July 14, 2016

The first two weeks of July are some of my favorite of the whole year. Within the first 10 days of july I have independence day, Danielle's birthday and my mother-in-law's birthday. As an added bonus, this year included Hannah's first birthday party! The time is usually spent surrounded by family and lifelong friends. My heart leaves for home overflowing. This year was no exception.

We (Francis, the kids and I) headed up to Dallas on July 1 in time for dinner and swimming at my in-laws' house where were stayed. The kids were so excited to swim and we found out that Hannah will stay happily in the "baby boat" flotation device and kick herself around the pool. It's adorable.

Saturday morning the whole Phillips clan (including the Boergers who also arrived the night before) completed tasks including shoes buying for all the kids and making our traditional trip to chick-fil-a. The men took the kids to Home Depot for a craft and I went shopping with my mother-in-law for party supplies. All in all a good morning! My in-laws had a vow renewal to attend that evening, so Cyndy, Chris, Abby, Francis, the kids and I joined up with Dani and my parents at my parent's house for Pizza, swimming, driving the gator around, playing on the playscape, and "toddler fireworks" (sparklers and things that light up but don't make much noise).  Then there was a real fireworks show off in the distance. The kids were all so excited!!! I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the day.

Sunday we all went to church and Cyndy, Chris and Abby even joined us at Prestonwood. Abby and William were in the same class which was an extra treat. After lunch at cowboy chicken, we brought the kids home for a nap and Cyndy, my mother-in-law and I went to Lakeshore Learning to get the stuff I wanted/needed for my classroom next year. I got what I needed (I'm so excited!) and left feeling more prepared for homeschooling next year. woo hoo! More swimming that evening and Pei Wei for dinner. Yum!

Monday was 4th of July. We got up quickly and headed to get our spot on the parade route. My whole family was there, both in-laws and blood, and I got some cute cousin pictures of all of them in their matching shirts. My mother was in the parade and Robert and William cheered loudly when they saw her. Afterward everyone headed to my parents' house for brisket and swimming. Ashley, Brandon and Bethany joined us. Including Brandon and Ashley, we had six out of the twelve members of our bridal party present. Talk about a happy/fun time!!! After swimming the whole family went to see the fireworks, eating pizza in the parking lot as usual. The fireworks did not disappoint. Hannah watched with wonder and occasionally jumped around in excitement. I'm glad she share my enthusiasm for pretty pictures in the sky.

Tuesday was Danielle's birthday. Cyndy needed to catch up on work (Francis and Chris headed back to work already), so I happily took Abby and my 3 to see Finding Dory with Danielle, my mom, and Nikki at the Studio Movie Grill. The kids were great and Hannah slept through it for a second time. Made my life a ton easier. That the kids and I joined Christian and her clan, my parents, Danielle and Nikki for dinner and then cake back at my parents' house. We love our Danielle!!!! Happy birthday!

Wednesday for "cousin camp" we went to the Mall with Cyndy, Abby, my mom, Danielle and Nikki. the kids rode the Carousel and took a walk through the Disney store and Lego Store. That evening we all went out to Hawaiian Falls water park and had a blast at the kid's area, wave pool and lazy river. Everyone left exhausted but happy.

Thursday for "cousin camp" we did Legoland and the Grapevine aquarium. Talk about a full day!!! The Abby, William, Robert and Hannah wore matching "cousins make the best friends" shirts that Cyndy had made. A woman loved them so much she tracked down Cyndy and asked for a card. They were pretty cute! That evening we brough dinner back to the house and ate with Fankie's mom and Ashley. After putting the kids to bed, we had a girls' game night of playing Dutch Blitz (it's so calm with 4 ladies playing!) and I actually won!!! By one point, but I won none the less.

Frankie's mom took off work on Friday and we went out to Denny's for Breakfast, then shopping and had lunch at the house. That evening we went to Medieval Times for Dinner and a show. Francis was able to join us in time, but his father had to stay home as the A/C was being fixed (it had been a hot week at the Phillips' house).  We got a birthday announcement for Frankie's mom and had it be from her "loyal subjects Abby, William, Robert and Hannah". It was cute and the kids loved hearing the Herald say their names! Abby was chosen by our (red) knight to be his queen and she loved that. I even got a flower! That evening after putting the kids to bed, we played a rousing game of Dutch Blitz with the six adults in the house (Chris, Francis, his dad, cyndy, Frankie's mom, and me). I won twice! I need to go to Vegas before my luck runs out!!

