Six.Three Years Old

 6.3 Years Old

• Christmas break has started! During the break, we met at the school with the Springers and the Leders and played floor hockey. Lilly is really competitive and so are you, so it was fun to see you little girls get into the game. Afterwards, the Leders along with Lilly came over for hot cocoa and switch. It was nice to have a day of friends and running hard. The next day, we met Elaine at the swim pool and then you all had a sleep over at her house. Auntie Annie is so good to you all and spoils you. You are lucky to have great family in the area. 
• Christmas Eve was just perfect. Dad had to work in the morning, so I took you all to see Zootopia 2 at the theaters. I thought it was great to have an outing to help break up the day. You kids are so excited and anxious all day. For dinner, we did lobster ravoli and salad. We ate by candle light. The neighborhood next to us put out all these milk jug lanterns, so we did a night walk through to see the lights. We ended the night with our Nativity play (you were Mary), We Three Kings (you got pink and black kitty pjs), and watched the Christ child. You all slept in your room that night.
•  Christmas was great. You woke us up at 7am, though you had been up for an hour already. Santa brought you a panda Lego set, a cute water bottle, some pens and a notebook, a keychain for your back pack, and treats. Dad and I gave you a the Humble Pie book, lots of leggings, and a soccer ball and goals. Maggie gave you makeup, Millie gave you a new Ellie because you lost yours as a baby, and Sam gave you a hammock for your stuff animals. Afterwards, we headed over to the Prices for brunch, presents, and games. Grandma and Papa gave you a pink camera. It also does videos, so you have been recording yourself all day. I keep hear, "Hi, it's me, JoJo." We ended the day with naps, a walk, switch as a family, and Chinese food.
• That weekend, we drove to Utah. We got to be there for just over a week. We had a lot of cousin time and a sweets (both of which you were excited for). We had the family party on Sunday. Grandma and Papa gave you a Lego set and Max gave you a book and a bead set. We got to see Mark and Kami a lot, which meant a lot of Max time. You loved being with Max. We went to temple square and saw the lights and visited the church history museum. We celebrated New Years at Grandma's house where we all stayed up until midnight. We took Grandma to Crystal Hot Springs (that is going to be a repeat!). And we ended up staying an extra day to do a hike to Donut Falls in the snow. We were thoroughly exhausted when we came home. 
• We came home for a week and then got ready to go to Mexico!! We have been looking forward to this trip for a while. It is your first time going to a different country. We went with our family, Grandma and Papa, Annie, Joe, and Elaine. It was a blast. We left on a Wednesday. We had to wake up so early to get to the airport. It was a whole day affair getting down to Mexico, with a four hour lay over in Atlanta. Thursday was a slow day. You kids got to stay at the hotel with Grandma and papa while we went to get the rental cars. We loaded up and drove south. We stopped and got some groceries and ate in Playa del Carmen. We made it to the condo and the play was amazing. We went snorkeling that afternoon. You were loving it until you saw a giant sting ray. That scared you and you wanted to come in. Friday, we went to Xel Ha. That was a favorite among everyone. The waterslide was awesome. Even papa went down it. We then headed over to zip lining. You were nervous about going on it, but ended up loving it and doing the course 3 times. We cliff jumped next. I was impressed because when it was your turn, you just went for it. The cliff was 15 feet. This last summer, you wouldn't even jump off a 3 feet ledge, and you handled that like a champion. The next stop was floating through the mangroves. We paused for lunch, ice cream and soda. Laying out in the sun on the chairs felt so good. We then walked over to the caves and snorkel. You loved just swimming in the cave and then finished the day rope swinging into a cenote. Papa bought you all matching shirts. It was so fun. Saturday was a colder day. While the weather was good in the morning, we hang out at the condo. You all just loved playing in the sand, flying kites, swimming in the ocean and pool. That afternoon, we visited Tulum. The ruins were just okay to you kids. What really fascinated you all was trying to open up a coconut. It took a lot of smacking, but you finally opened it and we all drank the juice and had fresh coconut. There were shops just outside the ruins, so we got some food and let you all shop. You had Christmas money, so that made it fun. You ended up buying a Akcumal shirt. Sunday, we drove to Chichen Itza. There was a huge storm on our drive there. But once we started our tour, the rain stopped. Having a tour guide was really helpful. That evening , we visited Valladolid. It was a beautiful city, with colorful buildings, music and dancing in the park, and big church center of town, and plenty of shops. You love shopping and it got exhausting trying to keep up with you. Monday, we stayed at the condo the whole day. It was so nice just to read, swim, play, and hang out and chill. That was another favorite day of everyone. Tuesday, we had another slow morning and then visited the cenote in the afternoon. That was beautiful. The first part was an open portion where you could see turtles. Then you swim through the cave with the stalactites and bats. After you cross that, you made it to another open part. We had lunch there and laid in the hammocks. Wednesday, you and Millie stayed back at the condo with Grandma and Papa while the rest of us went fishing (we didn't catch anything and three people were throwing up). Then, we had to make our way back to the airport and say goodbye to Mexico. It was an amazing trip.

