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!

Five.Eight Years Old

 5.8 Years Old

• It is strawberry seasoning, so we invited Henry and his mom to go strawberry picking at a local farm. This was your first time. I thought you would eat a lot more, but you liked putting them in your bucket. We brought a picnic lunch and played at the playground afterwards. Henry isn't your favorite friend (mostly because he is a boy), so I am ready for you to go to school next year and make more girl friends. 
• This month was the Daddy/Daughter camping trip. This year, you all went car camping up the Mollala hills. Grandpa was able to join you and Joey fly in with Kaylana, Amelia, and Molly. You all were so excited to see Kaylana and hear all about Fritz. One day, you hiked to the top of table rock (which was 7 miles round trip). At the top of the mountain, you could get cell phone service, so Kaylana called Fritz and you each asked him a question. You also got to shoot guns, eat yummy food, and make the traditional "village". The hike really left an impression on you because when you got back to preschool, you were so excited to tell Teacher Shelby that you hiked 7 miles. 
• End of the school year is wrapping up. You are finishing preschool. Teacher Shelby has been such a great teacher. I am excited to hear that three of your friends are going to school at Sublimity next year. Some of these friends (Patyen and Mia) who stay for the afternoon session also, go to K's Koffee on Thursday with teacher Shelby to celebrate the end of the week before the little kids come. The last two weeks, Teacher Shelby has invited us to join them. You like the Italian sodas and playing with the puzzles there with your friends. I like talking with Teacher Shelby.
• Since it has been so hot, we went and got us an above ground pool. The hot tub was leaking and even though we could have got it fix, it wasn't a fun hot tub. So we had someone could pick it up for us and put the pool there. It has been a huge hit! 
• We went rafting with Elaine and Brooklynn. Of course it was the only raining day of the whole month. We decided to take you on the upper stretch. Dad and I had done it the weekend before and it wasn't too bad. This weekend, the water was higher and those rapids were big! Brooklyn almost flew out of carnivore. We really enjoyed it though.
• We had a really scary moment. I was driving you and the two girls in Silverton to pick up Sam from Grandma's house. I got distracted for a half a second and crashed into the truck in front of us. Thankfully, we were going really slow so the airbags didn't go off. We are all safe, but we are without a van for a while.
• We got to go on an adventure with some church friends. We went to Silver Falls and hikes the small loop with them. We went with the Robertson and the Epperson. I really liked hanging out with Harper. We took our time so you all could play in the river and have a picnic lunch. Hiking is always more fun with friends. 

Five.Seven Years Old

 5.7 Years Old

Here is the list of favorites from Mother's Day 

My favorite food is: Cherries
My favorite sport is: ballet
The best show on TV is: Bluey
The coolest person in the world is: Ellie (Macie's big sister)
My best subject in school is: alphabet
I’m really awesome at: running
If I could change my name, it would be: Cherry Pie
My favorite color is: Violet
When I grow up I want to be: Soccer Player
My parents are too strict about: we have to eat mushrooms
My favorite song is: Taylor Shift
My favorite book is: Too Big Tutu
When we stop for a treat, I get this: Diary Queen
4 words that describe me are: happy, silly, cuddly, joyful 
When I was little, I used to: playing with princess
My favorite scripture story is: Tree of Life Story
My favorite primary/church song is: I love to See the Temple
My favorite game is: Dragon wood
My favorite season is: Fall
The best snack ever is: Cherries
My favorite superhero is: Cat Girl
The food that makes me want to barf is: mushrooms 
The car I would love to drive when I turn 16 is: a cyber truck 
My best friends are: Macie, Nora, Addy, Ellie
The cutest girl/boy I know is: Brian 
The most memorable day this year was: Swimming at the Stayton with friends
If I had one wish it would be: Eating Cherries everyday
The best thing that has happened to me this year is: I get to see Grandma a lot
One thing I want to learn to do this year is: do soccer
The thing that scares me the most is: snakes in our room
One thing I need to work on is: chart wheels 
If I could go anywhere it would be: California
The most important lesson I’ve learned this year is: reading
If I could meet one person from history it would be: Grandma Peggy

