Well, it has officially hit the Phillips household. It should be illegal, but it's not. It is only offered for a few weeks during the year and the best part...??? It's FREE! It's called CHRISTMAS CRACK! And, Sadie and Sawyer are on it EVERY DAY! All. Day. Long.
I love it!
They are definitely filled with the Christmas Spirit. This has been the BEST year so far with the kids. We have done lots of fun things. We have gone to the Rockettes, gone to see Christmas lights, gone to visit Santa, gone to a Shepherd's Breakfast at church, done several countdowns to Christmas, watched several hundred Christmas movies, talked about the birth of Jesus, talked about the importance of Christmas and giving, had several Christmas parties, and last but not least...we are looking SO forward to Sadie's very first Christmas program tomorrow morning!!!!! I remember going to Chance and Emma's programs at school when they were very little and I would almost cry every time, so I hope I don't embarass myself tomorrow!
We still have LOTS to look forward to this week. We are making cookies for Santa, making reindeer food, making LOTS of people food, and celebrating Christmas with ALL of our families! And, Dennis planned a special, AWESOME night for the 4 of us coming up on Thursday night. I. Can't. Wait. We haven't told the kids yet, b/c we fear the Christmas Crack will put them in rehab, but we are so excited! There are no husbands/daddies better than mine! He is the most unselfish, giving, loving, 34 year old kid that I've ever met! He took his small Christmas bonus this year and bought the kids a Christmas train set b/c he knew how much they would love it. And, they have. And, he planned this whole night for all of us on Thursday night that I am looking so forward to! (details to come)
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is Cocoa, our Elf on the Shelf. Although, I brought Cocoa out a little too early this year (whew!) we have so enjoyed him being a part of our family during this time of year. He has ziplined across the den, eaten cupcakes and hot chocolate, brought the kids letters to write to Santa, sat in Santa's lap, played in the fireplace, written on the mirror in the bathroom, been a snowman, and many other things. We're sure going to miss the little guy when he heads back to the North Pole this weekend.
Anyways, I hope everyone else is getting to experience the Christmas Crack this year! It's definitely a drug worth taking!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Christmas Heart
Christmastime is all about the heart. What you feel in the heart. What you let your heart lead you to do. What you let fill up your heart, etc.
Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Christmas has to be ALL about giving to others. I know what you're thinking..."wow, did she really just say that?"
Yep, I did.
The reason I say that is because I feel as though we should ALWAYS be giving to others. Don't just save it for Christmastime! If we would all give all year long, there maybe wouldn't be such a "need" during this time of year! And, if we all would find ways to give all year long, we wouldn't feel the "guilt to give" during this time of year.
People love to proclaim to everyone who will listen what they're doing to "help" others during Christmas. If you're letting the world know everything you are doing to help out others during Christmas, your heart is probably not in the right place to begin with and more than likely, you're not doing it for all of the right reasons.
We love to get our kids lots of goodies for Christmas! I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Now, if we never gave to the church, never helped anyone out, never gave money to help the orphans, or a single mom, or the homeless, etc., and we STILL showered only our kids with gifts at Christmas, I can see the problem. But, I don't think there is anything wrong with allowing your kiddos to have a good Christmas.
I know everyone's convictions are different. Some people desire for the praise of others. Some truly want recognition. I am not here to judge. I am only here to say that only God knows our hearts.
That's what having a "Christmas Heart" means to me. It means that I can do things that maybe nobody else knows about, but all that matters to me is that God smiles. I can do something for someone that my own husband doesn't even know about, but I don't need the praise from him. I simply do it because God leads my heart to do it and we are only called to be obedient.
So, for what it's worth, have a Christmas Heart this year. A heart that's not so focused on how much you're "supposed" to spend on someone, or how to make everything "even" between the kids/grandkids/parents, etc. Just do what your heart leads you to do! Give because you WANT to give. Not because you're "supposed to"! Let your heart be blessed!!!!!
Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Christmas has to be ALL about giving to others. I know what you're thinking..."wow, did she really just say that?"
Yep, I did.
The reason I say that is because I feel as though we should ALWAYS be giving to others. Don't just save it for Christmastime! If we would all give all year long, there maybe wouldn't be such a "need" during this time of year! And, if we all would find ways to give all year long, we wouldn't feel the "guilt to give" during this time of year.