Six.Two Years

 6.2 Years

• Thanksgiving was big this year. All the families were together. We started by going up to the temple to do baptisms. Janecce stayed with you and the other younger cousins and visited the visitor center. You choose to dress up for the day like the older cousins to show reverence for the temple. Afterwards, Grandpa treated everyone to Chic Fil-a. We then went to different thrift stores. You and Jessie were all about trying on all the shirts and shorts. You love buying stuff just for buying sake. It was hard to keep it in check. You ended up with reindeer mittens that matched Jessie's. We ended with kids having pizza at the Prices and the adults going out to eat. Thursday, we all met at Dusty's school for dodgeball. It was quite the crew. We started with Gaga Ball, then went inside for dodge ball, and then the guys stayed another hour and played football. I took you girls home to shower and rest up a bit. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Janecce's house. It was a great night. I had all of my kids come home and sleep in their own beds to catch up on much needed rest. On Friday, we met everyone at Silverfalls. We parked at the North Falls and hiked all the way to Double Falls. You wanted to be Ben's buddy the whole time. You ended up hking the all 5 miles. Everyone came to our house for dinner. We grilled up burgers. Our house isn't the most ideal in the winter for big groups, but we had all the heaters and both fires going on outside so most of you kids were outside eating. I stocked the frig with all sort of sodas, so that was a hit. That night, Jessie and Sonora slept here. The cousins left earlier than we thought but we gave us some family time and rest time that weekend. We did end up going back up to Woodburn on Sunday to celebrate Sonora and Jessie's birthday.
• Christmas season is here. We went to to get a Christmas tree from the boy scouts lot this year. We got the house all decorated, started the advent day calendars bought eggnog. I asked you all at the beginning of the month, what traditions do each of you like and want to continue this year. You all loved going shopping to cousins and Giving Tree and then getting milk shakes and seeing the lights afterwards. This year dad was able to join us for that. We added a new activity. We visited Storybook Lane in Albany. Our church party this year was a dinner and the primary kids put on the Nativity story. You were one of the shepherd. Dress up week was fun. All those Santa hats and wacky holiday glasses came in handy. We had Grandma and Papa over for Red Ribbon dinner. I got you slippers this year. After dinner, Papa taught you all had to play Shanghai. Grandma brought little presents for the winner and the loser to open after each round. We tried going ice skating with Ian and the Sterlings. I was super excited to find this deal in McMinnville. Well, it was not ice skating, but ice gliding. The floor was waxed. It was not nearly as fun, but you all had a great time. 

Six.One Years Old

 6.1 Years Old

• We had your birthday party. You were able to invite most of your school friends and church friends. You wanted a mermaid party. Maggie stayed home and was my helper. We played in the shell on the mermaid, mermaid bingo, scavenger hunt for all the shells, a relay race with costumes, and pass the parcel. For the activity, we got these hard sand shells that you all could "rescue" a mermaid from. You had cupcakes, open presents, and then ran wild. We did not get good weather, so you all had to stay inside. It was a lot of fun. 
• Grandma and Papa Matthews came for Halloween. They were able to stay for a while. We craved pumpkins with them, took them to the North falls at Silver Falls, visited the Gilbert House, ate out, and played a lot of games. 
• Halloween was this month.  You wanted to be a cheetah. There was a costume on Amazon that was $20. Normally, I only pay $10, so i gave you the option to earn the rest of it. I also went to the thrift stores to see what I could find. Goodwill had an adult cheetah costume that I would had to size down. But then, Once upon a child had one that wasn't quite cheetah, more like jaguar. I gave you all three options. You were so excited about the jaguar one. Maggie did your face paint and it turned out so cute. We went to the ward trunk o treat. And then the Prices came down Halloween day. We went to the assistant living home across the street from us. You were all so good to talk to the residents there and get to know them a bit (though we were definitely holding up the line). Afterwards, we visited the library and did their haunted maze. We came home for some dinner and then headed out for Hassler Farms. The Prices had to leave early. We took you and Millie over to the other neighborhood (dropped off the Grandparents) and ran into Hazel and Emery, so they was really fun to end the night off with them.
• Dad and I went out of town for a weekend, so you all got to spend the time with the Prices. Uncle Dusty took you to see the high school play of Clue. You loved watching having a movie night. It is so nice to have family near by for things like that. The production that was put on was Willy Wonka and you played the spoiled rich girl that falls into the river. 
• On a Saturday, we went over to Salem to help with the garden winter clean up of the Liberty House. It was our ward's service project. You liked having Harper there to hang out with. 

