The Phillips Six Pack

Bardyard Boogie

2010-02-26T20:35:00.000-08:00

It was time for Vista Grande's annual father/daughter dance. This year it was a hoedown. The beginning of a new era for us. Amber has moved on to middle school but the first dance for Ava in kindergarden. They looked absolutley adorable. Im lovin the boots. Dad has done a great job keeping me posted with pics from his phone. Ava even won the candy jar. She guessed the right number !! Dad looked like one hot farmer boy with his scruffy beard ( Ava asked him to grow it out just for tonight) And he went with "no tooth"- the perfect hillbilly !!

Parties and Baptisms- Who could ask for anything more

2010-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

We've had a whole lot of partys going on over here. We had a "wii" tournament for Tyson's family party and enjoyed some yummy skateboard cake ( thanks to Gpa, Gma and Aubrey)and some fierce competition. I think Uncle Josh was the big winner that night but Aunt Janis definetly has the boxing "skills" in the fam.

We then celebrated Tyson's Batptism this past saturday. It was a beautiful day outside and he was so excited. I think he was more excited to get his scriptures than anything else. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends who came out to share this day with us. We were surrounded by great friends from near and far and such wonderful family. Tyson was indeed thankful for all the love and support he recieved. We of course ended the evening with good food, yummy sweets ( thanks Aub) and some more Wii. Big props to Grandpa for winning his first tennis match and to Aubrey for killing us all in bowling. Be warned all family members who attend the next Phillips Wii Night- us Phillips' will have matching headbands !!

I cant wait until I'm eight....

2010-01-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

Tyson is eight today !! He is so excited to be eight. We are celebrating his birthday this year in Lake Tahoe. Both the boys are playing in a tournament this weekend so we are making a vacation out of it. We have build a snowman and spent the afternoon "tubing". The kids are lovin just hanging out in the snow.

Besides spending his birthday in Tahoe, Tyson is so excited to be baptized. We are so happy for him and look forward to his baptism day. He is such an awesome kid with an amaing spirit. He may keep us on our toes but he has such a caring spirit and it just beams off of him. He was so excited to open his presents. He got everything on his wish list- Earplugs for his ipod, cool black and white checkered backpack and belt, red jeans and a tux ( suit for church). I thought his birthday list fit him perfectly !

We love you Tyson !! Happy Birthday TyTy

The phone call and metal

2009-11-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the beginning of a LONG process for Amber. The first part of her expander and Herbst bar were place in her mouth. She is a trooper about it but not having a good time eating with all this "metal" in her mouth.

It finally happened. I got a midday "call" from Tyson's teacher. Yes, I know what you guys are thinking, I too assummed that I was getting the "Tyson said... or Tyson did... " call, but I was pleasantly surprised.

When I answered, Tyson's teacher told me that he had advanced a level in reading and was so excited that he had to call me. She then asked me if I was "tearing up" because she was over his excitment. He was soo happy and proud to tell me of his accomplishment. What an awesome kid and what a great teacher to allow him to call me during classtime. I appreciate her doing that and for also sharing in his enthusiasm and mine. That phone call absolutley made my day. By far the best phone call EVER !!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-05T18:23:00.001-08:00

Napoleon Dynamite ( he's a natural) Gum on the bottom of a shoe ( what can I say- she is definetly a creative one) Witch ( the cutest witch ever !!) Clone Trooper (his offical last stinkin costume with a mask )

Baby Love, My Baby Love.....

2009-10-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Oh we have got the Baby Love bad. Baby Chase has us all wrapped around his itsy bitsy finger. He's so perfect in every way. We are all in L O V E !! We just get get enough of him. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa and Unlce JJ Auntie Aub and the boys ( i love it) for coming out to our Sacrament meeting program. It was so nice to have them all there.

I "heart" you, too

2009-10-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to see that my Lays potatoe chips feel the same for me as I do them. I do love you Lay's, I always have. More than doritos and cheetos. You are always there for me for when I need some grease and salt.

I heart you, too.

Only Tyson

2009-10-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

Who is this kid?? Where did he come from?? He is the coolest kid ever- i'm lovin the preppy school boy look, but what is the other all about ?? We were on Hollywood Blvd in LA but come on..... Only Tyson can pull an outfit like that off !!
( Disclaimer: we had just gotten into LA and stopped to eat and walk the stars. As for the no shirt- he got yogurt on it and I refused to unpack his suitcase for another tshirt. Come on now,we were in Hollyweird anyway)

The Kissing Hand.....enough said

2009-08-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well I made to day 3 of kindergarden then the flood gates opened. The Kissing Hand is by far one of my favorite books ever ( Skippy jonjones definetly comes in second)!! I recommend it to any and all with school aged children. I thought I made it free and clear since Ava's teacher didnt read the story while the parents were in the classroom ( like with all of my other kids) until Ava brought this home for me today. I will proudly carry on my busy way today with puffy swollen eyes and I will continue to place my "kissing hand" to my cheek everytime my baby hops out of the car.

First day of school- 2009

2009-08-25T15:15:00.001-07:00

My empty car ride home...

2009-08-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

The day finally came. All 4 of my children are in school. Dman in 7th. Amber new to middle school in 6th. Tyson, the big sibling on campus, in 2nd grade. And my baby started kindergarden. All of them are so excited for this year. They have great teachers and lots of good friends in their classes. I was proud to keep my eyes dry today, but I feel the emotional break down coming on. When I dropped the last one off, I realized that Ava has been my partner, just her, for so long. she is always in the car with me. She does all the drop off and picks up, she keeps me company, sings with me on the drives, and reminds me which way to turn ( backseat driver thing kinda drives me nuts- but im gonna miss it). What am I going to do now? I will continue to sing, probably miss a few turns and be wishing I had a few more years with my baby before she grows up on me. Of course she went to class so excitied, waved goodbye to me and dad, and didnt look back just as the older ones did. The best part is seeing them walk to the car to be picked up. All dying to tell me about their day. Dman is now the "big" 7th grader and will hold that over Ambers head all year. Amber thinks middle school " is the coolest thing EVER" and cant wait to go back. Tyson said his teacher is super awesome because they get to tell jokes at the end of everyday. And Ava gets her very own kindergarden bag tomorrow. Im glad i survived today.... tomorrow will be a different story.

