April and May with the Phillips

 

Hi everyone!  Here are some pictures of our activities over the last two months.  We've been having fun!

 

 

 

Nathan with his preschool set up at home with Mom while Kathryn is at her preschool.  Nathan was spelling the word lion but he had to add a "D- daddy" at the beginning and a "K- Kathryn" at the end.  This makes perfect sense because lion ends with "N - Nathan."  His favorite letters are N, K, K, D, M.

 

Nathan as a football player at the Redskins stadium where we went for the open stadium day.

 

Kathryn - our football girl!

 

Nathan climbing the tree in our backyard

 

Kathryn and Nathan with their book buddies from preschool.  We had two days of intense Winnie the Pooh and Tigger adventures while Kathryn and Nathan got to borrow these characters. 

 

Steen-bean happy at the park

 

the whole gang playing in the front room, probably while Mom is cooking :)

 

Dad and Steens

 

Mom, Nathan, Kristina, and Kathryn at the pool.   Dad was there but was the picture taker for this shot.

 

Nathan with both legs in one hole of his sport shorts.

 

Kathryn with the fairy princess from the Velveteen Rabbit - an excellent show we went and saw with her preschool group.

 

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Funny and sweet time...

 





Nathan talking about Mac and Cheese... "I don't like cheese!  I just like mac and."

Kathryn talking about Winnie the Pooh... "I love you forever and I'll never let you go.  Mom, can you write that down?"  (She knows I write down the sweet things they say so she lets me know if she thinks that something should get written down on the list.  :)

Nathan after "spying" a mailbox in the Eye Spy Game... "That's what we learned about in preschool.  And mail trucks!  And mail mans!  And slots!"

Kathryn: There's a golf field.
Mom: What's golf?
Kathryn: A game with a stick and little white ball and you hit the ball into a hole.
Mom: That's right.  Good job!
Kathryn: But how do you get the ball after you put int in the hold?  Isn't it 4-600 feet deep?  (This came from reading "Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor"

Nathan: Mom, can you pick up Steen so I don't kick her over?

Nathan: Is my toast done?
Mom: No, not yet.
Nathan: Mom, you are not right on!  (I always say "right on!" when they're doing a good job.)

Kathryn teaching us ASL at lunch and making up new signs...
Kathryn: Are you ready to sign "half new"?
Mom: What does "half new" mean?
Kathryn: It's the 2nd day of having something new.  Half new!

Nathan: When I'm older, can I go to the temple?

Kathryn: When I grow up , I'm not going to be a mom.
Mom: Oh, did you change your mind?
Kathryn: Yes, I want to be a mailman now.  Actually a mail carrier.
Mom: Oh, why is that?
Kathryn: Because then babies won't spit up on my clothes.

Mom: Ok, time for bed (at 1 hour past bedtime!)  You can ask all our questions tomorrow.
Kathryn: Mom, if I pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me remember my questions, He will?

After accidentally bonking Nathan's head while giving him a piggy back ride to bed...
Nathan: Mom, when I go to bed tomorrow, can you not bonk my head and shoulder?

On Sunday trying to encourage them to do Sabbath activities...
Nathan: Mom, can we play with my frisbee?
Mom:  Let's see... how can we make it a scripture game?
Nathan: By throwing it.  See, like this!

Kathryn:  If you brush your teeth, they'll be as shiny as a temple.

Talking about Kristina while pointing up to the sky...
Nathan: When she's bigger, bigger, bigger like a helicopter, then she can walk like me!"

After a morning of playing tackle football with Mom...
Nathan: I don't want to get tackled.  I just want to get a touchdown.  (And then later on...)  Now, let's just tackle!

Nathan: I know how to play rugby.  You just tackle!

Kathryn: I read my third book.
Mom: (shows the ASL sign for 3)
Kathryn: Oh, this is the planet we live on.
Mom: Earth, the 3rd planet from the sun?
Kathryn: Yep!

After looking through my church binder...
Kathryn: I was looking in your binder about the Marbles.  And they have 9-10 kids.  And they're texting to text!  (making sense of her world but how does someone have 9 to 10 kids?)

Hello everyone!!  Finally a new update from the Phillips family. 

Some of our latest pictures:

 

all the kids by the flowers at the Washington DC Temple

 

 

Kathryn riding on her new bike

 

 

 

Nathan trying pink shoes on at Payless

 

 

Kristina standing up on the cart at Target

 

 

 

Kristina playing with Nathan's ball

Here are some funny and sweet things that the kids have said over the last few months.  Enjoy!

Mom: Did you have lunch at the birthday party?
Kathryn: Yes, we definitely did but not healthy at all.  Well, we did have apples.
___________

Seeing the temple, Mom asked Kathryn, "Whose home is that?"
Kathryn: It's Mom's and Dad's and Jesus' home.
___________

Nathan: I love Heavenly Father.
Mom: Why?
Nathan: Because I really love to go to church.
___________

In Sacrament meeting, the speaker was talking about having faith as a mustard seed.
Nathan: They said "nursery" for Nay.
___________

Kathryn: I want to sit by the missionaries (at dinner) so I can love them and stuff.
___________

Out of the blue at lunch...
Kathryn: I know!  We can have my birthday party at Wal-Mart.
___________

When Mom closed the cupboard too hard...
Nathan: Try again Mom.
___________

Speaking to Paul while Kathryn and Nathan played...
Kathryn: Are you going to be the parent and make sure no one gets hurt?
___________

Pointing to a train engine in a book...
Mom: What's his job?
Nathan: To clean the cheese stick up.
_________

Don't you love kids!

