' while one the pig and people walking by just thought that was the funniest thing...

  

my precious little girls! 

 dinner in Downtown...we had lots and lots of Seafood!!!

 

Here are cousins hanging out for Thanksgiving...

 it was fun having some girl time...but we were happy to be reunited with Eric and Max in California...

we did the traditional BART ride down to S.F. and walked around to see some of our favorite things...

 It was difficult getting the top of the tree and the kids...though you can see them at the bottom right corner of the picture...at least Max's Captain America sweatshirt...

 these goofy kiddo's!!!

 

 We had to go to the Fairmont Hotel to see the 22-ft Gingerbread house...completely edible, of course!!!

First Christmas at Portland lane!

We were finally all moved in and we got a new tree and we decorated to the nines...we put on music, hung stockings, made shortbread &; cookies for Santa, the kids helped put on the ornaments and I literally wanted to cry every time they giggled or would smile and sing Christmas songs...of course it might have been the pregnancy hormones.... 

 

Here is a picture of the shortbread cookies we made for George in honor of Joan. It was the first year without her Shortbread cookies and I was honored she entrusted me to continue the tradition .

  

 Here is Super Kiri fighting Crime and protecting good with her trustee princess wrapping paper, turtle mask and mini side-kick behind her...she's so funny!!!

 We had a great time at our ward Christmas Breakfast this year...I made Pumpkin Eggnog mini donuts.

Kiri is definitely a Phillips...she managed to find her own plate and ask for Bacon while I was in line getting their plates made!

They had a Santa come and meet with all the kids and give them Candy Canes...the girls were not having it!

 On that same day there was a Frozen Tea Party at our local Library...the kids had fun dressing up and seeing friends...

 

 The girls dancing with their Christmas pets...Treasure....let me treasure you...Oh, oh, oh!!!!

 Max made a haul this year with highlight being, Bay max and a Black Spider man action figure

 Dad was tired and has had a rough go with being sick since Thanksgiving!!!

 

The girls wearing their matching PJ.'s and showing their bitty baby twin girls also in matching PJ's!

 These personalized pillowcases were part of the grandma grab bags the Eldredge sisters make for all of the grand kids each year!

 Max got a Batman castle from his secret Santa! (Thanks, Aunt Jody!!!)

 Lia got a Rainbow Dash Equestrian girl (they kind of freak me out) which she LOVED!!!

...and Kiri got a Pinkie Pie which she also LOVED! Secret Santa was amazing this year!!!!