Ward Parties! Ward Parties! Ward Parties!

This was a Relief Society party

All dressed and ready to go to a ward party...I don't usually think they look alike...but I do in this picture!

 

The second St. Patty's day party Eric and I were in charge of...minute to win it

We asked our friend Chris to be the Leprechaun...Max with his friend Brinley...

                                                                Gotta love Max's face in this one!!!

Family shot

Fire fighter Steve , Ruth and Broden

The Leprechaun and his "friend" actually share the same birthday and have a joint bash each year and this year I printed and framed this shot for both of them!

Max and his friend Faith

That's my attempt at being artistic

Stockton with candy

Max and one of his favorite friends Lincoln playing Duck Duck Goose

Lia and Marley looking for eggs

The only one in our family without his tonsils!!!

 This was actually before Disneyland when we got the news that Max's tonsils had to be removed...but who wants to ruin Disneyland with that type of procedure...so, we decided to wait until we got back...

...and Max was none the wiser!!!

This was the day of the procedure...in case you are wondering...that is his fake smile...he was so nervous!!!

Funny boy always has to have an action figure on hand!

Making silly faces!

Saddest face, EVER!!!! After they wheeled him in, the doctor asked if we wanted to see the tonsils afterward. To which Eric and I replied simultaneously, "No" and "yes." The doctor said they were the largest he had seen from a child.

He made a quick full recovery. At first he wasn't drinking...but then I had to show him pictures of people who were dehydrated...that quickly remedied his lack of drinking.

Here he is at the peak of weight loss.

Dude, Max is 4!!!

Since we were at Disneyland for Max's birthday, we celebrated with a Teenage mutant ninja turtle party when we got back and brought TMNT cupcakes to his preschool.

                                  He was so excited for a TMNT party. Cowabunga, dude!!!!

Unfortunately, the only green M & M's I could find for the party favors were Mint!

Here's a shot of his preschool and how he got to be King for the day. His preschool teacher, Mrs. Merlee Mccort (that's what Max calls her), gave him sweatbands for his birthday and he told me that it was the coolest present, EVER.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!! Welcome the year of the Snake!!!

I love this picture of the girls...they are so happy in this picture...b/c

their brother is torturing their soul...one of the things they love the most!!!

We had our second annual Chinese New Year's dinner. and we felt very blessed and surrounded with good friends. 

funny pics from around this time... 

California for My mom's birthday

After Disneyland, we went to California to see my parents and celebrate my mom's birthday.

Here is a picture of my mom with her favorite cake (chestnut) and all of her grandkids..in less than two years my parents went from one grandchild to five...what can I say, we're all just doing our part!! 

Showing off our Disney threads!

 

On the mini steam train outside of Fenton's ice creamery

Max is intensly diliberating his first move...it was sad, of all the parents there (and there were many) only a small handfull knew how to set up a chess game...these are sad times

Lia showed early interest...well, really, just in the destruction of it all.

Monkey Max

Max loves ice cream and was so excited when we saw Pixar's Up and I told him that I grew up going to that Ice Cream shop...it's because the Pixar animation studio is in Emeryville, Ca which is about 5 minutes from Piedmont, Ca where I grew up.

That's not really how Fenton's looks, though...

Here's Max playing on the Moon at Lake Merritt, another one of my old favorites.

But, by far the best news received on the trip was that New Kids on the block would be touring with BSB, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men...What?!??!!!!

DisneyLand Day II & III

 

Disney Land- Day II & III

 

Here is my favorite picture of everyone from the Critters' Cafe

a collage of Eric and Max's fun time in A bugs Life. Sadly, we can't seem to find the picture of me doing the hoola hoop in one of these street parades with the Phineas and Ferb group...hey, Seventh grade champ here...it's OK, you can be in awe of me!

Me and Max

This is the same picure we took two years prior.

DisneyLand Trip 2013- Day one

Max got to have his the big 0-4 at Disneyland, the catch was that he had to wake up at 4 in the morning to catch our flight!

He was so happy to be at Disneyland...the only problem with his happiness, as everyone soon figured out...is that he has no fear and would wander off without warning...wow, say that a few times...wander off without warning...

This is a more accurate picture of what people saw of Max!

 

We were lucky enough to be able to meet up with some dear friends...Katie has several connections to us..she also went to high school with Eric's sister's husband.

 

It was so much fun to walk around Disneyland...Max got special treatment, since he had his, "It's my birthday" badge...he, his Grandma (Julie) and Elvis all share Jan 8th (or January Eight as Max says it) as their birthday...it's definitely a day I celebrate and am thankful for two wonderful people in my life!!!

 

Some pictures I love, this is a picture we also took with Max when we first took him!

I think Max was about 6 months at t his time...so cute!

 

I rarely get pictures with Annie...so, this was fun to talk with her while waiting in line

 

 

I love this because Jim bought all the grand kids Churros and I made them unsheathe them and say, "Titan" if you've ever seen Megamind, you will know what this is reference to.

 

Some Phillips Sibling love...*minus Eric.  

While Max certainly enjoyed having his birthday at Disneyland...there was dark cloud in his otherwise bright day...Jedi training...

We were all excited...I, however,  had been warned and made it a point, with the help and advise of my experienced sister-in-law, Jody, to get there early and get a front row seat...

Not only did we reserve our seats hours in advance..

I did all I could to make our party known...to to butter up the "Jedi trainers" who will from hence forth be referred to as, "evil heartless child dream ruin-ers."

You should have seen the slow decent into heartbreak as Max watched each of his cousins picked for Jedi training while he was left only to watch as they performed...now I know how the poor suckers on the Bachelor who have no idea that they are not receiving a rose feel...if there were a candid cam...I would have been bawling...

Here is Julia, Brooke, Hanky, Dylan and Na-na each in their Jedi trained glory...

 

And to my cute son's credit...while his emotions are evident on his pain stricken face, he didn't cry or pitch a fit...which broke my heart all the more!!! All-in-all, it was a stupendous day and a great birthday for Max!!! Thank you, Jim & Julie, it was such a great birthday!!!