My new Priesthood holder

2009-08-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

Wow- 12 already. Dman turned twelve on august 5th and was ordanded on the following sunday. That very next tuesday we were able to go with him to the temple to do baptisms and then watch him pass the sacrament that sunday. He has already had a rafting trip and tonight is the "back to school" dance at the stake center. I feel it is all happening tooo fast. But its more that I dont want to admit that he is 12 than anything else. Onto another church stage: young mens.

I told Drew to watch out. Hes been in primary with me for a while, so Im sure they will put him back into young mens soon.

Thanks for being such an awesome kid Dman. We couldnt be more proud of you. Your relationship with the Lord and your willingness to obey the spirit is an inspiration to your family. We love you

My afternoon

2009-08-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

The day was going pretty good. We hung out and cleaned the house. Watched some iCarly, and were just headed out to give the car a much needed bath when this happened:

Amber: "Mommy, there was a baby lizard and Ava killed it"
Tyson: " it was tiny , it was the size of an eyebrow. Now hes dead"

Tyson: " she rand him over and crushed his heart
Amber:" and now he is in pieces"

Ava: " whatever, I did not !!!

Ava: " well they told me to"
Mom: " to what?"
Ava:" Run him over !!!"

Tyson is still in mourning. Its been about an hour. Needless to say- I wont be going out to clean my car since that is the scene of the crime. Dman is "CSI" out there now. Horactio Cane maybe coming to my door soon.

When did she grow up....

2009-08-13T18:38:00.001-07:00

Here we are with Jennie at her BRIDAL SHOWER !! I cant believe it. She has been one of my best buddies. She was in our first primary class that we taught. I remember her baptism, I've been her young womens leader, been there through first dates and heartbreaks and now she is all grown up and getting married. Im feeling rather old !We couldnt be happier for her. She has an amazing guy and such a bright future ahead.

We love you, Jennie

A mini pizza for my brave girl

2009-07-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ava had her physical for kindergarden on monday. She and Tyson are my only brave ones. The older two kick, fight, scream, bite, and run when it comes time for them to have shots. The younger two laugh and pick what arm or thigh they want it in. Ava did great. She had her TB, hemoglobin and her 5 year old immunizations and barley a tear. Of course she ws so excited that if she was a "brave" girl she a got a coupon for a free mini pizza from papa murphys. She couldn't believe that she got her very own pizza. She was so happy about that , she barely paid attention to the shots. I wonder what it would take to distract the older kids.....NOTHING !!

The only concern Ava had about her appointment was when her Dr commented on her wearing her princess "sunday" undies when it was monday. He told her that for kindergarden she needs to have the days of the week right. I thought it was very cute and funny but know shes all freaked out that if he tells the school she wont be able to go to kindergarden.

Summer team 2009- part two

2009-07-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

LA for 4th of July tournament. Great parents, awesome players, beautiful Huntington Beach, fireworks, blowing up "Jerry", and a 2nd place trophy.

Which one is real??

2009-07-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.... tough call.

P P P Pokerface !!!

2009-07-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

The girls keep us entertained one evening with their dance routine to Lady Gaga's pokerface. Im lovin the good use of my new tupperware box that didnt make it out to the recycle.

Summer Team 2009- part one

2009-07-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is from our trip to Valencia in May. Tons of fun, great kids and parents. And a first place trophy !!

Monte Vista High 2009- 2022

2009-07-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

My little baby is all grown up. She graduated from preschool in june and is ready to move on kindergarden. She has attended preschool where she will hopefully graduate high school ( yes, I love it here and hope to never leave). Im to be able to take this same picture of her in 2022 on her graduation day. GO MUSTANGS !!

Character Counts...

2009-07-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is Ty during his 1st grade performance called " character counts". I think Tyson has plenty of character... you can count on that !!

2009 DANCE RECITAL

2009-05-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

It was another great dance recital for the girls. They both did a wonderful job. Ava did her tap routine to " a sunshine day " ( remember the brady bunch song) and Amber's routine was to " heartless" by Kayne West. They both enjoyed their classes this past session and had great teachers. Ava will continue dancing with her tap teacher throughout the summer. She absolutley loves it and will be moving on to the dance team soon. Amber however has put up her jazz shoes and is moving onto soccer and tennis.

On the penalty kill again

2009-05-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thats exactly how I feel.... we are one member short on our family bench this week. Amber just got back from her week long "Exploring New Horizons" camp and Drew leaves tomorrow on his Yosemite camping trip with his 6th grade class. We literally unloaded Ambers gear from my truck, shook out the sleeping bag, unloaded the clothes out of backpack and but Dmans in!

Amber had a blast at camp. She has been telling us all about it nonstop since she got off the bus. The best story thus far:
Mom: Did you kiss the banana slug?
Amber: Yah
Kids: eeuuww
Amber: Well it was either kiss it or lick a tree.....so I did both !!!
Thats my girl!! The other highlight was skit night. Where her group did a music video to " I kissed a slug and I liked it- hope my natuarlist dont mind it "
I missed her terrribly- it was the longest week ever. And know I get to start another one. Dman leaves on mothers day and will be home on wednesday. He has his 2 best buds in his cabin with him, so I am sure he will have a blast. I just hope that I will survive !!

May begins....

2009-05-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

It is only 7 days into may and we have already had 2 brother in law birthdays and 1 nephew. Happy birthday Brandon, Anthony and Steve. So today we celebrate the 4th birthday so far for the month.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW !!!
Although may is busy for us, its my favorite month of the year. My wonderful husband was born, I was honored to marry my prince this same month. And for 2 weeks I get to gloat about being 2 whole years younger than him !!
I just wanted to let my "old man" know how much I love him and I am so thankful for him in my life. I also want to let his mom know how thankful I am to her for bringing him into the world and helping him be the person that I fell in love with. Thanks for being such a great dad- we have so much fun as a family and we love ya !!
We hope you have a great day ( dont work too hard )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY !!

Catch me if you can....

