November 20, 2014

This will be my last post as a 28 year old. This year went by so quickly. I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you God for your gifts and your mercies!

It's been a busy week. I can't really go into the details, but we've been praying a lot and learning about God and his faithfulness. Tuesday was a particularly humbling day. I really don't know what to write, and I hate for things to sound secretive that really aren't. They just don't need to be posted so the whole world can read. If you know me well and want to know what's been happening, give me a call. I'd probably like to hear from you anyway! 

William and Robert are both doing well. Our trip last weekend was successful although the travel was grueling and I almost turned back to go home (the highway was shut down). I am so thankful for 2 sweet boys and understanding Dogs who kept me sane despite the stress. My gandmother's 80th party was wonderful and the food and company were beyond compare. 

Ranger joined William's Little Gym class on Tuesday. Their teacher said they are the cutest best friends ever and that she loved having them. William also has one of his favorite friends in his Little Gym class: Sam. I'm so happy my boys have friends! 

The boys are both already up from their naps so I have to end this here. If you are reading this, pray for us as we again travel to Dallas for the week starting tomorrow and then onto San Antonio next weekend. Thanksgiving means travelling for us, and I just want it to be smoother and less stressful than last weekend! 

Till next time!

November 13, 2014

Not exactly sure what to write. Too much on my mind, I guess.

As a family, we went to Ranger's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. The weather was beautiful (the party was at a park) and a great time was had by all. We will be so sad come January when he and his sweet parents move to Houston, but there is a season for everything and we pray God's blessings over them and the next step in their lives.

Robert pooped on the potty a few weeks ago. It was a random occurrence, but seems worth mentioning. He was getting ready to take a bath and I could see the look on his face. So I put him on the potty with a potty seat and voila! The results have not been repeated though, so I think potty training may still be a ways off.

It's gotten cold here the past few days. The low tonight is 27F. I am glad our house holds heat well, because the wind is something terrible outside. I hope it warms up by this weekend  (which is not expected) as Francis and the men from our Sunday School class are going camping and they might just literally freeze! I will be heading to Dallas this weekend for Mom Noble's 80th birthday party, so we will be outside on and off going places. It makes me miss the warmth already and it isn't even Thanksgiving.

We had a first on Tuesday: I napped and William didn't. After multiple pleas that he wasn't tired, I told William he could play quietly in his room. He did and shortly after I rested my head on the couch only to wake up over an hour later to Robert screaming from his crib (he miraculously took a 2 hour nap). I peeked in on William and every book from his bookshelf was on the ground "burying some treasure " he had found in his closet. I went in his closet and every hanger he could reach lay on the ground. I took a deep breath, thankful that nothing was broken and helped him clean it up. At least he stayed in his room!

So, when I was pregnant with Robert, I craved these "Ranch dipped Hot Wing" chips. Seriously wanted them all the time even though they  are burn your mouth spicy. Well, I hadn't had them since having Robert, so I bough them on a whim. Yeah, they are nasty...so I put them on the stairs with Francis's camping gear to take with him (so nice I know). Well, Robert keeps getting into the gear, digging out the chips and eating as many as he can before I catch him and take them away. I guess he really does like them, and that's why I craved them. Who knew?

That's really all I got. I need to get back to packing. Till next time!

November 7, 2014

Another Full week. I won't go into all the details, but here are a couple highlights:

The day trip to College Station was a success. William and Robert got to see A&M campus and Francis and the men had fun at the game. Tracy, her kids, her mother-in-law, Audrey, the boys and I went to Chick-fil-a and a Harvest Festival while Francis, Dave, his father, Andrew, Gershom, and Francis's Dad enjoyed a nail biter of a football game at Kyle Field. A good time was had by all. 

William can now tell his right from his left. He's been doing it for about a month now with complete accuracy. He says things like, "I have an ouchie on my right knee", or "mommy you just turned left in the car" or "I'm going to put my shoe on my left foot using my right hand" and he is always right. I'm not sure I'm even that good. It's impressive. 

