Giveaway Time

I'm hosting a Charles Emerson Designs giveaway over at Refresh and Repurpose!  Come check it out.  You won't be disappointed!

One Word Wednesday

Elfie

 Has

 Been

Causing

Trouble

 At

 Chez

Phillips

One Word Wednesday

FIRST

 HAIRCUT

 SANTA

 ANGEL

 LIFESAVER

as in...my mother is a lifesaver.  what would I do without her?!

Guess who's back...

Elfie's back.  Back again.  Elfie's back.  Tell a friend.

Our Elf on the Shelf is back.  And better than ever, I must admit.  This year he got a calendar so I'm not trying to think of something creative to do with him at the last minute.  By last minute, I mean running down the stairs when I hear the pitter patter of little feet in the am to throw the elf in some crazy place, that will keep me on the mom of the year list...(in the eyes of my littles, which is the only place I care if I am mom of the year!)

Last year Elfie had some good clean fun.  Good clean fun that I didn't have to spend too much time cleaning up.  I had two kids, one hairy dog, and I was 34+ weeks pregnant.  I didn't need to clean up after anyone else!

This year, I still don't want to clean up after Elf.  I also don't want Elfie to hang out on the light for 3 days because "he must like the view".  So I made a calendar.  Nothing strenuous and nothing I haven't see before (thankyoupinterest), but it's all spelled out.  This also helps the hubs join in on the "fun"!  I'm sure he goes to work and talks Elfie with his friends, like I used to with mine.

Here are a few of Elfie circa Christmas 2011:

If it's yellow green let it mellow?  Gross Elfie.

Someone's going to have a belly ache

Everyone Should believe in something.  I believe I'll go fishing.  Elfie agrees Henry David.

Bubble bath time

Elfie likes to read

Farmer Elfie

Snow Elfie

Come on & take a free ride

If you need a little help with your elf adventures here is our 2012 calendar!  Click on it to enlarge!

Enjoy your holiday season, I will check in when I can.  We are going to enjoy seeing the end of 2012.  It's thrown us some curves, but we are excited to see what 2013 brings us!

One Word Wednesday

Thankful

One Word Wednesday

Halloween

Thoughts on Three

Like every parent I think I was forwarded Glennon Meltons Huffington Post article Don't Carpe Diem. I read it. I laughed. I cried. And then I thought about it. And what I thought she really meant.

Then I read Emily's take on Jones Design Company. I laughed. I cried. And then I thought about it. And what I thought she really meant. This is not the first time a blogger that I read daily has come clean about how tough it is to be a mom. Emily is also pretty good at keeping it real. But as an outsider looking in, she still seems to have it all together and make you ask "Just how does she do it"?? It's nice to know that people we admire (she is a mom, a wife, a blogger, a designer, a friend, a sister, homeowner) still have to find a balance and struggle to do so. We are I am not alone.

Three. Wow! I have three children. Three beautiful and amazing children. Precious gifts from God. Chad and I always said we wanted three. Why? I have no idea where the number three came from. And everyone said, oh three sounds great until you have one. But once I had one, I wanted another, and I knew I would want another. We never once, NOT ONCE prayed for a specific gender. Our first, a boy, brought so much joy to our lives and the poor kid, was the guinea pig. Hopefully, we didn't mess him up too bad! I loved being a mom. I simply forgot what life was like before his arrival. Then we had boy #2. I couldn't believe I could love another child so much. I absolutely without a doubt, loved being a mom to boys. I loved seeing them interact. Loved seeing Q "take care" of his little brother. I loved watching B's face light up every single time Q walked into his line of sight.

Having another child was something we wanted for our family. Not to have a girl. I had no idea we would have a girl. A petite and pretty princess. Who I believe has brought as much love to her brothers lives as she has ours. They can't seem to get enough of her.

Of course we weren't trying for a girl. As if that is even possible. And, we weren't praying for one either. Quite frankly, I felt like we had the boy thing under control. Had a good thing going. Had LOTS of clothes! And because choosing a gender was not an option (yes, I do understand it can be done) I really hated it when complete strangers asked me if I was trying for a girl, ready for another boy, hoping I got girl, what am I going to do with three boys, etc etc. The absolute worst was at my six week post partum visit, the nurse asked me if I was so happy I finally got my girl?! Really? Of all places?! Glad my boys weren't with me!