2009-03-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Come on Little Leprechaun, we're ready for you. Tyson had a class project to make a leprechaun trap. What do you think?? Pretty good huh? Tyson and Dad worked all afternoon in garage on it. You can bet that this will be packed up in a nice storage box for future use. Happy St. Patricks Day

She's one whole hand now !!

2009-03-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

Happy 5th Birthday Avarie !! We had such a fun day. We slept in, had lunch and McDonalds, then a pizza party with yummy ice cream cake. Can you believe that she is already 5 ?? When did that happen? We are looking forward to a wonderful birthday week and another party this weekend with her friends from school and church. She is having a gymnastics party !! yah !!

Kipp

2009-03-06T22:55:00.001-08:00

"Just because I have been chatting online with babes all day, doesn't mean you need to be jealous, Napoleon"

At the Hop- 2009

2009-03-06T22:45:00.000-08:00

Another great time at the " take your Pop to the Hop" dinner and dance at the school. This was Amber's last one since she will be headed to middle school, but not for Dad Since Ava starts kindergarten there in the fall. They danced the night away, had a wonderful catered dinner at the school "diner", and even stopped at the candy shop to get a bottle of pop.

I can ride my bike with no handlebars, no handlebars

2009-03-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

Check out my girl !! Yep , she is riding her cutest bike ever with NO training wheels. She already does " stunts" by jumping of the curb and can stand up while riding. She's just awesome. Happy one week before your bithday girlie. We love you !!

Tyson's big day at the Sharks Tank

2009-02-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Tyson's hockey team was chosen to play a scrimmage game during the first intermission of the Sharks game today. He also was lucky enough to be chosen to be interviewed as the " future sharks player" where he answered some questions and had his picture displayed on the jumbo-tron as well. He was so excited and had a blast. We were all able to go to the game. The sharks won 3-1 against the Atlanta Thrashers. Tyson is # 11 with the white helmet on.

WHICH ONE DOESN'T BELONG

2009-02-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hmm....which one doesn't belong ?? The one with the beautiful, perfectly intact TEETH!! Yes, folks it finally happened. After about 29 years on the ice, Drew took a high stick to the face during a pick up hockey game and it happened. He lost one completley and half of the front one. I am having way to much fun taking care of my " hillbillie" man. His wonderful dentist ( Mark Mayer- You rock !!) dropped by a retainer with a fake tooth on it to hold him over until next week when he heads back to the oral surgeon for more work. Tomorrow we are headed the pro shop to pick up a new facemask for his helmet... you know, the one that we have been meaning to go buy but just havent had enough time.

Rocket Tooth

2009-02-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

We couldnt resist. It was jsut hanging there. About to fall out at any moment. So we went for it. Amber grabbed her floss, Dad grabbed his christmas present ( the nerf rocket launcher) and it was all over. It took 3 tries but we got it!! The funniest part was that we heard it hit the wall and all went looking for it. We thought we found it right away, but it was actually a peice of popcorn. Thank goodness Maria, the cleaning lady comes on monday

My own little macworld

2009-02-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

This is what I came downstairs to the other night. I have no idea what they were even looking at or do I even want to know, but nontheless I thought it was adorable.

LOCKS OF LOVE- 3rd edition

2009-02-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Three out of the four Phillips have donated to the Locks of Love. We waited and waited for her 3rd birthday before she got her first haircut but momma couldnt stand it anymore. We absolutley LOVE it and wished I would have done it sooner. Good job Amber, Dman and Ava. WE are so proud of you for your willingness to be so generous and helpful to those in need.

ITS OFFICIAL

2009-02-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have officially become a full time taxi driver for a dancer, soccer player and two hockey players. Yes, Tyson has because the latest Phillips to join the hockey madness. We are so excited that he has decided to be number 11. That makes my life as a hockey mom so much easier. They both had games this weekend in Roseville, -although they werent to exciting of games, the both boys made it to the scoresheet. Both for penalties !! Way to go boys. Way to make your Hockey Momma Proud !!

Tyson's 7th B-day

2009-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Wow- Tyson is already 7 !! Boy does time fly by. He had a rockin' party at SuperFranks. Of course he chose to have the Glow in the Dark Mini Golf party. It was great and the best part was that I wasnt in charge !! Superfranks rock- they take care of everything. We had two party hosts that kept all the kids having fun and under control. I have found our party place from now on !
Happy Birthday Ty !!

Our Fearless Leader and the dog

2008-11-23T18:09:00.001-08:00

Kronk got to come with us to Mt. Diablo yesterday. He was so good and had fun climbing the rocks. He ended up sitting on my lap in the front seat of the truck on the way up the mountain. I dont know what is wrong with my dog. He thinks he is still a baby. He may weigh 100 pounds and scare most of the people as we go for our neighborhood walks- but to him, he still thinks he's my little baby and I can carry him around everywhere. Oh Kronkie Pooh !! Oh and my real baby Ava- rules the rocks. She is such an awesome climber and just does her own thing while out there. I just stay in the back and try not to freak out.

Proper use of eating utensils

2008-11-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

During our saturday family lunch date Drew and I decided to have a "who has the best resturant manners" contest. The winner got to pick the treat for the day. Needless to say, Tyson was not the big winner. As soon as we set the rules- Tyson had his napkin unrolled and spoon on the nose !! I just want to say a big Thank You to Bob Jackson for teaching my child that talented skill. We got a big laugh over it and realized how much we miss our hockey family from last season.

Shasta July 4- October 11

2008-11-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to give Shasta a proper burial. We ttok her up to Mt. Diablo and help a memorial service for her/him.
Thank you Shasta for being such a wonderful pet!! We enjoyed every moment we had with you !!!

Update

2008-11-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

I think its been a while since I posted un update on our crazy busy family. Its been wild but a lot of fun lately.
Dman is a full blown " tweener". He spends all his time texting, listening to his mp3, acting way more mature than he really is and goofing off to much. The kid is always having fun. Sometime we have to remind him that we are his parents- not on of his " homies". He also has become the " babysitter". He is doing a great job at it. Drew and I have gone on 3 dates to the movie theater ( which is 4 mins from the house ) and he has done a great job. Dad has talked to him about being a good babysitter and not being mean to his siblings like he was when he had to babysit. So far so good. Of course I text him every 10 minutes to check in and he is always sweet and reassures me then says " go enjoy your quiet time with daddy we love you". I have saved that text and read it often....