Five.Six Years Old

 5.6 Years Old

• Spring break started our month. You were excited to have the kids home from school to play with you. We had dinner at the cousins house, played with friends, and turned on the water under the trampoline because the weather was so nice. But as soon as the weather turned, thats when we headed for the beach. Our first stop was Astoria. I made sure that each hotel had a pool. When we got there, they were apologetic because instead of having one big room for us, they gave us two rooms that connected. It was the best. You all loved the breakfast, and watching TV in bed. We spent the morning walking along the boardwalk and visiting the column. The airplanes were a huge hit. The sun came out a bit so we just hung out on the grassy hill, re-flying those planes. YWe made our way to Fort Stevens, which was still cool, but most of it was roped off, so not 90's cool. We made our way down to Seaside that afternoon. Our hotel was right on the main street. We walked to the different shops (book store, toys store, and of course the candy store). We ended at the arcade area. We ordered in clam chowder and fish and chips (though not that good). More pool, more TV, more relaxing. The next day was rainy. We went down to the beach part and was walking along when the rain dumped. We found out quickly that you and Dad did not have good rain coats. You were soaked. Being inside helped, but once we got back to the car, you changed your pants. We found a small aquamarine where we feed sea lions and did the touch and feel tide pools. We ate at Mo's, which we all loved their calm chowder. We didn't know what quite to do because it was raining and we couldn't check into our place for a bit more. By the time we made it to Ecola State park, the rain had stop, but the wind picked up. We found a rocky beach with a ton of sea foam and just hung out for a bit. I had all these beaches that I wanted to see and the weather worked out just enough for us to see them. We stopped at Cannon Beach, Hug Point (all of our favorite), and Arcadia (which I want to go back to). We ended at Rockaway for the night. The place had a pool and there were other kids your age there, so that was nice. We finished watching Hamilton to get ready for the play tomorrow. The next morning, Maggie and I took a walk along the beach while Dad took the rest of you back to the pool. We ended with ice cream at Tillamook. It really was a great trip.
• Millie got baptized this month so Grandma and Grandpa Matthews flew in for the weekend. Friday was a busy day with Grandma and I watching Maggie compete in Battle of the Books. You stayed back with Dad and Grandpa and played around the house. We colored Easter eggs and watched the movie Wild Robot with them. Sunday was Millie's baptism. We saw all the cousins at the church, but only the Grandparents came over for dinner afterwards. On Monday, we took Grandma and Papa to see the cover bridge park.
• The big news is that you finished your reading lesson book!!! You have worked on it for the last 1 1/2 years so it feels so good to be done with it. We always let the older kids pick out a book when they finished and you picked out Land of Fake Believe.
•  Easter came. We had such a wonderful Easter brunch and program with our ward. I never have felt such a Christ center Easter before. The different organizations each took a room to decorate for a day of the week. We had families walk from room to room. The last room, the resurrection room done by the YW reminded me of the celestial room in the temple. For actually Easter, we went over on Saturday for an egg hunt and dinner at the Prices and then did our own at our house on Sunday. You got Land of Fake Believe as your book this year, so now we have the whole collection.