Six Years Old

 6 Years Old

• Today is your birthday!! I can't believe how fast 6 years has gone. I am writing this while you are at school, so though we haven't done all these activities, this is the plan for today. You woke up to your favorite breakfast: German pancakes. You were able to open up your gift that is usually something you can wear. This year, you got a dark pink sweatshirt with a white lacey bow for your hair. Maggie has a similar sweatshirt but in green, so you feel really cool and old to match her. You brought sugar cookies to share with the class. You were excited to go to school because you get to wear a crown and be line leader all day. After school, you don't have to do any chores so I am hoping to play board games with you and you will want to start on the next lego set the Grandma Price got you. Maggie has a volleyball game in Silverton, so we are going to head up there and watch it with Grandma and Papa. Since it is a later game, you think you are getting sloppy Joes for dinner, but we are actually going to stop at McDonalds. Since there will be no kids at home (Sam at outdoor school, Millie at practice, and Maggie at YW), I thought Dad and I could treat you to a dessert at Roths or DQ. 
• I knew that your actually birthday was going to be busy, so you wanted to do your family presents on Sunday, the day that all the extended family was coming over for October birthdays. Uncle Joe gave you a bracelet making kit. Auntie Janecce gave you a how to draw book and an A of F book. We had different soups for dinner.  Your favorite that night was potato leek soup. Then we sang happy birthday and ended the night with brownies and ice cream. Once the extended family leave, your siblings gave you their gift: your own water color set and a large stuffed duck. Dad and I got you a big wheel scooter. It was a big hit. 
• The soccer put on a Jog-a-thon. The weather was great. I dressed up as the Wildcat again this year, but all the parents had inflatables on, there was bubbles going, and parents had pom poms to cheer you on. I loved how when it was the Kindergarteners turn, Millie's class stayed and cheer you on. You got the most laps and so you got to go to a popcorn party.
• Soccer is going strong this month. Your team has pretty much crushed every other team. Now the teams from Jefferson include preschoolers, and I am pretty sure that I saw one still wearing pull ups. But your team is starting to pass, has great ball control and has big hits. You have made a goal at every game. This Saturday is your last game. You have really liked playing.
•  Small tidbits from the month: you are so proud of your all 4s on the slip you bring home each Friday. You have a handwriting book that you are suppose to do each day, but instead, you fill it out all on Monday and then mark each day off like you did it each day. You love going to Millie's volleyball games because you like to stand on the edge of the court catching the fly balls with Domonic (a boy on your soccer team). You like to tell me that you have a crush on a boy name Jack.