Amber is taking a hip hop class and the dance studio by our house and she LOVES it. We can be anywhere and she will bust a move. We get some weird looks from the " snooty's" out here in blackhawk when she start to pop and lock it down the ailse at safeway. I just smile my proud momma smile. She got a new phone for her birthday so she has also become a texting queen. Thank goodness for verizon and our ulimited text plan !!

Tyson is tyson. He just finished a rocking soccer season. He hasnt decided if he likes to be called " beckham" or " ramses- the greatest luchadore of all time". His team did great and he will be joining them for indoor this season. He thinks he is a spy and sneaks up on us all the time. I caught him out of the corner of my eye while in the shower- do a james bond roll from one side of the hallway to the other- leave me a note that he wrote me- then roll right back and outta the room.

Ava is just stinking hilarious. We try so hard not to laugh especially when we should be disciplining her, but sometimes you just cant help it. Her prayers are so long and latley she has been asking to get help winning the games she plays with her siblings, especially bonoboly. yes, its monopoly but not in her language. At church a while back, of course loudly during sacrament meeting, she said " daddy look- you match that guy right there- you are both wearing white shirts with cupholders !!!

As for us old folks- we are having a blast hanging out with these creatures. Just taking it one day at a time and enjoying every one of them

Figi Anyone??

2008-11-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

I was surfing the blog world and checking in with some friends of ours who joked about moving to Figi due to the outcome of the election- I agreed sounds good to me !! Of course we're thinking of somewhere not so tropical. Canada of course- me and the beach got out voted for ice rinks on every corner !!

Watch out Canada- Here we come !!!

Halloween Pics

2008-11-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Tooth Fairy

2008-11-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

what an exciting week for Tyson !! He lost his 2 front bottom teeth this week. One on the way to school on tuesday morning and one on saturday night. He is so excited !! He woke up on wednesday morning with a % dollar bill under his pillow. Of course we went to target that very day to buy another light saber ( we now have 6 in the house). He was surprised to wake up this morning to another 5 dollar bill. Shopping will have to wait until monday but what are the chances that we are going to have another light saber added to our collection !!! Love you, Tyson

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Another great halloween has come and gone. We had a name tag, candy corn witch, bumblebee transformer and a cheerleader. Trunk or treat at church was a blast and we had our traditional trick or treat with the thompson's and pizza after. This year we went to a fabulous neighborhood that made me feel like we were at " wisteria lane". The neighborhood was beautiful, full of kids, and every house was decorated. It rained lightly but was not cold. We all agreed that this was the best halloween ever !!! We finished up the night at garlex pizza with the thompson's where suenn and I enjoyed watching all our cute kids in the costumes have a blast playing with each other and our men playing video games all night. I cant wait to do it again next year !!

With a pinecone, please

2008-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

This pinecone has been a part of our family for years now. It has moved 3 times with us and has been on several family vacations. It's Tyson's pinecone. He picked it out of a million others outside the condo in Tahoe. His pinecone lives on the desk in his room and is goes to school once a year when he is star of the week. Mr.Pinecone has been watching his back lately....

Little miss Avarie cracked us up at baskin robbins the other night.
Ava ( in her most valley girl voice while flipping her hair)asked for " um I want a scoop of the purple and pink ice cream with a pinecone please " The cute ice cream scooper went right along with it and asked her is she wanted a sugar or regular pinecone.

I promise Mr. Pinecone- I will protect you and keep you safe from Ava !!

This one is 4 you, Aubrey

2008-09-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am risking being in trouble with my man, but I could not help myself. Last winter Drew had a little adventure in our side yard that included the mustang and my excursion. Thank goodness Aubrey came to my rescue with her AAA card and giggles. Aubrey and I and the tow truck guy we cracking up the whole time while we were trying to get my truck out of the mud. Who would have figured that my big truck would get stuck in the mud trying to pull my little car out of the mud before it got stuck. Let me just tell you how embarrassing the phone conversation was with AAA.
Me: Hello, i need to get a tow service for my truck.
AAA: are you in a safe location?
Me: ummm yah
AAA: where is your car located??
Me: umm in my backyard.
AAA: is it near concrete??
Me: uummm... yah
AAA: how far away from the driveway?
Me: about a foot and a half..
AAA: should I even ask how it got stuck in your backyard so close to you driveway?
Me: Nope, please dont ask, ( then laughter on both ends of the phone)

Aubrey an I had such a blast trying to get this thing out off the mud. It was totally raining but we were out there with our cameras> I had to include the picture of the mustang. That baby still looks great !!

Well, Just Because.....

2008-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

How sweet is that !! Thank you to my awesome husband .... I love ya...

email address

2008-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

We have a new email address. For those of you who have our old one... our new one is the same its just @ att.net. Update your address books !!

Ava's Sunday

2008-07-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

I should have known when Ava woke up that she was going to be hot on her game today. She woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed first thing this morning and was going strong every since. The primary kids were taught by the young mens and young womens today. Ava had her teachers in stitches the whole time and check out the size of the flower that she got for me on their walk. The ym/yw were just cracking up when they brought Ava in to give me my flower. Later after church we were all relaxing watching tv when Ava came running around in her awesome get up !! You like it?? I tried so hard to get a picture of her in action but of course she smells a camera from a mile away and has to strike a pose.

Day at Lake Siskiyou

2008-07-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

Lake Siskiyou

2008-07-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

We spent one day at lake Siskiyou. I had forgotten how much the kids love the beach (the beach incident from last year- see old posts). We went to lake shasta but its basically a boating beach, Lake Shastina water is low, and Siskiyou has a great beach so thats were we went. Amber and Drew went out on the boat we got. They got pretty brave and went out as far as they could (to the ropes) and back. Tyson loves hanging on the beach playing in the sand. And Ava was on an extremly short leash and did fine. Drew and I hung out on the beach watching kids and relaxing. I actually got a tan...mission accomplished.