Robert continues to talk more and more. He is becoming a very adept climber as well. We have moved a second stool into the kitchen for him to stand on while I make food. He stands on it and watches me, eager to help like William does. He can climb on the couch and even on our bed now, which I find very impressive. He still prefers to be held (after all, the view is better), but when that is not an option, he climbs to the highest point he can. I am just hoping he doesn't fall, because I can't keep him off everywhere. 

Today we went to the mall with Arlene and Caitlyn, and Angel and Ranger. My two pregnant friends. I am so blessed to know them and see their families grow. It was a great morning and it's simple days like this that I treasure. 

I...I have a lot on my mind, but I am choosing to be content in the moment. In this moment, all is right with the world. My boys are sleeping, Francis is hard a work (though I know he loves being home better, which makes my heart happy), and I have a quiet moment. All the rest, well, I will have to leave at the feet of my Savior. He is what I can never be, and without Him I come up empty. 

That is really all it comes down to.

October 31, 2014

I have to make this brief for the day is quickly slipping by and I still have so much to accomplish.

Robert's word of the day is, "Bella" but it sounds more like "buhh". He is chasing her around (poor Bella) and pointing at her saying it over and over and then looking to me for encouragement (which I happily give). He is trying to say new words all the time, but most of them sound somewhat indiscernible from the others. Keep up the good work, kid!!!

William has a wicked cough. The Dr. confirmed he has Fall asthma just like his mom and that we have to up our nebulizer treatments to three times a day. I am sad for my kiddo but I can totally sympathize. This time of year it feels like someone is always sitting on my chest. I'm ready for the first freeze so whatever it is that causes this dies!!

We went tot he pumpkin patch in Bastop last Saturday with Francis's parents and Cyndy, Chris and Abby. It was a good pumplin patch, but it was just too hot and we all ended up coming back to the house to wait for Francis to get off work (his last saturday to work!) so we could do October birthdays! It was a truly delightful time and it was even better when Francis arrived. I was sad when the door closed (as I usually am) and we had no more company.

Monday was Francis's last Monday off so we went to the park by the Thinkery (can't remember the name) and just relaxed soaking up sun and sweet fresh air. Today the boys and I went back to the same area to go to the Thinkery (children's museum). There were so many Halloween events that no one was there. I mean the place was nearly empty and we had entire rooms to ourselves. It was amazing and we spent 3 1/2 hours there without me having a panic attack. It's usually so crazy that I start to panic within an hour over the number of people and not being able to reach Robert or William. If it were always like this, we'd go every day.

I have to get everything set up for us to attend Fall Fest at Church tonight. I'm excited, but I do wish I could also be here to pass out candy and make connections with some of my neighbors. I'm hoping we'll get back early enough to still see some trick-or-treaters. We leave for college station tomorrow just for the day, and I need to pack for that also. And I need to make the house clean in case we do have trick or treaters. And now Robert is awake. So much to do!

Till next time!

October 23, 2014

My little Robert is becoming more of a big boy all the time. For starters, two more molars came in this week, bringing his total to 12 teeth! He's gotten good at running and pivoting, then running a different directions. Oh, and as a result, his new favorite game is chase. He'll go somewhere he knows he shouldn't be, wait for me to show up and as soon as he catches sight of me he will run away and giggle until I sweep him up into my arms. We play this game at least a dozen times a day. He's also getting better at talking and communication. He is also becoming and expert climber. He has now climbed on the couch, and William's bed with no assistance and was very delighted with himself. In fact we played "escape the vacuum" (a game I made up so I could vacuum without interference) in which the boys run into a room and climb up on whatever they can find so the vacuum can't get them. It was a ton of laughs and I was actually able to clean. Win! Robert is handing me object and learning to share, though taking turns is still confusing and frustrating to him. He's mostly smiles and his teachers call him an absolute delight. And bonus! He's sleeping through the nights most nights. No complaints here!

