The Phillips Family

Just an update

2010-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has come and gone and here we are in February. Our Christmas was great. We had lots of family time, lots of good food, and lots to be thankful for. I don't know what Santa was thinking, but this year he left our family a dog. Not the kind I wanted, you know a stuffed animal that doesn't shed, or lick, or stink, or eat, or need to be walked. No, he left us a REAL one. And not just a real one, but a REAL BIG one. He is a 2 year old chocolate lab named Dakoda, and about the cutest thing you have ever seen. After a 2 week adjustment period for me, I decided I kind of liked him. He is amazing with the kids, and I find myself enjoying the nights when I take him out for a walk. He only has 1 downfall....he slobbers. I am a little OCD so I get sicked out by that stuff really easily. The kids also got new scooters, a zune player, clothes, chixos, and lots more fun stuff.

Our other big December event was the Nutcracker. How fun!! It was a little hectic to add rehearsals, and performances to an already crazy December, but VERY well worth it. Hannah and Bailey loved it and I was so proud of them. They get up on the stage and shine. They have no apprehensions about performing in front of hundreds of people. I love that about them. I am sure this will be a yearly tradition for the girls. Mountain West Ballet also does a spring recital but you have to be 8 or older to be in it so only Hannah could audition for this one. They are doing Cinderella. Hannah auditioned and got the part of "fairy attendant." There are 4 fairies (the 4 seasons) and they each have 4 fairy attendants but we don't know which season Hannah has yet. She was thrilled when we got online and found out her part. You might as well have told her she was Cinderella! She will have quite a bigger part than she had in Nutcracker so that will be fun to see her on stage more. Abby is also a good little dancer. This is her first year in ballet and she is adorable. You all know how big her personality is, so dancing and performing comes natural to her.

The kitchen is on the home stretch. Dustin has posted pics on facebook. It is not complete, we still need a backsplash, a pantry, the doors, and all the moldings and trims. I am SO ready to have no construction in this house. The kitchen is fabulous and I am so thankful that I have a hot carpenter for a hubby that can tackle something like this. It is safe to say we will NEVER move!

Things here are great. I am not the best at updates, and horrible at posting pics, so maybe the next post will just be pics of all these updates (if I can talk Dustin into doing that.) We are all happy and healthy and ready for summer.

The calm before the storm....

2009-11-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

I know, I know....it has been OVER a month since I have written. My problem is that I always feel like I need to add pictures to my post and that would entail actually downloading pics off the camera which would entail finding all the cords I would need, which would entail having a finished kitchen so I would know where everything is!!! Do you see my dilema? But there is a light at the end of the construction tunnel. Dustin is in the horribly messy project of mudding and taping and sanding. WOW...my kitchen table has an inch of dust on it. Needless to say, all of our meals have been eaten either in the living room, or downstairs. After the sanding and last coat of mud is done it is on to painting. This is going to be a project...we will be repainting the whole upstairs of our house. YIKES!!! Then we will be ready for our cabinets. I am so thrilled that I can hardly stand it.

So Hannah and Bailey are in the Nutcracker this year. So fun, and SO BUSY!!! I spent a while this morning updating my December calendar and it is scary. Starting the week after Thanksgiving is is "nutcracker-a-mania" for the Phillips. I do not know how we are going to fit in school and practices and performances and weekly dance lessons. But I am so excited for the girls. They have turned into such amazing dancers at such young ages, and they are so excited to be in a semi-professional ballet.

Thanksgiving is in a few days and knowing me I will not post until long after that :) so I wanted to take time to think about the things I am thankful for:

*A husband who works hard so I can be home with the girls. He is an amazing dad and hubby and handyman. When this kitchen is done, he is going to get a big smooch (maybe even more :)

*4 beautiful girls that amaze me everyday. They are good at school, help at home, have good friends, and add so much fun to our family.

*A home that we have tweeked to make it what we want. I love our neighborhood, our school, and everything about this house (other than the fact that I don't have a kitchen in it :)

*Friends that help us remember that life needs to have a lot of fun in it. We love playing, and love the friends we hang out with.