Kronk's 2nd Birthday

2008-07-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

It just so happens that Kronk's 2nd birthday is only a couple days after the the 4th so he got to spend the week with us at the lake. He did a great time. He is so big but he is still such a baby. My favorite picture is the one where is is hanging over the seat watching Dman play his gameboy. Happy Birthday Kronkie Donkie !!

More Shastina

2008-07-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at the lake but there were no fireworks on the 4th. With all the fires the area decied not to do any fireworks. This was the first year in our married life ( drew's whole life) that we did not watch fireworks. We have promised the kids that we would go to an A's came with firworks. We cant let a whole year go by without fireworks. We did have "sparklers" for the kids to do. There were the ugliest big flying bugs everywhere, so of course Drew decided to include them in our fourth of July celebration. The pictue is what the bug looked like the following morning. But we learned our lesson- you leave them alone- they'll leave you alone. For the rest of our week there we dealt with hundreds of these bugs, I am afraid that we killed there leader.

Golf at Lake Shastina

2008-07-13T17:26:00.001-07:00

What the Phillips have been up to...

2008-07-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, Its been a long time since I have sat down in front of the computer to update my blog. We have had so much craziness going on I dont know where to begin. We have been fortunate lately and have been able to enjoy some great time with each other. We have also been blessed with some great job opportunities as of late. One of the great perks of Drew's job is that they have a land development in Lake Shastina. So of course we had to go up there for the 4th and take care of some business. They have one fully furnished duplex for us to stay in whenever Drew needs to tend to any of the work needed up there. It is a gated complex on a golf course. The streets are paved so the kids got to have free rein of the neighborhood. They set up a cool track for their bikes and had a blast collecting stray golf balls.

We had some thrilling experiences with wildlife. We got there pretty late on thursday night, but friday morning when we woke up we found a cute little frog in the kitchen sink. We all were fascinated by the frog but decided to let it back into his natural habitat. Amber of course fell in love with the frog and wanted to keep it. We told her that if it came back she could keep the frog. Who knew that the stinkin' thing would hop right back into the house before we could even shut the door. Therefore, one hour long trip to petsmart later, Shasta our pet frog has a new home and now lives with us . We also experienced some playful foxes running on the course. A couple black and orange snakes trying to golf with us. And Ava was out on the bike course by herself when an 8 point buck and his family decided to cross right in front of her. Lets just say she cried, mom panicked and Dad rode dmans bike faster than it had ever gone.

Just a couple pics......

2008-06-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Dman had the opportunity to play for a summer tournament team in anaheim for memorial dayy weekend. It made ofr a great weekend for the family, and uick trip to disneyland and a much needed break from reality. He played great and had 8 points for the weekend.

Another father daughter Dance

2008-06-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

This time is was a hoe down. The achievement day girls put on a fahter daughter night. Dad and Amber had a great time. Thanks Paige for taking me to the "shed" to find Amber a swinging outfit !!

Howdy partner !!!

2008-06-02T17:10:00.001-07:00

One of the many uses of hockey tape

2008-06-02T16:34:00.001-07:00

We have this on going thing in our house that no matter what is broken- hoceky tape can fix it !! We have used hockey tape for several school projects and household repairs but I think Tyson has definetly found the best way to use hockey tape. Apparently he lost his laces so why not use hockey tape !!!

Ava's Big Day !!

2008-05-18T18:00:00.001-07:00

That's My GIRL !!!

2008-05-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the big day. The day we have all been waiting for, Ava's big performance. After months of dance classes every friday afternoon and weeks of watching the " annie" movie over and over she finally got to show us her stuff at her recital. The song was adorable- it started out as the sun will come out tomorrow ( hence the watching of annie) and ended with the hard knock life. Very cute. She was so excited all day and did a great job. I did just as I always do when I am so excited for my kids. I watch with tears filling my eyes. I have no idea if I am actually recording because I cant watch and record at the same time- plus my vision is blurred from the tears of happiness that are filling up. I think I got more excited that she did. This did also spark some interest in Amber as she has vowed never to dance again. She said she will do it as long as it is hip-hop and she gets a cool outfit. I think I might be in some trouble with her. As for my little dancer, she will continue to dance, were pink, and be a cheerleader. I have to have atleast one girlie girl !!!!

WANTED : MINI VAN !!!!

2008-05-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Just thought that I would throw it out there, If anyone out there has a spare mini van sitting in there garage or side yard and would like to lease it out ( for a small, really small fee) let me know. I can no longer afford to pick up or drop to school anymore. I love my big vehicle ( or presidential motorcade), I love that we all fit in it comfotablly. I love that we can fit all 3 hockey bags, soccer bag, and a weeks worth of our lives in the back, but I HATE the PRICE OF GAS !!! I can not belive how expensive it has become and that is exactly where all my money goes!! So check your garages and side yards for that spare mini van and give me a call- I will hitch a ride in a non gas gussling vehicle and gladly come pick it up.

Who is this kid??

2008-04-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

This kid showed up at our place last saturday. He claims that he is a Phillips. We have taken him in because he is just so dang cute- hopefully he is well behaved too !!

Can you believe it !! He finally cut his hair. It has been 2 long years. He promised us that he would cut it when his team made it to states and thank goodness they made it to states !!! He had over 10 inches and was able to join his sister in the donate to locks of love club.

Dman's photo shoot and more

2008-04-21T17:43:00.001-07:00

Lost but now I'm found

2008-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have no real excuse to why I have not blogged in forever, but I will try to be back more often. I have read through my posts and realized there is so much that you all are missing out on. We wnt to canada, froze our booties off, didnt win the championship but had a great time nontheless. Dmans team came in first place in the norcal season and went to playoffs- won- and went to san diego for state championships. Didnt win down there- those socal teams were able to pull it off and beat us. All games were close- a lot of tied games that went into over time. Amber's indoor soccer team went undefeated this session and ended up losing their championship game 5 to 6 . She is having a blast and loving it. On to Ty and Ava- what can I say. They are wild and drving me nuts the majority of the time. Ty is rockin in school and can and does play every sport possible. Ava has her dance rectial coming up. She is dancing to " annie- the sun will come out tomorrow." then it goes straightinto a "hard knock life" the jay z version. Its absolutley adorable. Lastly Drew and I are working hard keeping things going for us and are just trying to enjoy every minute that we can. We cant believe how fast time has gone by. I have tons of picture to posts so stay tuned.