Five.Five Years Old

 5.5 Years Old

• We are loving the warmer, dry weather. We had Millie skip school and met up with Sonora and Jessie at the Gilbert house. The Gilbert house is always way more fun with friends. We were even able to eat our lunch outside. Your favorite today was this little house in the back that had an outdoor kitchen where you all made mud and rock food for me and Janecce to try.
• It is Cherie Leder's birthday and to celebrate, we went to a farm house market. You are a good little buddy for shopping. There was a sweet man who shared a sand dollar with you. We ate the best burgers and shared a dirty cowboy root beer. 
• We  snuck off to the beach on Saturday to watch Sam compete in swimming. I was really hoping for great weather to spend some time on the beach. But the weather was cold, windy, and slightly rainy. We beach part wasn't that fun. We tried a new place for fish and chips, and they weren't that good. Beside watching Sam, it wasn't our favorite beach trip.
• Jessie's family came to church with us today. The exciting news is that they want to move to Sublimity!! It would be so fun to have them here with us. They came to church to see how it felt. We had a linger longer and the theme was pudding cups. The primary choose and all you kids got to help serve the ward members. The Price kids LOVED the pudding and definitely are excited to come here. I really hope it works out for them. 
• I am definitely feeling the pressure to savor this last month with you before the big kids come home from school. I am trying to do a bit more adventures with you on non-preschool days. This week, we went to the trails by the river in Stayton. I have always wanted to explore them. A lot of people were there walking their dogs. Also trying to slow down and play at the park more. I am trying to push you more on the swings and play with you. I have loved this time with you. I will miss it a lot but I also know that you are so ready to move onto school this Friday. 
• Mark and Kami came out to visit over Mother's Day weekend and they brought Max!!! You were so excited to have a baby in the house. It was a bit of a fight over who got to hold him. I love hearing you use your baby voice to get him to smile. You have such a sweet, nurturing heart. We took them to Silver Falls and had a relaxing Mother's Day at home, complete with a cake from Oven Lovin'. You went with us on Monday before their flight to the peony farm. It was so beautiful, though a little rainy. 
• For preschool, we got to go to a wilderness preserve in Salem. All the wild flowers were in bloom. My favorite were the purple lupines. The ranger station had these explorer backpacks that you and Eloise wore and used their magnifying glass to help find all the different items on your scavenger hunt.
• We were able to sneak up to OMSI on a Saturday that Dad was working. They had a Lego Jurassic World Exhibit. It was incredible to so all the giant dinos made out of lego. Of course the glass elevator was a repeat and that back room with all the hands on activities is always a favorite. 

Five.Four Years

 5.4 Years

Dear JoJo,

My favorite memory of you this year is when we get to watercolor paint together. I love having all this special time with just you while the kids are at school. 

I am so proud of you for all the hard work that you have put into your reading lessons. THere were some days that it has been tiring to do, but you have pushed through it. When the lessons got hard, you never gave up. You would just repeat the lesson until you got good at it.

A favorite part of your personality is how much you love other people. You make dad and I feel so special with all your cuddles. Grandma loves how you run up to her each time with a hug. Even the older sisters at church (like Romana) appreciate it when you say hi and wave to them. 

Your greatest gift is being so positive. You are so positive when doing your chores. You are so positive when plans have to change. You are so positive when playing with your friends. You bring so much light and peace because you can stay happy and cheerful during the day.

If you could see yourself through my eyes, you would know how much you are adored. Being the youngest in the family, all your siblings love you so much and adore you. They go out of their way to share love with you. Both your grandparents just adore you. And Dad and I absolutely love and adore you.

Without you our family would be very quiet, too quiet. You are good at connecting with people. It is easy to fall into our to-do list or audio books. But you love getting people to be more involved with playing a board game or helping with their tasks. 

I like you because you are my buddy. I don’t have that much more time with you, but you have been with me on all my errands and meetings. You make doing the mommy stuff more fun because I have you with me, choosing fun and  loud music to go with it. I hope you stay my buddy always. 

I love you because you are my daughter and the sunshine in our life. I love you more than words can describe. You are the perfect finish to our family. We all needed you for a reason. 