*Family! What would I do without my mom 5 min. down the road? Well I would not have anyone to get Abby to dance while I get the others from school, I would not have anyone to watch all 4 of them while I work at the dance studio, I would not have Wednesday night pizza night, or an amazing Sunday dinner. What fun would life be if I couldn't still beat my dad in Option, or get my behind kicked in Rage by my nephew? I love having family so close.

*My church. I have been known to complain about our callings, but I do love them. I am in the primary presidency which gives me the chance to see my kids during singing time...priceless. Dustin is in scouts and has been for 12 years, but with 4 girls he needs his testosterone. We have such good friends at church who are the first to step in if I need help with anything. Knowing I have a Heavenly Father who is with us all the time really helps me as a wife and mother.

My list could go on and on and on...but one of my blessings just woke up and is calling my name. Well actually, she is calling Bailey's name because that is what she says ALL DAY LONG. Everything is either "bailey" or "bay." She is a hoot. Have a great Thanksgiving and thank you for being a part of our lives. We are thankful for all of you!

One year ago...

2009-09-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

One year ago...I was in the hospital filling out paperwork, being hooked up to pitocin, and getting ready for labor. One year ago...I had my 4th beautiful baby girl after having my shortest labor. One year ago...my husband and I experienced the joy of holding a newborn angel and being in awe at our little miracle. One year ago...Sydney and I anxiously waited for 3 of the most excited sisters to come to the hospital for their first visit. One year ago...I nursed and snuggled and figured out how to add a little one to our crazy lives. Today I am watching my now 1 year old cruise around the house like she is 5 and drink her "big girl" milk out of a sippy cup. Today I am watching 3 amazing sisters still dote on Sydney as if she is new everyday. Some things change, but some still stay the same. Sydney Tess is my little angel and will always be my baby. Happy birthday baby....mommy loves you!

What have I done?

2009-09-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well after 5 years of living in a kitchen where you don't want to pass anyone other than your spouse because your going to rub against them, living with a kitchen where you can't open the oven all the way because it hits the fridge, so your get ready to get burned while taking out a pan of cookies, living with a kitchen where you sent the first fridge back because it didn't fit, and then getting the special more expensive counter top depth fridge delivered to only find out it doesn't fit either, living with a kitchen where your wife gave your brother in-law permission to cut the cabinet and counter top to fit that special expensive fridge, and then you have to go back and butcher them even more to force the fridge in the hole, living in a kitchen where after you butchered the cabinets and counter top to fit the fridge you still then have to jam the fridge in the hole, and then not be able to put molding back on the wall because the fridge door doesn't open when you do, living in a kitchen where opening the drawer next to the stove is like a puzzle -you can get it open after first opening the oven door and then pushing the drawer to the right to miss the burner knobs- living in a kitchen where you are in hurry to get something out of that same drawer and didn't realize that when you opened that drawer you accidentally hit the knob that turns on the lager gas burner just enough to cause a gas leak that goes all night until you wake up in the morning with a head ache and an explosive house, living in a kitchen where if your 4ft tall its nice because they only left you 12 inches between the counter top and upper cabinets so you have to do everything on the edge of the counter top WE ARE DONE!!! We have officially started the dreaded kitchen project. That is not to be confused with the basement project, laundry room project, backyard playground project, or family room project. But this is by far the messiest, craziest, most rewarding project of them all. Doesn't Erica have the best hubby in the world! I say yes!

First Day of School

2009-09-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

Well it is official now....I have to wake up to an alarm clock!!!! AHHHHH!!! Dustin can confirm the fact that I am NOT a morning person and I do NOT appreciate waking up to an alarm. But I do enjoy being back in a routine and having a schedule to follow. Hannah is in 3rd grade and loving it. She is such a good student and gets good grades. Bailey just started the big 1st grade and is having so much fun. I kind of worried about her having to get up early and being gone all day but she is doing great. She loves her teacher and has a lot of friends. We went to back to school night last week and both of their teachers just talked about how much they love the girls. Bailey's teacher told us that she tested Bailey on reading and she did not miss 1 word until the 4th grade level. She could read all day if I would let her. I am so proud of both of my girls. Now I am at home with just 2 kids. It is a little strange but I am keeping busy. I am the secretary of the pta and love being involved in all that school stuff. I hope the year continues to go well....even if I have to wake up to that dumb alarm!

