After picking Mr. Max up from Preschool I went to Mom's to get Ella-Bells, and we ended up have a mini-photo shoot complete with pumpkins! (Gosh the kids like pumpkins! Best 3 for $5 I ever spent!! LOL!)

Baby Z in her new coat - she's a pink Pooh!


Max, sooo happy with his pumpkins!








He zoned out there for a few minutes. He was EXHAUSTED after his first day of preschool!



Ella and her pumpkin boobs. This was her idea...nice. ;)



She was modeling here. :)



Crazy Baby Z (I was chasing her around the van!)


Max was 'Grrrrring'!



I *heart* pumpkins AND my kidlets!!!! :D

We've been talking about Phoebe's (preschool) all summer long, and until last week Max thought I taking him there - staying WITH him - and bringing him home. Uh oh. This I learned as Ella told him that I would be dropping him off and LEAVING...which did NOT sit well with my poor little boy. He has been really clingy lately, always wanting me to pick him up, and wanting me all the time. I think it's partly his age, and that's he's now a 'middle child'. Poor little guy!

So, this weekend (pre-preschool first day) we played Phoebe's, and I must say - it worked PERFECTLY! We played that I was Mommy taking Max to Phoebe's, gave him a kiss and hug and said 'good-bye', then left (while I ran around through the kitchen and livingroom) and then became Phoebe! It was great fun, and did the trick. When I took him there on Tuesday for his first day, he was so tired of me trying to 'prepare' him, that he said something like: "Yes, I KNOW! You are leaving after you drop me off!" LOL!!!

When we first walked in, he was quite excited to play with all of the new toys, and barely looked at me at all! I gave him a kiss and hug, then said my good-bye and headed for the door. He didn't even look up until Phoebe said: "Ok! Good-bye Mommy! We'll have a great day!", Max piped up and said: "She's not your Mommy!" to Phoebe!!! It was hilarious! Then right as I got to the door, he ran over to me and gave me another kiss and hug. *Oh the love...* It was perfect.

Ok, so I've included a lot of pics, but I couldn't help it! He's just so darn cute! Here he is in his preschool outfit, complete with his FAV Darth Vader tee... ;)





Not sure why this pic is so small, but he was supposed to turn around and show me his dinosaur backpack - and this was his 'pose'...


Ouside by our new little tree!


Simply ADORABLE!


Baby Z, NOT impressed with all the picture taking. She was ready to go see NANA!!!


These are the wonderful pics I was ALLOWED to take at Phoebe's. That's it - he was done. (He found her paper, and had to bring it to her - but EW it was dirty!! LOL!)



So my Mr. Max is now a pre-schooler! Can't believe it!

OH! I just remembered a funny story about him (this rarely happens!). I have many nick-names for my children, and I sometimes call Max - Mr. Max. So the other day he was in the bathroom, obviously had finished and called out to me: "Ooh Mr. Moooooommy! I'm done!" LMAO!!! It was soooo cute! :D

This is a pic of Ella before a birthday party a couple weeks ago, with her baby (note how it's NAKED? WHY do they have to be naked ALL THE TIME? I have this desperate need to clothe them all, but alas, they all end up being naked 5 min later anyhow...)


Zozo sat by the front door for quite a while trying on Max's shoes and hat, and actually got them all on herself! She was so proud of herself!!! (We'll just not mention to her that they are on the wrong feet...!)





So proud!!! :)

For WEEKS I've been dying to make this hat. And it's FINALLY finished. It only took me 2 weeks... ;) (Mind you I'm making another one at the same time - does that count?!?)

My happy boy! :)


And of course, Ella had to try it on too!! LOL!

Yup, Zo-J did it. We ended up in emerg ending Ella's first day of SK. (Which she LOVED! We are so happy to have Mrs. DJ again! And with all of her friends too - WHEW!)

After dinner Ella went into the livingroom to dance, and Zoe (of course) joined in. A few minutes later we heard a scream, and a LOT of crying. I rushed in only to find Zoe beside herself, and not moving her right arm. Ooooooh dear.

I sat with her in the kitchen for a bit trying to get her to move it, but it was obvious she was in pain, and it was all in her arm. :S (I figured it was dislocated, and was right) So I changed her (which was FUN let me tell you!) and headed off to Emerg while Rick put a horribly distraught Ella and (oblivious) Max to bed.

Luckily Emerg was fast, and as we were finishing up her 3 X-rays, Zoe seemed to heal herself...as we walked back to our room, she stopped crying (the X-ray guy really scared her! Poor thing), and started to point with her RIGHT hand!!! Wait a min...?!?!? It was all healed - as the doc was consulting another doctor on who was going to pull and who was going to hold (ugh - glad we didn't have to do that!!) I mentioned to him that I though it was better. He came to inspect and a big, wide smile crept on his face! He said she must have popped it back in herself. Even on the X-ray it showed it was dislocated! Weird!

She is now prone to that happening, so NO pulling Zoe by her arms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I explained that to Ella-Bells this morning, and she has now instructed me to NOT talk about it anymore because it makes her feel sad :( Poor thing, even though it was an accident, she (of course) feels guilty.)

So we are all better now, AND Ella had a wonderful first day. Just another day in the Vries household!! :D

Ella-Bells went and grew up a little more, the little bugger. She is now in SENIOR Kindergarten, and LOVING it. (Ok, so I'm assuming she's loving it, as today is her first day...LOL!) She was so excited/nervous that she woke up last night a couple times, and wanted to crawl into bed with us. Not happening, so she settled with Max. :)


I had no idea it was going to be THAT cold outside - as she stood there FREEZING while I took her picture...poor baby!


So excited!!!

Her new backpack - there is a pink embroidered "E" on it!

Wow, my baby - growing up! *sniff*

Some days in the van the kids are just fun. This day a couple weeks ago the kids were just being crazy.
((Note Max's Darth Vader all seat-belted in? "So he's safe Mommy!"))





Zozo last week at the park. She is soooo sweet. <3




Mom and Dad are holding a dune-buggy in their garage for a friend. Rick (of course) spotted it IMMEDIATELY. So the kids simply NEEDED to try it out. (NOT running though!!)





Mom and I went shopping in Stratford last week (got a crap-load of Christmas shopping done!), then went to see the play: "As you like it". It was a beautiful day...in so many ways! :)