People love to proclaim to everyone who will listen what they're doing to "help" others during Christmas. If you're letting the world know everything you are doing to help out others during Christmas, your heart is probably not in the right place to begin with and more than likely, you're not doing it for all of the right reasons.
We love to get our kids lots of goodies for Christmas! I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Now, if we never gave to the church, never helped anyone out, never gave money to help the orphans, or a single mom, or the homeless, etc., and we STILL showered only our kids with gifts at Christmas, I can see the problem. But, I don't think there is anything wrong with allowing your kiddos to have a good Christmas.
I know everyone's convictions are different. Some people desire for the praise of others. Some truly want recognition. I am not here to judge. I am only here to say that only God knows our hearts.
That's what having a "Christmas Heart" means to me. It means that I can do things that maybe nobody else knows about, but all that matters to me is that God smiles. I can do something for someone that my own husband doesn't even know about, but I don't need the praise from him. I simply do it because God leads my heart to do it and we are only called to be obedient.
So, for what it's worth, have a Christmas Heart this year. A heart that's not so focused on how much you're "supposed" to spend on someone, or how to make everything "even" between the kids/grandkids/parents, etc. Just do what your heart leads you to do! Give because you WANT to give. Not because you're "supposed to"! Let your heart be blessed!!!!!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Month of Thankfulness
As I read everyone's post on Facebook about what they are thankful for each day during the month of November, I find myself constantly reflecting on what I am thankful for, although I don't post it to Facebook. I often think that people get way too personal on Facebook. It's not just used as a "social networking" site anymore. Its not that I don't want to share with my friends what I am thankful for. It's just that sometimes I don't think that people are completely honest on Facebook and I like to go against the grain sometimes. I mean, of course we are all thankful for God, our family, our friends, etc. But, I find myself discovering that I am thankful for things that maybe aren't as obvious. But, they still make my heart scream with thanksgiving. For example...
-I am thankful that God whispers to me. I don't audibly HEAR God talking to me, but He definitely gives me gentle nudges (which I refer to as "whispers") all day, every day. It may be something small, like whispering for me to go and love on the kids. Or, it may be something large like whispering for me to step out on faith about something.
-I am thankful that my kids love each other. Ok, I know what you're thinking...blah, blah, blah. But, to me, it's so extra special that my kids love each other like they do. I constantly see them doing sweet things for each other. Sweet things that I don't think ALL siblings do for each other. Sadie takes care of Sawyer. Her little heart truly wants him to be okay in every situation. She rubs on his back if he's upset and she crawls up in the recliner with him while he does his breathing treatments so that he doesn't have to sit by himself. Sawyer loves to see Sadie's face light up when he goes and digs out an old favorite toy that she hasn't played with in a while and he hides it behind his back as to "surprise" her with it when he takes it to her. They love, love, love to play together. Even to the point that they will kick me out of the playroom just so that they can be alone together with their imaginations. I'm perfectly fine with that.
-I'm thankful for my family. But, even more than that general statement, I am thankful for my mom and dad. I am thankful that I have such close, different relationships with each of them. I am thankful that even though my parents are no longer "together", I can recollect memories of 18 years that I did have a complete family and for that, I am thankful. There are lots of kids whose parents get divorced when they are very young and they have no memories at all.
-I'm thankful for my children's health. Again, I know every parent is thankful for this. But, when I was pregnant with both of my kids, I went through times of numbing fear that something would be wrong with one of my kids. I am "that mom" that usually bursts into tears anytime I hear of another child that has cancer, passes away, etc. My kids are so healthy and so perfect and for that, I am thankful. I am thankful that, unlike many other parents, we don't have to take trips back and forth to the hospital, or keep up with medications every day.
-I'm thankful for Dennis. I'm thankful that I've loved him over half my life. I'm thankful that we have a HUGE history together and that I can barely remember life without him. I don't really have to worry that I will "find out something new" about him one day, because I pretty much know it all, and I am thankful for that certainty. He knows every detail of my past, and he is going to be in every detail of my future. I am thankful that he doesn't hound me about money. He lets me get my hair done, buy a shirt when I need some retail therapy, and go to dinner with my girlfriends without ever complaining. I am thankful that he loves our kids and he especially loves our little family. I am thankful that commitment actually means something to him and he doesn't take "marriage" lightly. I'm thankful that divorce is not an option with him.
Those are just a few things that my heart is thankful for. They might be a little different than what others perceive to be thankful for on Facebook. But, that's ok by me. I'm a lucky, lucky girl!