Our visit to Grandma Jean and Grandpa Rick

We have had the great blessing of spending a little more than 2 weeks in California visiting Grandma Jean and Grandpa Rick.  What a treat to spend time with such wonderful people at this time in life.  I am so grateful!

Here is our trip in picture review:

Happy Valentines Day, Dad!

Steena and Nay Nay on the couch

Nay's Valentine gift from Grandma Jean - a LOT of suckers

Bonding with movie watching

Nay and Grandpa standing up to eat  :)

Kristina and Grandma became great friends

Kak and Nay drinking out of their milk flavor sticks 

(the new way to have strawberry or banana flavored milk)

Jelly Belly Factory 

Steen Bean in the laundry basket

Kristina practicing sliding on the floor

Nice Jelly Belly Factory hat

Enjoying wonderful maple bars!

Let the Jelly Belly tour begin

Nathan and Kathryn in a plane at the Air Force Museum

inside a World War 2 plane

WW2 helicopter

with our tour guide in a plane at the Air Force museum

Steen got worn out from the field trip

playground outside the Air Force museum - isn't that a cool rocket!

Kristina after eating her first waffle bite!!

Cute Bean with the monkey hat from Grandma Jean's fun hat box

Family Night skit: Kathryn is the man beaten up on the road; 

Grandma is the Good Samaritan giving her water

Family Night skit: Grandpa walking by and not helping (he's either the priest or the Levite here)

Kristina is the innkeeper where the Good Samaritan (Grandma) is taking the Jewish man who was hurt (Kathryn)

Nathan happy as a clam 

Grandpa with his two cute granddaughters

A long time in coming Phillips Family update

So is it still OK to send out our Christmas 2011 family pictures on April 2, 2012?  I just have to laugh at myself but that's what we're going to do anyway.  Why are we so far behind on this blog?  I would say the biggest reason was the morning sickness.  Yes, there is my creative way of announcing we are expecting again.  Hooray!  We're very excited - 1) that we get to have another child come join our family and 2)that my morning sickness is gone. 

We found out a bit ago that we will be having another little girl.  When the nurse told us it was a girl, Kathryn's response was, "I was sure hoping for that!"  It will be fun to have a new little personality in our home to add to the fun of Kathryn and Nathan.  Our due date is July 23rd.  We are really excited!

So here are our 2011 Christmas pictures.  :)

Here are Nathan's newest sounds:

cow, cat, dog, fish, snake, bear, truck

And these are the words he tries to say (usually the 1st syllable only):

milk, door, wall, ball, banana, book (all of these are basically the same "bu" sound), all done, wa-wa (it means water but it also means any other food on the table that he is hoping to eat)

Here are the latest Kathryn quotes:

Mom: "Good job using the potty."
Kathryn: "And good job, Mommy, helping me."

On our layover while traveling to CA to visit Grandma Jean and Grandpa Rick...
Kathryn: "Where are we Mom?"
Mom: "We're in Tucson."
Kathryn: "Oh, I think we're in 4-son."

At the end of a cold she had...
"Sometimes when you wake up in the morning, you cough weird because you have a... (struggling for the right word)... a scientist in your tumma.  It's like a processor moving food around in your tumma."

Mom: "When do people help you feel special?"
Kathryn: not quite sure how to answer
Mom: "Did people help you feel special in California?"
Kathryn: "Grandpa really did when he ate popsicles with me!"

When Kathryn and I went on a date and Nathan and Dad stayed at home...
Kathryn to Dad: "Don't forget to give Nathan kisses and love."

Johannia is one of Kathryn's baby dolls...
"Johannia is sick because she ate raw fish."

Coming out of her bed at night...
"I thought of the activity I could do if I stay in my bed."

After 1/2 hour of supposedly napping, she came out and said...
"Hey Mommy, I want to live with Jesus all of the life. What do I have to do to live with Him?"

What great kids these two are!!!

And finally, last but not least, this is the latest ultrasound picture of our coming littlest one!!

What a fun Christmas!

Christmas is always a fun time but we really lucked out this year.  We thought it would be just as here at home in Maryland celebrating with each other.  We were thrilled to find out that Grandma Jean and Grandpa Rick would be joining us for the holiday. And the special thing was that we got to be with them on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. What more could you ask for than Christmas with your family - from kids to grandparents!  It was a lot of fun. 

With Nathan being one, he had much more fun this year.  And of course, Kathryn loved all the fun little parts of Christmas.  Grandpa Rick had to remind us to set out cookies for Santa (although this year, Santa got yummy gluten free caramel corn and thanks-to-Uncle-Allen organic eggnog).  Kathryn patiently held out for presents until after early church and Paul helping out after the meetings.  With all the waiting, we spent a nice, peaceful two hours opening gifts.  With two kids, you can afford to put together toys right after they open them rather than wait until the end.  Grandma and Grandpa held out through it all.  It was great to have them here!

I loved having Christmas on Sunday this year.  I always want the focus of Christmas to be on Christ and with the holiday being truly on His day, it was much easier to think of Him.  We are so grateful for the miracle it is that we can all change and become better (and therefore happier) because of the strength He gives us.  He really is the best gift we all received this year.

I admit it - I think these are the 2 cutest little kids!

Kathryn reading her note back from Gluten-free Santa.

Kathryn and Grandma Jean (these two were pals!)

Kathryn and Grandpa Rick (sporting his Kathryn t-shirt)

Kathryn awaiting present time in her cute dress

the whole fam

getting in to the 2 hour present opening