Hannah picked out her new Snowbird shirt for the 1st day.

Alyssa and Audrey are 2 of Hannah's best friends that she goes to school with.

1st grade started the day after so this is Bailey's 1st day

Now Bailey gets to scooter like the big kids! Thank goodness for sisters!

Snowbird 2009

2009-09-07T14:14:00.001-07:00

Well I am a little behind, but I am finally getting some posting done. Dustin switched our blog so I have put off learning how to do this! So in August we had our annual trip to Snowbird. My kids count down for this every year. It is probably my most memorable and fun trip as a kid, and I think that is how our kids feel. Now that we have 4 kids, we have to take 2 cars. We cannot fit luggage and food and 6 people in 1 car anymore. We have a week that is filled with swimming, games, food (too much), and family. This year we gave our kids a little bit more freedom. We would let them go to the playground without us, but they all had to stay together. We even put Sydney to bed at night and put a movie in for me and my sisters kids and then we would head down to the hot tub. It was fun for all of us to have a little freedom. They have some kid activities that include painting shirts, bingo, games, hikes and a treasure hunt. Our kids love the lady that does those, her name is Sue and she is there every year. Sydney was just learning to walk so we took her little walker and she would walk all over the tennis courts and up and down the hall to my mom and dads condo. We never are ready to come home, but the kids are always excited to start school so that gives them something else to look forward too.

It's tough being 10 months old!

2009-08-06T08:32:00.001-07:00

Sydney has reached the big 10 month old mark, and has survived! Barely! I say this because as I type this entry she sits by me with many injuries. She has the left over bruise on her forehead from falling into my moms kitchen table last week, a scab on her head from tipping Hannah's bike over on herself 2 weeks ago, a bloody tongue from falling and biting it about 10 minutes ago, and 2 little sores on her foot from refusing to wear shoes and crawling on the cement outside. Now adding in the 3 older sisters who love to play with her and are not always gentle, it is quite amazing she is in one piece! She is the cutest little thing and I cannot imagine my life without her. She is almost walking (only adding to the bruises) and she can say dada, mama, nana (for her older sister Hannah who is her 2nd mom) and her newest word is hi. She says it in this high pitch, squeaky voice and if you say it back she smiles and says it again. She is a good sleeper at night, and a good napper in the day. She gets toted everywhere and never complains. She loves to play with her sisters and she loves to dance. Anytime music comes on she starts bopping up and down with the biggest smile on her face. I love Sydney so much and am so happy she is my baby, even if she has lots of bruises!

It's tough being 10 months old!

2009-08-06T02:32:00.001-07:00

[caption id="attachment_60" align="alignnone" width="460" caption="Bum Bum"][/caption]

Sydney has reached the big 10 month old mark, and has survived! Barely! I say this because as I type this entry she sits by me with many injuries. She has the left over bruise on her forehead from falling into my moms kitchen table last week, a scab on her head from tipping Hannah's bike over on herself 2 weeks ago, a bloody tongue from falling and biting it about 10 minutes ago, and 2 little sores on her foot from refusing to wear shoes and crawling on the cement outside. Now adding in the 3 older sisters who love to play with her and are not always gentle, it is quite amazing she is in one piece! She is the cutest little thing and I cannot imagine my life without her. She is almost walking (only adding to the bruises) and she can say dada, mama, nana (for her older sister Hannah who is her 2nd mom) and her newest word is hi. She says it in this high pitch, squeaky voice and if you say it back she smiles and says it again. She is a good sleeper at night, and a good napper in the day. She gets toted everywhere and never complains. She loves to play with her sisters and she loves to dance. Anytime music comes on she starts bopping up and down with the biggest smile on her face. I love Sydney so much and am so happy she is my baby, even if she has lots of bruises!