-I am thankful that God whispers to me. I don't audibly HEAR God talking to me, but He definitely gives me gentle nudges (which I refer to as "whispers") all day, every day. It may be something small, like whispering for me to go and love on the kids. Or, it may be something large like whispering for me to step out on faith about something.
-I am thankful that my kids love each other. Ok, I know what you're thinking...blah, blah, blah. But, to me, it's so extra special that my kids love each other like they do. I constantly see them doing sweet things for each other. Sweet things that I don't think ALL siblings do for each other. Sadie takes care of Sawyer. Her little heart truly wants him to be okay in every situation. She rubs on his back if he's upset and she crawls up in the recliner with him while he does his breathing treatments so that he doesn't have to sit by himself. Sawyer loves to see Sadie's face light up when he goes and digs out an old favorite toy that she hasn't played with in a while and he hides it behind his back as to "surprise" her with it when he takes it to her. They love, love, love to play together. Even to the point that they will kick me out of the playroom just so that they can be alone together with their imaginations. I'm perfectly fine with that.
-I'm thankful for my family. But, even more than that general statement, I am thankful for my mom and dad. I am thankful that I have such close, different relationships with each of them. I am thankful that even though my parents are no longer "together", I can recollect memories of 18 years that I did have a complete family and for that, I am thankful. There are lots of kids whose parents get divorced when they are very young and they have no memories at all.
-I'm thankful for my children's health. Again, I know every parent is thankful for this. But, when I was pregnant with both of my kids, I went through times of numbing fear that something would be wrong with one of my kids. I am "that mom" that usually bursts into tears anytime I hear of another child that has cancer, passes away, etc. My kids are so healthy and so perfect and for that, I am thankful. I am thankful that, unlike many other parents, we don't have to take trips back and forth to the hospital, or keep up with medications every day.
-I'm thankful for Dennis. I'm thankful that I've loved him over half my life. I'm thankful that we have a HUGE history together and that I can barely remember life without him. I don't really have to worry that I will "find out something new" about him one day, because I pretty much know it all, and I am thankful for that certainty. He knows every detail of my past, and he is going to be in every detail of my future. I am thankful that he doesn't hound me about money. He lets me get my hair done, buy a shirt when I need some retail therapy, and go to dinner with my girlfriends without ever complaining. I am thankful that he loves our kids and he especially loves our little family. I am thankful that commitment actually means something to him and he doesn't take "marriage" lightly. I'm thankful that divorce is not an option with him.
Those are just a few things that my heart is thankful for. They might be a little different than what others perceive to be thankful for on Facebook. But, that's ok by me. I'm a lucky, lucky girl!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Fall Break 2011
We had an extremely uneventful Fall Break this year. Luckily, for the most part, the weather was great. So, we had lots of time to play outside! By the end of the week though, I was going stir crazy!!! Dennis had already planned to take Sawyer to the farm all weekend, so I knew it was just going to be me and Sadie Jane for the weekend. At the VERY last minute, Dennis surprised me and told me that I could take Sadie somewhere for the weekend. I decided to try and plan a weekend trip for my mom and I to go to Chicago and take Sadie to the American Girl mega-store up there. But, it didn't work out, so we decided to go to Atlanta instead. Which, I love Atlanta and it has become a little like our 2nd home, so I was still real excited about it! Our main purpose was to get Rebecca's ears pierced and her hair done. I also booked us a late lunch at the American Girl Bistro, b/c it was so fun and delicious last time.
We left Friday afternoon and got there with just enough time to go into the store and have her ears pierced and hair done. Sadie was SO excited. It was precious. She was also a bit delirious b/c it was pretty late!
We went to have dinner at Fuddruckers. YUMMY! Then, since my mom is just like me, we went to the Cheesecake Factory and got Linda's Fudge Cake to go! We went back to the hotel and hung out for a bit and chowed down on our cake. Sadie was so tired that she put herself to bed after her bath.
We got up Saturday morning, got ready, and headed straight to the mall. We ate some breakfast and got some coffee at Starbucks and then went back to the American Girl Doll store. We shopped in the mall, shopped some more, shopped some more, and then went to the Bistro for lunch.
We headed home after our lunch. I had such a good time. There's nothing like spending time with your mom and your daughter. I couldn't ask for anything more!!!!!!
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