Five.Eleven Years Old

 5.11 Years Old

• Jessie and Sonora came over for a sleep over. The four of you get along really well. The next day, on our way to Woodburn to swap kids, the orthodontist was putting on a carnival for all the families. I thought that we would stop by for an hour maybe. Well, we were there for all three hours. You all got to ride the ponies, get your face painted, play the games, catch a shirt from the shirt cannon, eat hotdogs, snow cones, and cotton candy. It was really fun. Definitely something you wanted to do again next year. 
• You got to start soccer!!! I am your coach this year. There are four girls and two boys on your team. I am so impressed at how aggressive you are. You have scored at least 1 goal each game. The first game, I had to tell you to start passing because you had scored too many. All the teammates are new to you. Domonic goes to school with you but is in the other class (more on him later). You really like Haley. It has been such a fun team to coach. It helps that you are undefeated also.
• Domonic-I was laughing the other day coming home from school. You told me that Domonic kept staring at you and it was creeping you out. But you couldn't help smiling the whole time that you were telling me and even giggled when you talked about him. I believe this is your first official crush on a boy your own age (though cousin Ben will go down as your first). 
• We sneaked off to the beach the weekend before school. We went with the Prices and Smith's to Cape Kawanda. The day started off cloudy, but they burned off and we had sunshine and no wind. You loved running down the hill, exploring the tidepools, and even jumped into the waves with me. 
• School started!!! You have been counting down this day since you turned five and realized that you had to wait until the next fall. Your teacher is Ms. Carlgren, though you call her Ms. C. You have two preschool friends in your class-Mia and Eloise-and have quickly made new friends like Kaia, Ava, and Charlee. You have made the transition so well. At first, you did not want to try the school lunches. I have been helping you make a lunch at night. Though, I have had to start telling you that you need to try at least two of them each week. 
• We made it to the Sublimity Harvest Festival. We met up with the Scott's and Horner's there. We were so unprepared, but the friends helped us out with ear buds and cash. I asked Sam to take you and Millie to walk around. Ian was with him so he was being a big brother. You were able to play on the jump house. The night was going so long though. At one point, Millie started crying because she were so tired. I took you and Millie home early to sleep, especially since you had your first soccer game early the next morning.
• We got another cat! Dad had a co-worker who knew someone giving away kittens. They had a orange and white one, my favorite. We named him Hobbes. I did not want an indoor cat, but he loved being indoors. I just installed doggy doors which Hobbes figure out very fast. Each of you were so good about going outside to play with him each day. One night, I brought quilts outside so we could do our reading out there with Hobbes. He was so snuggly that night. Sadly, we went to church one Sunday and then quickly to the Prices for dinner and when we came back, he wasn't home. He could have been eaten by a raccoon, but he could be in someone's home as an indoor cat. We were sad to see him gone.
• We snuck in one more trip while the weather is good. We went up to Mt. Rainier and Seattle for the weekend. We left Thursday morning and made our way up to Mt. Rainier. It was overcast when we rolled in, which was a bummer because Mike said seeing the mountain makes it majestic. As soon as we started on the trail, the clouds started to part and we could see it. The mountain was awesome. We hiked up to a ridge. We saw waterfalls and marmots on the way up. The view was beautiful. Out towards the valley, the clouds were think so it looked liked the clouds were floating on top. we were debating to finish the loop or not. None of you kids wanted to, so we just turned around. The moment we do, the fog rolls in and by the time we get to the bottom, we can't see 6 feet ahead of us. We ended the day with hot cocoa from the lodge and we stayed at a place near by. The next day, we look the longer way to Seattle, so we could ride the ferry over. We spent most of our time at Pike's Market, shopping the different stands, putting gum on the gum wall, and eating at Ivar's. We had your try the raw scallops (not your favorite) and sampled all the different flavors of Apple cider (you liked that). We then took the monorail over to the city center where we saw the Space needle, toured the Gates Foundation, and played at the cool park. We headed up north for the hotel because the next day, Dad was competing in the Spartan Beast. While we was racing, we visited the Reptile Zoo, ate lunch at a park, and played in the river. We were able to catch the very end of Dad's race and watched him cross the finish line. 

Five.Ten Years Old

 5.10 Years Old

• WE have had cousins at our house. We are watching Jessie and Rita for 9 days while their parents take Sonora to Mexico and Amelia joined us after our Utah trip so she could be in Oregon for her birthday. It has been great for you to have Jessie to play with all the time. You two get along so well. You all have been making these movies about the different fairy tales. Dress up is all over the house and yard, but you all have had fun.
• Some other highlights from the month, having Kaylana and Fritz here for a few days. Going rafting with Cassie's family and you got to snuggle with Loli on the boat. Having a great night at the park for National Nights out. You got your face painted and ate a lot of sweets. 
• We got to go backpacking as a family to Pamelia Lake. I love how you never complain when hiking, and this time you were carrying your own pack. You are such a huckleberry queen. I think it is because you are shorter so you can see them, but it is hard to get you off the huckleberry plants. We camped right next to the lake. There were logs all over the place so Maggie, you, and Millie used them to build this big lean-to style fort. We slept in hammocks. Having the hammocks up during the day was a big hit. You loved swinging in them. When we hiked back, you asked me to give you math fact questions and spelling words. We ended with getting milkshakes from the Gingerbread House place in Lyons. 
• We seem to not being able to slow down this summer. We were able to go camping at Crater Lake. We drove down and spent two nights in the park. The lake was beautiful. We hiked up to the look out and then hiked down to the lake. We brought our swim suits this time and swam in the very cold water. You jumped in for about 1 minute, then found a hot, big rock to lay on like a lizard. We played games, ate yummy foods, and even went back at night to watch the sunset. On the way back, we hiked Diamond Falls and Salt Creek falls. They were so beautiful. I am so happy we made the stop. For dinner that night, we ate pizza and drank root beer. 
• Summer is wrapping up and so I wanted to be able to have one more big day on using our Berry Pass. I called it, "Big Summer Blow Out!". We met the Prices and the Smiths and tried to cram in all the activities that we could in one day. We started with Get Air. You loved jumping around with Jessie. Next, we made our way to the driving range. We had to take turns using the driver and chipper. Your favorite was using the driver because you could smack it hard and far. Afterwards, we headed to mini golf. I was in your group with Jessie, Millie, and Sonora. Counting the swings were very loosely done, but there was a lot of giggles. We broke for lunch at Chick Fil-A. The last event we got in was bowling. We ended the night with pizza at Annie's to celebrate her birthday. It was such a fun day.
• The last thing with our Berry Passes that we got to use them for was going to Enchanted Forrest. I have heard such mixed things about the place. People either love it or think it is creepy. We were excited to experience it ourselves. We met the Prices there but they were going to be late so we went early and waited in line for a few rides. The log flume was really fun and the other one was sort of like a mini Hatterhorn. Once the Prices showed up, we walked through storybook lane (even went down the slide in the house). We listened to an Irish band and water show. We walked a Jack in the Bean Stalk play. And at the end, you went on the log flume ride again with Uncle Dusty. 