Family Pictures

2009-07-16T03:07:00.001-07:00

Family pictures this has to be one of my most dreaded things to do, but the reward is always worth the pain. This time around we took advantage of my cousin Angie and her skill behind the camera, and one of the prettyest gardens at Thanksgiving Point. Here are some pictures that we took.

Our four sweet girls

Hannah and Bailey's 2009 Dance Recital

2009-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

The big show that our girls practice all year for!

Both of our oldest girls Hannah, and Bailey take a ballet class and a tap class at the Linda Fenton Dance Studio, and every summer they have a large dance recital where the girls get to strut their stuff. This year the recital was held at Jordan High and our girls had some great support from our family and friends, and they just love being on the big stage. I hope you enjoy the slide show of the girls dancing.

Hannah and Bailey's 2009 Dance Recital

2009-07-07T03:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to me!!!

2009-05-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

I love mothers day. Any chance I get to receive a homemade card from my girls is exciting. Hannah and Bailey are old enough now that they put real thought in what they say, and really say things that are special. The girls put together a little bag for me that had new slippers, a little massager, foot rub lotion, and glitter nail polish. Very cute! Then to top it off, Dustin got me a gift card for an hour massage at message envy. Very relaxing! I love being a mother and I think (as every mom does) that I have the best kids and hubby in the world. They definitely keep me on my toes, but in a good way. Growing up, I never imagined I would be blessed with 4 girls, and now that I am here I would not have it any other way!!! I love being a mommy and love my little family. Happy mothers day to all my other mommy friends out there!!!

Happy Mothers Day to me!!!

2009-05-12T15:01:00.001-07:00

The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.......

2009-04-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an exciting week we have had! Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I love what it means to us and what we are celebrating. I also love getting the girls dressed up in their puffy dresses and bows, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the candy. On Saturday Dustin, Hannah, Bailey, and Abby went up Grantsville canyon to hang out with his family. (Sydney had an ear infection, sinus infection, and croup so we had to stay home.) They had an egg hunt, ate too much candy I'm sure, and did a dutch oven. That night after they got home we colored our easter eggs.

At our house, the Easter Bunny hides eggs and also their baskets, so the next morning they woke up excited for that. They each got a new placemat, Hannah and Bailey got new dance/school bags, Sydey got a little See 'N Say, and Abby got Hungry Hippos. Abby had wanted that game for a few days now, and when she found her basket on Easter morning and saw the game, ShE cRiEd ReAl TeArS!!! It was the CUTEST thing I had seen. The Easter Bunny definitely was a hit this year.

That afternoon we went to my mom and dads house and did an egg hunt with my sisters kids and had a nice ham dinner with my family. It was a really nice day.

The next day the girls and I were on our way to the zoo since mother nature decided to be nice and give us 1 nice day to play during spring break! We were driving and the kids were eating apples and all of a sudden Bailey yells that her tooth fell out and I laughed because I thought they were just joking...ever since Hannah started losing teeth it has been Bailey and Abby's joke to tell me they have a loose tooth.....so I thought this was a joke. I look in the rear view mirror and sure enough her bottom tooth had fallen out and she was gagging on blood. The tooth fairy came that night (although she almost got busted!) and Bailey got her first tooth fairy dollar! It went to school with her the next day to show off to her kindergarten class :)

I realized I had never done a post for this important day for Hannah. On March 28 she was baptized. It was such a neat day! She had been so worried about making sure her hair was pulled back so that it would not come out of the water because when I was baptized they had to do it twice because of my hair. So we got it all back into a bun and it stayed down...unfortunately her foot did not! So after all the hair worries, she had to do it twice anyway! She had so many friends and family there to support her....and after we had a big dinner at our house. She is an amazing girl and I am so proud of her!

The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.......

2009-04-15T04:17:00.001-07:00

I can't wait for summer.