Take your Pop to the Hop

2008-03-07T18:17:00.001-08:00

How cute is this. I did not have time to make a slide , so sorry for all the pics but this is adorable. Every year the school has a father daugther dance. Amber matched perfectly with the decor ( thanks grandma- awesome skirt).

Ava's 1st day of Primary

2008-01-11T13:28:00.001-08:00

catch up still...

2008-01-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

I have so much to catch up on but I am so focused on that, that I am falling behind on the current things. We are getting ready to leave for canada in a few days and I am getitng nervous. I am sure it will be great fun and the kids will at home will have great fun, but Boy am I stressed. I have been taking a lot of deep breaths and counting to 10. Tyson is turning six next week and he is getting excited about that. Me too- another year with no broken bones or major accidents, huge accomplishment for him. Tonight he is in for a huge surprise. We have hockey practice so all the boys on the team are throwing him a surprise party after practice. Some of the San Jose Shark players are coming out for a special event at the rink this afternoon and we ( yes, I am more excited about it than the kids are) get to hang out with them and get autographs and pics. !!!

I have definelty moved on to the next phase of my life, especially in the " church" world. Sunday was Ava's first day in primary. My baby is a Sunbeam. That means all 4 of my children are in primary and there are no more babies to take to nursery. I had a hard time at her blessing, knowing that she was my last baby to be blessed, but sunday was even more emotional for me. I am the secretary so I am in there with her, but when I heard he voice in singing time while I was in the back of the room, I completely fell apart. When did this happen? When did my baby grow up? It's not just her that has been bringing me to tears lately, dman has been to. He just keeps growing up in front of me and I cant accept it. Can you believe the first grandchild born will be starting middle school soon ?? Ok, deep breath ... count ot 10... I'm better now.

I am off to dance class and an eneving with the sharks....... saty tuned......

Ode to Amber

2008-01-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

Well, here she is, the Queen of the rubix cube. Atleast she is in our house. Last night she about popped a blood vessle with excitement when she got all of one color completed. This morning she accomplished another colr and within mnutes she had done another. Now we just have to work on getting all the colors done at the same time !! And yes, I verified, she did not remove the stickers !!

Tyson's performance

2008-01-05T18:01:00.002-08:00

Tyson's had an adorable thanksgiving show at school. They have been learning about the pilgrims and read a story called" the relative's came". So as a surpirse all the kindergarteners aprent and relatives knocked on the classroom door and " came" in just when they got to that part of the book. We all then went into the cafateria to watch the show. Thank you to our relatives who came !!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-05T18:01:00.001-08:00

Where have I been

2008-01-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

Wow, its been along time ! I cant say that I have been off doing exciteing things, but I can say that I have been busy. Since my last posts we have been woking like crazy, ate lots of turkey, played in 3 tournaments, several indoor soccer games, decorated for Christmas ( I love saying Christmas and not " holidays" ) indecorated for christmas and dealt with plenty of mud !!

Let's play catch up !!

Halloween was fun- we meet the Thompson's and loaded our bags with more candy than we could ever need. Dman was a referee, Tyson a pirate ( Jack Sparrow), Amber was sakajuea ( ??) pocahontas is easier to spell and ava was a fairy. I was so cute because Brayden was a pirate and Brynlee was a fairy. We topped the night off with some round table pizza- yum !!. NOvember was also very exciting for us. Thanksgiving was great as usual. A little different for us this year because Drew had to work. We is working like crazy these days between the hockey proshop- 2 rinks and coaching. Someday this market will come back and we can get back on our feet. The day after Thanksgiving Dman had a tournament in San Jose. And yes, our team,( I totally claim them because Drew is the coach, I am the manager and they rock !!) Won the whole tournament. They won 6 games in 4 days. With that win, it qualified them to play in the International Silver stick tournament in Sarnia, Canada. The is like the little league world series for hockey. So yes, we ( drew, Dman, and I) are heading to the freezing cold canada for some hockey. Dman is so ecxited. This is such a huge accomplishment and he got a passport !!!!!

Pumpkin Patch 2007

2007-10-28T17:45:00.001-07:00

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

We made it over to the Pumpkin Patch in livermore. We had a great time. The kids were not interested in the huge corn maze this year, they just wanted to hang out with all the farm animals and search through ALL the pumpkins to find the perfect one. I think that Ava went through about 12 before she found the perfect one or actually we made her keep the last one that she touched. All in all it was another sucessful year at the patch. The "bigs" did inform us that they want to go to the corn maze at night and without the little ones. Boy are they getting brave.

Ode to Dman

2007-10-24T14:50:00.001-07:00

I tried to get some updated pictures of D's hockey game but I cant get any good action shots. Mainly because I am the pscyho mom who is cheering from the stands and I cant take my eyes off the game long enough to mess with my camera.These are before the oakland vs. Tri valley game, and of course we won. Dman is such a great player. He has improved alot over the summer. The parents on the team have nicknamed him " scrappy" because he is the kid that will go fight for the puck in the corner and not care how many guys on the other team are diggin with him or how big they are. He may not be the one who scores all the goals but he is definetly the playmaker. His line can go out there and never get scored on and run that clock down. He can definetly tired the opponents out. Our officail season starts on saturday and believe it or not I am looking forward to it... GO BEARS !!!!

2007-10-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

I hope that I never have to say this again, but today I sent my baby off to war. Dman left this morning for Civil War Camp. They will be staying over night at Angel's Island. He is so excited. I was until I realized that he isn't at grandma's or over at a friends house. He is out on an island were it is going to be cold and dark. My mother instincts have kicked in and I want to go be with him. Dad actually signed up for the field trip but it is a lottery ( all the dads want to go on this one) . He was the 2nd alternate and therefore didnt get to go. Dman looks great in his outfit. They made up their unit name and made patches, flags, saches and little sachels. Each unit ( 4 kids) have to do a night watch shift. Dmans is from 12- 1 tonight. Let actually get to carry around muskets and patrol the island. I cant wait for him to get home and tell us all about it. He comes home tomorrow at noon. I'll have him blog his experience. Im sure that he will be tired and hungry.

