We went to China and you guys did great. Ari, you were a champ on the plane. You slept most of the way there. You guys loved Disney and all of the cool parks we went to. You were a hit, there weren't many Americans there and we definitely got more than our fair share of attention.
December flew by since we were only around for half of it. We had a great Christmas and flew out the next day to California for a quick family reunion.
New Year's was fun, Daddy was in Germany so it was just the mini-crew. Uncle Dobby and Aunt Teen/Tyler/Sloaney came by. You guys made it until 11:50 and then were done:
Ari, you got a new pirate bed that you're very excited about, but to date, have slept in about 2x.
January flew by, Ari started using the potty! It started with asking if you could 'pee on Litli', but you seemed to be ok with my suggestion that we pee in the potty instead. You love getting treats, so you've done it a few times since, but not with any consistency. But the end is in site!
Kaia, you were on the news! We started selling girl scout cookies, and since the first day of sales was on Super Bowl Sunday we decided to sell at the liquor store. It was packed and we sold a lot of cookies. I ended up making a pairing guide that we handed out to customers, and that seemed to be enough to get the attention of 9 news. Very odd stuff. But you enjoyed the attention.
Otherwise, it's business as usual. Kaia you love school, and have kept all of your spunk. You talk like a little adult and are an exceptionally happy kid (except when you're dealing with your Mom, then there's a lot of whining). You're extremely dramatic. You told me the other day that "you don't even know what it's like to be treated well!" because I told you it was time to get dressed. You like having political discussions and we're working on learning that everyone can have a different opinion, but it is funny hearing the arguments you get into. Mostly they're anti-trump. You've also taken a strong anti-patriot stance recently.
Ari, you love to pack bags for school with all of your essentials, today you had goldfish, a waffle, a spinny light up toy, and a "Robody" (aka Robot). You hate being left at school, but seem to really like your teachers so you're ok as long as you're being held. You still end up in my bed every night. You love rubbing the left side of my face and don't last horribly long in your bed. I've been too tired to fight that fight. You love 'nuggling'. You love Litli and like to share your accomplishments with him. He was one of the first 'people' you told about using the potty. You draw on everything and are quite the trouble maker. You're also very independent. Yesterday you got yourself a snack of a piece of bread and syrup that you got from the fridge. You love sweets and the Denver Nuggets.
Here are some other pictures worth looking at:
Noah, you're doing great in school, though you're a bit on the dramatic side. You're always super sweet to Ari and you love to draw/write stories. You're eager to learn how to crochet. Caleb, you are obsessed with your video games. You like watching youtube and riding your bike. You're a very mature soul, but you have a hard time focusing on things you don't enjoy doing. We're working on it. You like reading and getting good at geometry. Emma, you're a nut case. Very assertive. You like to play with your siblings and swim. We're looking to get you enrolled in soccer again, you've got the aggressiveness and competitiveness to be really good. I adore you all!!