William is growing too. He is hiding God's word in his heart. He can't read enough and the Bible is no exception. He loves AWANAS and learns his verses and keeps them from week to week. He had about 30 sight words he can read (that I know of) including and, the, go, up, no, yes, stop, dog, do, you, if, a, I, Mom, Dad, Robert....the list goes on. He also reads random words without any context such that I really do wonder how much he reads. He read "koalas" off a sign and asked where they were and could we follow the arrow. He also found some trash in our yard and said, "mommy, why is there trash that says 'wing stop' in our yard?". He might have recognized the logo but he spelled both words for me later, so I'm not sure. His imagination is his friend. William tells me fun stories about pretend things, but never confuses it with the truth. he says, "mommy I want to tell you this pretend thing." It's so cute!

We went to Abilene this past weekend. After the morning at a farm with our MOPS group (where we got to see a chick hatch which was one of the coolest things I've ever seen), I took the boys on the three hour journey to Abilene. We met my mom and Jamama and Japapa at the hotel and had dinner before I went off to judge SING. Judging was stressful but I had my support team (Danielle, her boyfriend Kevin, my cousin Harrison, Rachael and Rebecca) behind me both physically and emotionally. Saturday we all got up and went to HSU homecoming! Dad helped me with the boys while mom, Danielle and the rest of us went around to the education brunch and other activities. The boys got to go horseback riding, play games, do crafts, jump on the bounce house (which both boys LOVED and wouldn't come out) and had great fun in the "posse" club. I got to see some friends, and Rebecca even brought up her son Jonas so that all three boys could spend a little time together. My parents, Danielle, Kevin, Harrison, the boys and I all had lunch in the College Cafeteria where they served delicious BBQ. We talked about how we had all eaten there in college, and William declared that he was now attending college since he had eaten there too. I asked him what classes he was taking and he responded without hesitation, "English!" So now you know...my 3 year old is taking college English. William and Robert really enjoyed the ice cream of the cafeteria. they were covered in blue before it was all over. Finally, before heading home we went to the Harding-Simmons University Cowboys game. William liked ringing his bell and cheering for his team ("H-S H-S U U!") Robert liked walking up and down the length of the bleachers flirting with strangers and occasionally watching the game when everyone started cheering. I'm glad they had fun! When we got home William told me that HSU was kind of like Disney World. I know his Sweetie would be glad to hear it!

That's it for now!

October 16, 2014

If Francis weren't having a guy's (birthday) party tonight at Top Golf, I might not have gotten in a post this week. Today is Francis's birthday. Happy birthday, my Love! It's been a good day and week, and Francis being around has made it even better.

Francis has had off Monday, Tuesday and today from work (he did have to work Saturday). That means that this calendar week, he will only work Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. We've had fun with him here! They boys love it when he's home. Francis took William on a Daddy-son date to the rink again on Monday. William is getting used to that time and will be very bummed when November hits and Francis goes back to regular schedule. William is turning into a pretty competent skater. As Francis said, "Yeah others were going faster, but they were older and hugging the wall. William went far from the wall with no fear and made it across the rink multiple times without falling." Proud of my boys! Speaking of pride, Francis is becoming quite the handy man. After taking William to his Little Gym class Tuesday (per William's request), Francis fixed leaks in two of our showers and upgraded our shower head in the master bath. I am so impressed. And don't forget about  Robert! He has a new favorite word and he is using it so well. It's "bye bye". He does it and waves as he leaves the room. He first did it really clearly to Angel on Wednesday, but tonight he said his first sentence as he was hugging William goodnight. He said "bye bye bruh (brother)." I thought it was a fluke but he said it three times and then pointed to William and said "Bruh". He has also started to say "up" when he wants me to pick him up. My little talker!!!

The boys and I decorated Francis's cake yesterday (he chose carrot cake). It was so fun! I got a bunch of sprinkles and let the boys go to town. William was very methodical right down to the blue icing border and heart on top. Robert wanted it to be a cake smash and kept sticking his hand in everything and eating the evidence. I am so blessed.