I love you so much,

Mom

Five.Three Years

 5.3 Years Old

• This year was a bit different. We got to be in Utah for actual Christmas. This was our first time making the longer drive to Utah. You all watched a lot of movies and ate plenty of snacks. We stopped first in Brigham City and slept at Grandma's. It was nice to have a slow morning and breakfast with them. We then buzzed on south to visit our friends, the Barbers. We got to see the house they are building, eat yummy sandwiches at the gas station (where each of you were bold enough to ask for free popcorn), and end up at the trampoline park in Provo. They have two boys around your age. You still are not the best with playing with boys so you kept running back to us between playing.  Afterwards, we headed out to the Cowles. We introduced them to Happy Birthday Jesus and spent hours in their hot tub. The next day, we got ready for church and met up with Stinky Face's family for church. The weather was awesome in Springville. After church, we walked to a park and played fetch with Boba. McKay was home for the weekend, and all the older boys were so nice playing legos with you all. The next morning, Josh took our family skiing at Sun Dance. The snow was horrible, but that didn't stop us. He wears is bright BYU jacket, so it is easy for all of us to follow him. He is so good about making it fun for you kids. After skiing, we said goodbye to Utah County and headed back north to Grandma's house.
• Grandma was so excited to have you kids to be there on Christmas. She pulled out all her sugar cookies for you kids to decorate. Christmas Eve, we watched a movie, had steak and chocolate milk for dinner, and reenacted the Nativity (you were an angel). We hunted for the star, where you found kitty pjs. It was hard to fall asleep, but you all slept in the same room together and eventually fell asleep. Sam was the first up in the morning. He turned on the TV and we watched a christmas movie downstairs while we waited for everyone to get up. You all ran upstairs to find your stockings. This year, Santa gave you a a vespa for your doll and a bunny with a hutch for the dolls. You loved the bunny. Of course the candy in your stocking did not last long. You and Millie gave each other the ear muffs that you really wanted from Target. Mark and Kami were there and they loved seeing all your reactions. The big hit of a present was that Dad and I gave you a pink scooter. You were so excited to try it out in Grandma's kitchen. It looks like it will take you a bit to get use to, but it should be good. More cousins came over for dinner that night. It was a full house. We finished the week with a family party at the church and swapping gifts. 
• We made it home before New Years. We hosted a big Price Family New Years party with Hawaiian food, Just Dance on the Switch, and games. We popped out confetti at 9pm. 
• We had almost a week at home before you all went back to school. We sent to Silver Creek Falls, played with the new toys, hang out with cousins a lot, and watched a lot of movies. It was so nice to relax.
• Winter was been foggy and a bit wet, and a lot cloudy. We had a free Saturday, so we took Maddy and Hadley to the pool for fun. It was our first time. You loved the slide. We ended with getting ice cream cones from A&W. I love these slower Saturdays. 
• We were able to make it to the Gilbert House with Grandma. Your favorite room this time with the Vet room. Grandma was such a good patient with all her different pets. You took good care of them, though you loved working that front desk. We also got away to OMSI. They were having their bug art exhibit. It was really beautiful. It has been so fun sharing my childhood memories and favorite places with you all. The science room was a hug hit. 

Five.Two Years

 5.2 Years

• Thanksgiving was a hit. In preschool, you had a little feast. You brought in apple sauce cups to share with your friends. During the break, we got to go to Gervais Elementary and play dodgeball with a huge group of friends. Surpise! The Strassers were there. Their cousins know Dusty and were invited. You liked seeing Vella. We ate dinner at Auntie Annie's house. When we walked into her house, she had bowls of peanut butter m&m. They did not last long. You loved this idea that you could eat candy without asking mom. The next day, we braved the cold and cut down a Christmas tree. I told you kids to get your coats on, but none of you listened. So when we arrived at the tree farm and it is 35 degrees outside, I turned around to find you and Millie in just a long sleeve shirt. Thankfully, you had leave a small jacket in the van and Millie used the gloves that I brought for myself. It worked out. We found a tree quickly and headed back to the barn to stand by the fire and watch creepy old animated Christmas movies. The Strassers were able to stop by that night to see our house and play. 
• Random-we went to take Mowgli for a walk and it was so cold that all the spider webs were frozen. It was cool to see all the designs in the bushes and on the mailboxes and fire hydrant. 
• We have been trying to get together with Grandma each week. On weeks that she goes to her doc appointment in Stayton, she stops by here for lunch. We met her at the Gilbert house the other day and played in all the rooms with her. We have stopped by her house for lunch and walked around the park. You love those days and are sad the weeks we have to miss it. 
• Christmas festivities are under way. Fun things that we did this month was visit the Keizer lights, decorated gingerbread houses, visited with Santa at the Ward Christmas brunch, and had Red Ribbon dinner where you got the reusable water balloons to play with in the bath tub.
• You were able to preform in the Nutcracker for dance. This has been something that you have wanted to do for a while. Your class was assigned a doll dancer and an angel. The costume was so beautiful. For the doll dance, they actually forgot to send your class out during the party scene so they had you come on afterwards to do the dance. The angels were so cute. You even had a halo on. Grandma and Papa along with Auntie Annie, joe and Elaine came and watched you the first night. The Leder girls came the next day to watch you.