I have a friend, a mom of three boys, that while on a walk shortly after delivery, a neighbor approached her. She thought the neighbor was going to take a look at her adorable new infant and congratulate her. What she actually did was say "Oh, I'm sorry you had another boy. I was hoping for you,that you would have a girl!

Why can't we just simply adore our children so much we want more than one? Or two? Or ten?

Then there is the Carpe Diem or don't. Thankfully, I have some really great mommy friends, who I can be real with and know that I am not alone. Even some of my not mommy friends understand, because they are either realist or they have honestly spent a day in my shoes.

Being a mom is tough. They challenge me and show me true love. However, this chapter I'm in right now is so short and I do, honestly try to soak up every minute. I didn't say I enjoyed every minute. I'm thinking those are the minutes when I will one day be able to look back and laugh. Or just tell my then grown children that my beautiful, amazing, talented, well rounded grandchild could not have possibly run from rack to rack through out Target screaming "Mommy can you see me? How about now?"

Then there is my beautiful seven week old. I can rock and rock and pat and pat and tickle and tickle and she won't wake up and won't burp. She sleeps through it all. Until I set her down. Then she is wide awake and nap time (or bed time) is over. During the day she wants to be held. She can't sit up yet, so being a part of everything means being held. Which means today, I emptied the washer and the dishwasher with one hand. But it's only for a short time.

As for the 4 year old, he likes to talk his brother into doing things he shouldn't. Then he likes to come tell me, what the other is doing wrong. I know this, because I hear him! He likes to "offer" B things he can't have. "B, let's go get some gum!". I know this, because I hear him! But it's only for a short time.

Oh father time. You go by so fast. How long my days seem, but how quickly a week seems to pass.

One Word Wednesday!

Happy

Birthday

Grandma

My funny Valentine

Happy Valentines Day!

Not my favorite holiday. Never has been. I don't know why. It just isn't. So I think it's funny that one of my favorite traditions is for valentines day!

Nine years ago today while living in Boston, my husband (then boyfriend) decided he was going to take me out to dinner in the north end. He made a reservation at a great Italian restaurant. (For all you Boston people reading, you'll have to give him a break, it was his first valentines in Boston, he had no idea what he was in for!) We got ready and headed out on the T to dinner. With 500,000 other people. It was FREEZING. The T was hot. The T was PACKED. Not my favorite way to travel on my least favorite holiday.

Source
We made it to the restaurant on time and waited patiently outside. And waited. Pretending to be ok with not being seated on time. While we waited patiently outside. Smiling. Trying to laugh. While we waited outside. Trying not to drool over everyones dinners from the windows, while our stomachs growled. While we waited. Outside. In the cold.

Snow
At 11pm we left the north end and headed back to our apartment. Hungry. On the hot T. At least now it wasn't crowded, going the opposite way of traffic! When we got back to Davis Square we headed around the corner for Chinese take out. We got back to our apartment, changed into comfy clothes and finally got to eat our romantic valentines day dinner.

Source
And here we are, valentines night 2012, eating Chinese take out as we have done every valentines for the past 9 years. This year as a family of five.

Wow, things sure have changed!

Source
Our fortunes tonight were:
Jennifer: You would make a good lawyer.
Q: You always bring others happiness.
B: The will of the people is the best law.
(They only gave us 3!)

Happy Valentines Day y'all!

Weekend Wrap Up

Or should I say weekend, week and weekend?
Two Thursdays ago Aunt Kelly came to visit!

She met Little Miss

Who wore her "My Auntie is a Fox" outfit

We celebrated Christmas

Had a photo shoot with a 6 week old

and her brothers

Got in lots of snugggles

Turned 35

Did Some reading

Lots of playing
Took pictures

Gave Hugs

Got Kisses

and was here while Little Miss and I stayed in the hospital. Thankfully it was a slow case of RSV and we were out of there within 24 hours! This happened to be a blessing. Chad got to stay for awhile with me and was there when we checked her in. Not the first time she has been in town for such an occasion!

This one I like to call "C.P. phone home". (Her fingers were too little for the pulse ox machine, so it went around her whole hand. It reminded me of E.T.)

A visit with Uncle Patrick

First snow of the year

Other than that we didn't actually do much. Hung out. Hung some pictures (now that we have been in this house for 4 months!)And we ate. And ate. And ate. And I got to sleep in. But not Aunt Kaaaay-Deeeee as she was called at 6:30 in the morning by a little boy with a pacifier stuck between his gritted teeth holding it in for dear life! She's such a good sport.

But now she is gone and we already miss her like crazy! See you soon!! XO