Soldier Boy

2007-10-24T14:36:00.001-07:00

Ode to Avarie

2007-10-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

I could not help myself, I has to share these adorable pics of Ava. I go round and round with her at naptime. We both gave up on the idea and stopped fighting about it. But as you can see, I ended up winning !!!! I also added these pics from after our night at Libby lu. Ava had tons of fun and wanted to make sure I took a picture of her " krabby" hair. Anytime we have to fix her hair its because it looks " krabby".

Amber's 9th Birthday

2007-10-13T00:28:00.001-07:00

Oh what fun....

2007-10-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday was my Amby Girlie's 9th Birthday. We celebrated with a fun family dinner at none other than " Olive Garden". We all had a great time. We had lots of family there, awesome food ( never ending pasta bowls) and some ice cream cake. Friday night was her party with the " Girls" . We had pizza and then went to Libby LU to party harty !!! The girls were shy at first and did not want to dance, but we were able to convince them and they did the danced out in the mall before we left. Amber has 2 friends staying the night tonight. Either I am just used to all the hockey boys here or having a sleepover on a friday is much better than a saturday. The girls are so quiet and tired. I guess they have been up since 7 am to go to school. Anyhow, it has been alot of fun celebrating with her. Its still hard to watch my babies grow up. Thanks so much to Aunt Nelle and the girls, who hung out with us today and decorated the house soooo cute. Thanks to grandma and grandpa for everthing, all the help and the potato chips !!!
Sorry for the extremely long slide show....there were just to many cute pics !!

I love a good story.......

2007-10-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the last week or so have not been the best of my life. I have been a little overwelmed and stressed to say the least. I was staring off at my computer today checking on everyones blog's ( the only thing that I can do that wont talk back to me or cause me more drama ) and I came across Hilary ( williams ) and Tyler's. Not only is their son adorable but she posted this story. I love the way that the Holy Spirit works. I could not have read this story at any better point in my life. So, thank you Hilary for posting it and thank you to Kathy Vest, mother of 6 year old triplet boys,who wrote it. I don't think that you will know what an inpact it had on my day and outlook on my life......

I'm invisible. It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking " can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviosly not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner. I'm invisible.

Somedays I am a pair of hands, nothing more: can you fix this? can you tie this? can you open this? Somedays I am not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, what time is it? I'm a satellite guide to answer "what number is the disney channel?" I'm a car to order, "right around 5:30 please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated from college but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going, going, gone

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. She had just got back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing that I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package and said, " I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription, " to my friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees"

In the days ahead I would read the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who build the great catherdrals- we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man "why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it" and the workman replied, " because God sees"

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, " I see you. I see the sacrfices you make everyday, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no seguin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times my invisibilty feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidode to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the roght perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of those people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my child to tell his friends that they bring home from college for thanksgiving " My mom gets up at 4am and bakes homemade pies and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the table linens" That would mean I'd build a shrine or monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home, and then if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, " you're gonna love it there."

As mother's, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing i right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have build, but the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Tangles the Monkey

2007-09-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tyson was excited today afterschool because he got to take home " Tangles" the classroom mascot. Tangles goes home with someone everday for a sleepover. Tyson has patiently waited his turn, and today was his lucky day. Tangles comes with a basket and a journal to write about all the fun things you do with Tangles. Tyson made sure that they rode skateboards, ate mac-n-cheese and bananas for lunch, played at the park during Amber's soccer practice and had dinner at his favorite place other than TB- Primos Pizza. He is absolutely loving school. I worked in his classroom on monday. I didnt realize how long it has been since I have had a kindergartner. That is definetly my favorite school year. I love all the songs and art projects. Someday, Ty, when you are old enough to read this- Thank you for being such an awesome kid. I love your love and passion for everything!! ENJOY-

Cutest Thing Ever !!!!

2007-09-20T15:58:00.001-07:00

Halloween Costume

2007-09-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

OMG- (as Amber says) I could not resist this cutest fairy princess costume. We tried it on at the childrens place and she has been wearing it every since. She reminds me of the girl in the " bee song". We had to take pictures. By the time halloween comes, we will both probably be tired of the costume. I added some pictures of Dman. He is "chillin" after school and probably thankful that he doesn't have hockey practice tonight.

Tyson's Spy Kit

2007-09-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so Drew was helping the boys clean up and organize their room when he can across Tyson's lunch box. He used to keep all of his tech decks in there. Well look what we found inside. I used to think this kid was a superheroe, but maybe he is an international spy. Hmmm....Jason Bourne.......

Pictures from our day of firsts

2007-09-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

Day of First

2007-09-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, this was a busy weekend for the Phillips family. Friday was Ava's first dance class. She is doing jazz and tap. She had a great time. She loves it !! We may get tired of hearing her practice in her tap shoes on the wood floor, but hey, I love seeing her so happy.

Amber had her first soccer game on saturday morning. Her game was at 8 am and it was freezing. She plays for the strikers and is a midfielder and she rotates in as a defensemen. She did awesome and had fun with her fiends.She is # 69 GO STRIKERS !!!

Tyson's first game was later that day at 11am. It was soooo hot !!! It was hilarious watching 10- 5 year old boys chase the ball. They were so competetive. There was alot of pushing going on. Tyson made some awesome playings including taking the ball all the way down field and scoring a goal, to bad it was for the other team !!! We were yelling at him to turn around but he was to excited to stop.He is # 6
GO LIGHTSABERS!!

Dman had his second practice as a OAkland Bears Squirt A team. The boys all play well toether and we are expecting to have a rockin season. We did very well last year and made it to playoffs, so we definetly have high hopes for this season. D was excited to be back with all his friends and make some new ones. We also have 2 brand new sheets of ice ( a BIG deal to hockey players)to play on. One ever has our new bears logo on it. I got to practice late and did not get a picture of dman in his gear but I did get the new logo. GO BEARS !!!