Saturday was party day. I got the cake and balloons and headed up to my parents' house. My family helped me Doctorate and the place looked adorable if I do say so myself. Francis showed up with the kids, the rest of the Phillips clan and the Boergers at party time. Ashley and Josh came too! Hannah got a castle, suitcase, microphone (thanks Christian!, I'll return the favor), cute clothes, an airplane, stuffed animals, and a little computer. She was pleased as punch and Abby, William and Robert wanted her to open all her toys right that second. A couple were opened and fun was had. We then did cake. Hannah was tentative at first, but dove in with both hands when she realized the gold mine she had. By the end the cake was obliterated and the high chair and Hannah were dyed purple and pink (the theme of the party was purple and pink butterflies). We washed Hannah off in my parents' tub and nearly managed to dye it pink also. whew! The kids and some of the adults went swimming before Cyndy, Chris,  Abby, Ashley and Josh had to head home. It had been fun seeing all of them throughout the week. It's probably the first time I've seen Ashley three times in the same week since I've been married. It few my soul in ways I can't describe. It was wonderful to spend time with Abby and Cyndy also. I think cousin camp 2016 was a success!! The kids are already asking when they get to see Abby again! Christian and Chad headed out with the twins shortly after as a storm was looming overhead. I'm glda I got to see them also. My kids love these cousins also, and Hannah had an extra fun time sharing her new toys witht hte twins before they left. Before dinner, those that were left played a game on the TV using our smart phones. Just as they announced the winner, the power went out. The storm cleared very shortly after and we headed to Abuelo's for dinner. We are so blessed to have a family that all gets along. I realize that is more rare than it should be. Dinner was delightful. Hannah was celebrated all day and I couldn't have asked for more.

Sunday we went to Prestonwood and then met my in-laws for lunch at Saltgrass Steakhouse. It was my mother-in-law's birthday and the boys sang to her before we ate. Super cute! Happy birthday!! It was a nice birthday lunch and afterwards the kids, dog and I headed home with Francis not far behind in his own car. Such a good week. It had hiccups, but who can complain when their was so much joy and love about?!


This week we've been getting back in the groove. We did grocery store and laundry Monday, Bible study Tuesday and the library Wednesday. Today the boys had their first day of Preschool camp. They had a blast! Hannah and I went shopping and got me some new clothes, did her "birthday celebration" at Toys R Us, bought the boy's birthday presents, went shopping at the mall and and even had lunch together. It was fun to have some mommy/Hannah time and I think she liked it too. As a side note, I had a wonderful experience at the mall today. I imagine it is how Christ wants us to be toward each other all the time, but we so seldom are. Everyone I ran into regardless of age, race or sex, was so kind, polite and, well, joyful. Everyone was smiling, waving at strangers and wishing them a good day, asking how you are doing (and expecting a real answer not just "good"). I was already happy and this lifted my spirits even more. A little girl ran ahead of me just to hold the door open. The janitor passed by our table and smiled saying how cute Hannah was. I thanked him for what he does (as I do most janitors, especially in Malls), and his face just lit up. He passed by twice more and looked at me with the biggest grin.  A genuine smile is contagious, let me tell you!  I then had to change Hannah's diaper, but they were closing the restroom as I got there. The man and woman working smiled and waited for me to change Hannah before sealing it off. They knew the next closet bathroom was far and that a little patience on their part would save me a lot of trouble. Thank you so much! I have at least a half dozen other stories of kindnesses paid to me during that couple of hours, but I'll treasure them up in my heart instead. Thanks, people of the mall, for the little slice of heaven today.

There is so much more to write! Hannah is growing so fast. She got all four of her molars last week and had not been sleeping well (even for her) this past week and a bit. Francis has been kind and letting me sleep in a little in the morning while he holds down the fort. She's worth it, but I'm tired! Hannah is starting to prefer walking to crawling around the house. It's fun to see her little mind work to figure out how to get around.

Robert is loving Battle Bots right now. FYI everything is a robot or can be turned into a robot. He battles or is talking about battling robots at least once every hour. He's turned into a regular little chatter box where this is concerned. We have been watching the competition as a family and it's been fun to see the boys' imaginations run wild with building and scheming a bot they want to make and enter into the competition. Francis likes it too. If the show is still around in a few years, you can bet you'll be seeing my crew on there!

I finally ordered the Math and Reading/writing curriculum for William for next year. I feel at peace with my decision and had William place tested for the math so that I would get the right one. He's all signed up for the "big kid celebration" at church in August as he will graduate to the Children's area then. How did he get so big?! Oh! funny story. My brother-in-law Chad was telling William that he was attacking him at the 4th of July parade. William turns around and says, "I'm impervious to attack!" He then went on throughout the day to say all of the other things he was impervious to: being squirted by water, being dunked, etc. He's my kid, vocabulary and all!

Well, I think that's it for now! Till next time!