2009-03-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

This last year I broke out my climbing gear and started climbing again, I found that my fat butt was not as good at climbing as I was about 6 years ago. The good thing that came out of getting back into climbing is that I actually came to the realization that I needed to get to a gym and lose some weight, and get into shape. I have been on a quest all winter to be able to climb like I did in the past, and maybe make some new goals like trying to run in a 5k and maybe something even bigger. So far I have been to the gym just about every weekday morning and my family has even gotten into the fun, Erica likes to take some fitness classes and the kids have liked going swimming and rock climbing on the indoor wall. Here is a fun video of Bailey climbing on the wall.

I can't wait for summer.

2009-03-25T16:01:00.001-07:00

MARCH MADNESS!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Well here it is...March! It is normally a busy month for us as 2 of our girls have birthdays...but this March takes the cake! I have not blogged for a while because of the craziness and I always think it is fun to have pictures to throw on, but for now this will be a picture free blog because who knows how long it will take me to get around to that. So this month (March 15) our oldest daughter Hannah turns 8! I feel like I just had her and should still be in our old house hanging out with my girlfriends and their new babies. But now all my girlfriends are scattered all over and we all have kids turning 8. So then on March 28 Bailey turns 6. She is so funny, such a good kid. It just so happens that Hannah will be baptized on March 28 and the cute thing is the girls are so excited about that. So as if 2 birthdays and 1 baptism are not enough, Hannah brought home a paper last thursday that said she is the VIP at school this week. Cool I thought, until I realized what that entaled. So this weekend was spent getting stuff to fill the estimation jar for school, printing pics to make a poster for school, and filling out a paper to read to the class. Not bad until you throw in that we also went to the Salt Lake Temple Saturday to take pictures of Hannah for her announcements for the baptism. So now throw in that I am making invitations for the baptism and trying to figure out the easiest, and least expensive dinner to do for everyone. Hannah has also been doing a Flat Stanley project which is way fun to do, but it is due on Tuesday so that is just one more project to throw into my crazy month I have termed March Madness! But....there is a silver lining...next month the hubby and I get an "adult only" trip. Yeah!!! We have not had one since the kids were born....did I mention the oldest is almost 8? So he is whisking me away to Vegas for a long weekend and we are seeing the Cirque De Soleil show "Mystere." I am so excited. Oh, did I also mention I have my first camp clinic this month?

MARCH MADNESS!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-08T17:10:00.001-07:00

And the addiction begins........

2009-02-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

So I just got done having a crash course of blogging by a bff. So now that I know all there is to know about blogging (well, not all...this was after all only my first lesson.....) I am trying out new things. The hubby just left for an overnight scout camp. They are sleeping in snow caves, boy does that sound fun! So my night will be spent taking the gang to a U of U gymnastics meet, then curling up in my bed with my abundance of pillows and watching some reality tv show. But until all that fun begins, I thought I would try and see if anything I just learned actually stuck! All I know is that I am impressing myself tremendously, and I am sure Dustin is very proud of me...just not admitting it!

And the addiction begins........

2009-02-20T09:36:00.001-08:00

A tribute to My best cousin

2009-01-11T21:12:00.001-08:00

Today I'm going to do a long awaited update to the blog. My favorite cousin Rachel has hassled me to the point of insanity on my facebook wall, because of this I will dedicate this post to her.

This is a picture of Rachel don't be fooled by the Mexican sombrero, and the margarita she speaks pretty good English and has absolutely no accent. But on a serious note Rachel is a great person, and is someone that I look up to.

A tribute to My best cousin

2009-01-11T15:12:00.001-08:00

Halloween

2008-11-01T19:24:00.001-07:00

This year we had some fun with carving pumpkins, trick or treating, seeing the kids the school parade or just getting into the season. This year Hannah just had to dress up as Hannah Montana, she got a wig and dressed up like a rock star and carried a Hannah Montana guitar. Bailey dressed up like Snow White she was able to use her outfit from her dance recital and she also wore a wig, but on Halloween night we sprayed her hair with some of that coloring in a can. Abby dressed up like a witch this year and was such a trooper when we went trick or treating. The only problem was that she has to stop, and look at every decoration and kid that she passed.

Halloween

2008-11-01T13:24:00.001-07:00