2007-09-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

Although Drew and I were tired from our weekend we decided to take the kids to Santa Cruz for the day. As you can tell we had fun. The kids got to ride on some rides, eat corndogs and dip n dots, and of course the boys had to hit the " gnarlyest" skate park ever !!! The boys have become quite the "skaters". I think we have been to atleast 5 skateparks within 30 minutes of home. This was our first time heading over in the Santa Cruz/monterey direction since moving so we could not believe it only took us about 50 minutes!! All in all the day was good but we had a little drama at the beach. I told myself that I was not going to talk about it anymore, but with our recent ( and Im sure prompted by this ) trip to the temple I just cant keep my mind off of what happen and how thankful I am to have ALL my kids with me. We first started our day hangin out on the beach. Drew had boy patrol, the were skim and boogie boarding, and I had girl patrol, they were playing in the sand right in front of me. I was laying down watching the girls and trying to work on my horrible tan when a group of people walked by and blocked my view of the girls. I sat up a to see around the group when I noticed Ava was gone. My eyes were literally off of her for 5 seconds and she was gone. I immediatley got up and began calling her and looking around. I will save the horrible details of mine and Drews panic, but after about 10 minutes ( im not exaggerating ) the fire trucks, police, lifeguards, helicopter, and divers were all there getting ready to start a search for her when a mexican couple who were sitting by us and starting looking for her with us came walking up holding her hand. She said that she was looking for me and couldnt find me. She was standing by a lifeguard station crying when they saw her. some how, someway we ( ava and I ) must have passed each other in our search for each other. The other kids were just sitting on the beach crying and calling for her while Drew "dug" through the waves and I was running up and down the beach yelling for her. We were all emontionally drained and I think the kids may be permanetly scarred by this. We all spend about 20 minutes just crying and holding her on the beach then we began the talk about how thankful we were that Ava thought to go to the lifeguard station but we also went over other important things like dont walk off- stay with your siblings!!! It all happened so fast and I never want to relive or experience that again, but I cant help but thinking what I could of, should of done. There was one woman down about 2 lifeguard stations that when I asked her if she had seen my daughter she immediatley said that she would help me find her and that she would pray for her. After I held Ava for while I went to that woman and told her that Ava was safe. She immediatley thanked the Lord and hugged me. I know that she was not of the same faith, but that she had faith. Why didnt I think to pray? I was so lost and upset but I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I know that He would lead us to her and comfort her and us. I am so grateful for that woman who thought, who knew, to fall to her knees and pray to her Heavenly Father. Who knew that a fun trip to the beach would cause so many emontions in all of us and be a testimony builder for us. I can't begin to explain how thankful, grateful, blessed we are to be all together.

Monday in Santa Cruz

2007-09-05T23:40:00.001-07:00

Family Home Evening on Wednesday night

2007-09-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Drew called me this afternoon and asked if the kids and I could meet him at the temple and bring a picinic dinner. What a great idea that was. We were able to walk the grounds and go through the visitors center. We were all excited to see the Book of Mormon that was on display. It is a copy of one of these first ones. The kids were very interested in learning and were on their best behavior. We enjoyed our picinic dinner in my car and then headed out to the rink to watch dad's game. I will try to post the video we took of the game, but it wasnot his best performance. He broke 2 sticks in one game. All in all it was a great night and it is always a great feeling to be at the temple. I was able to remind myself how blessed we are to have a temple so close and it was wonderful to hear my kids tell me of all the great blessings that come from attending the temple.

Ode to Jennie

2007-09-05T23:17:00.001-07:00

Ode to Jennie

2007-09-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend ( labor day weekend)Drew and I went away for a much needed vacation. Well actually he was best man in cousin Rob's wedding and there was plenty of work involved, but we were without kids in the little but beautiful town of Murphy's. We absolutley loved the few days of sleeping in, eating our meals while they were hot not hearing " mom,mom, mom" every 2 minutes. Our darling Jennie, who has been our sitter for years was able to come from Rocklin to stay with the kids. They all had so much fun. The kids have missed not having her around so they could not wait for her to get here. I am so thankful for her. Its so nice to have someone who you can trust stay with your kids ( other than grammy, of course). I have put this slide together with pictures we took on sunday night and some from last time Jennie was with us. Thanks again Jennie !!!! We love ya !!!!

2007-08-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Beach Trip

2007-08-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

We had a fun round trip to Muir Beach last week. I love the area that I live in, but if I ever moved away it would have to be to the beach. my kids just love the beach and look like beach bums. They had fun running around chasing the waves and covering each other in sand. They did get in trouble for throwing sand ( thanks to Ava for starting it) and had to sit and watch the waves for a while.

First Day of School

2007-08-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

Well its finally here.... the first day of school. summer is offically over. It hasn't been toexciting but it was relaxing. Dman is the big man on campus- 5th grader- he went in as casually and calmly as ever. Nothing phases him. Amber was up and feeding the dog by 7am and was giggling with excitement the whole way there. Tyson was just as excited. I have been plesantly surprised that I made it throught the "kissing hand " last night and the leaving him in class today without any tears!!! Maybe because its my third time doing it- or its just Tyson, he is way to cool for tears. He came home with his classroom bookbag and a bag of goodies from his teacher. Amber came home with a reading assignment that of course she did the second she walked in the door. And Dman only had a paper for me to sign that I agree to the " NO" late homework policy. This should go over REAL well this year. He is excited to " rotate" tomorrow. They to that to get them prepared for middle school. So he will meet all 3 of his core teachers tomorrow. The year has started. We only had hockey practice on mondays so tonight is a light one. Dinner is in the crock and we are ready to go.................

Lov it, Love it !!!!

2007-08-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks Janelle, I love it . Its so cute. now I just have to get all my pics from my camera ready to go. This should keep me busy for a while.

The last man standing...

2007-08-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

Ok I may be posting this twice but yes, what you are seeing is real.. I, Jackie Phillips, have created a blog. And I did it all by myself( ok Janelle, I now need help with the header) I have given in, but I did hold out quite a long time, boy am I stubborn. With all the new and exciting thinks that the kiddos have going on this year, how could I not share them with you. Bear with me while I figure this thing out..