Five.Nine Years Old

 5.9 Years Old

• We took off for our family vacation to Olympic National Park. We headed up after work on Wednesday and stayed at a hotel. I thought I was booking rooms next to each other, but they were down the hall from each other. It worked out fine, and you all thought you were cool to be on your own. Olympic National Park was so cool. The first day, we were in the Hoyt Rain Forrest. There was a long line to wait in just to park in the park. The road was really curvy so of course you threw up. I was holding the barf bag for 30 minutes until I could get to a trash can. That is love right there for you. The Hall of Mosses was a favorite. You loved climbing along all the logs and jumping from one stump to another. We also hiked up to this waterfall, which ended up no being that cool of a waterfall, but we found a big fat banana slug. You kissed the top of its head with me. We camped on Mora Beach Campground, near Forks, WA. The next day, we got to the beach early to hike out to the hole in the wall and see all the tide pools. There were so many star fishes in all the tide pools. I loved seeing all the colors of the star fish. Walking back, we all made sand castles with a rock road connecting our village. We spent the afternoon exploring Forks and coming back to the camp ground for dinner, smores, and games. Dad took you, Sam, and Millie back to the beach to watch the sunset. Our last day, we drove around to see Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge. The sky was clear and the views were gorgeous.  It was a lot of driving that day. We finished a whole book on just this trip alone-Faker by Gordon Khorman. 
• We came back to a few days of being at home. We have so many blueberries right now. The pool in the back yard has been a big hit. You have been able to hang out with Hadley but also have some chill days to recharge. And we were able to celebrate Fourth of July with the cousins. We took Grandma and Papa along with the Smiths rafting with us. Grandpa brought is catamaran. We didn't know that his oars weren't secure in. So just as Dad was saying that those rafts are so hard to flip, Grandpa flips into the water. Twice, he fell in. I drove in to save the catamaran and hat. Eventually, Grandpa got on the raft and I took his catamaran. We pulled over for lunch at the state park where you jumped off a smaller ledge on the rocks. For going on the lower, calmer stretch, it was quite adventurous. We had dinner at the Prices were we lit our fireworks and then watched the fireworks in Woodburn.
• We took off for our trip to Utah. We went a few days before the family reunion so we could see friends and family. We first stayed with the Barbers at their new house. The weather was so hot, so their pool was perfect. We then headed over to the Prices. You love seeing those two families. Although Molly is older than you, you really like hanging out with her and the older girls are great about including everyone. We had dinner at Joey's where we got to meet Fritz and even Ben's girl friend. (sorry, Ben is no longer single for you-though I think you make a good wing women by still having Ben place with you because it shows off his sensitive side). Around lunch, we headed down south for the Matthews family reunion. We stayed at an old Dude Ranch. There were so many rooms. You slept with my room in bunk beds. You really wanted to sleep with cousins, but you played so hard during the day that I just wanted you to be able to get a lot of sleep. We had a day at the ranch swimming in the pond, doing the dunk tank, playing volleyball four squares. Another day, we visited Bryce Canyon. Bryce canyon is high in elevation and it was on the warmer side. The older kids were really struggling to make it up that last stretch of switch backs. You were literally running up and down it so you could hike with all the different girl cousins that you befriended. I am amazed at your energy and positive attitude. While I was at Kaylana's wedding, you all went boating. The last day, we rafted down the river. It was a lot of fun. We drove back and stayed with the Cowles. Dad flew home to make it back to work, but we stayed a few extra days. We went to the Provo Rec center with the Cowles, spend another night with Molly's family, and hit up a bunch of DI for back to school and church shopping. We brought Amelia back with us. It was a great, long, and tiring trip.
• We are continuing our morning running. Just like in Bryce Canyon, you are crushing it. You are legitimately faster than Sam and most of the days Millie. I have you running only one lap, but one day, you ran a second one for fun. You are a beast!