The morning we got up and made Francis breakfast in bed. The kiddos and I then headed off to Bible Study to give Francis some alone time, but we came back in time to make him lunch (hot ham sandwiches, one of his favorites). After nap we opened presents. The boys got him some models that they are going to build together and some one of a kind artwork. I got him a leaf blower/sucker/mulcher. He said he likes all his gifts. We then had the cake which was delicious! Francis chose Red Lobster for dinner, and is now at Top Golf with some buddies hitting some balls. I think that's a pretty good day and I hope he does too. I love you honey!

That's it for now!

October 7, 2014

Life keeps moving around the Phillips' household. There's never a dull moment.

Robert is moving every which way, running as much as he's walking, and getting all the scrapes, bumps, and bruises expected of a young explorer/adventurer. Right now he's learning by trial and error. Mommy saying don't do that is just not good enough. Robert is finding a new set of experiments to try each day, much to my delight (and sometimes my dismay at the result to my carpet or nice things), but his favorite item of exploration is definitely the toilet paper roll. If he can get his hands on one (we can't put them on the holders and must keep them up high), there's no telling the amount of shredding, wetting and general mayhem that will occur. It's the wet part that he likes best, but it grosses me out to no end. He isn't dipping it in the toilet (thank goodness!), he's mostly trying to eat it or put it in the shower. His ever present smile makes it hard to get onto him, which I know he uses to his advantage. He'll crawl over to something he shouldn't have/do, smile at me and do it in slow motion just to see how long it will take for me to get there to stop him. He does this daily with the dog water. I'm convinced if I were not in the room, he'd have nothing to do with the dog bowls, but as soon as I come into veiw, it's a swimming pool! Such a cutie pie! I am (still) learning to enjoy the bumps with the smooth patches, as the bumps give our life and family character. The BEST NEWS of it all is that as of Thursday, William and Robert both slept through the night for the first time ever. Robert has never done that before, and William only on occasion, so to have it happen the same night was amazing! Sleep for all!!! Since then Robert and William have been more or less sleeping through the night every night with only 1 or less wake ups each night. Friday night the boys and I slept a full 12 hours. I was sick, but I was thankful that the boys let me recuperate without interruption.

William is getting funnier all the time. He knows it too. Just yesterday Francis and I were talking about what to make for dinner. I had spent all afternoon cleaning while Robert slept and Francis took William ice skating so the kitchen was actually clean. William, as if reading my mind says, "Oooooor we could go to Wing Stop!" It's one of my favorite restaurants, but we haven't eaten there in at least a couple months so I don't where that even came from. William then turns away from Francis looks at me and winks! I laughed so hard! I said, "You know mommy likes that place, don't you!" He said, "Yep and then the kitchen can stay clean too!" He's a smart (and in this instance wisely manipulative) kiddo! We did end up deciding to eat out only to find out my car wouldn't start. The good news is it happened when Francis was home and the auto shop was still home so we were able to jump it and get it to the shop before they closed. Thanks William! We'd have had such a hard time dealing with it if we had found out after Francis left for work this morning. Counting my blessings for sure! William also has started making up his own music. The song last night went something like, "An orange aardvark, not red, not yellow, not green, not blue, not purple, oh nooooo, it's an orange aardvark!" I wish you could hear the tune. It was cute and I could tell he was making it up on the spot. He also told me I was a "cutie patootie" today. So charming!

We went to the pumpkin patch last Friday with a bunch of ladies and kiddos from church. It was so fun! We fed the goats, went on a hayride, went through a corn maze, jumped on a bounce pillow and picked out a pumpkin of our very own. The boys and I rode with Angel and her boy Ranger, and on the way home we assumed the boys would nap. We were so wrong! Ranger and William sang songs, played some ispy, pretended to sleep and eventually Angel and I gave up and bought them slushes when we stopped by Sonic. It ended up working in my favor though, since the boys both slept 12 hours that night, so yay!

That's it for now. I need a nap!