After the dust settled on Christmas, Aunt Kristi took Charlotte to get her nails done for the first time! ❤️ While I love my little boys, it was really fun to do something girly with my one and only niece! When given a choice of colors, she promptly said, ‘Rainbow!’ So we painted each nail a different color, enjoyed the time together….and then got donuts! Can’t wait to do it again!
Blog
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Girl Stuff
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What to do, what to do…..
Andrew and Teddy’s school was closed the week between Christmas and New Years which meant 10 wonderful days home together (only slight sarcasm there!). While most of the time was filled with family and friends, there was some downtime where mommy struggled a little to keep her boys entertained when it was too frigid to go outside. So we improvised! Pulling yoga pants from drawers became the coolest thing to do!
We did laps around the house for exercise!
And trips to Costco were an adventure!
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Merry Christmas from Merryland
It’s a PB&J Christmas! We had a great and busy 5 days at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. So much family, excitement, wrapping paper, toy cars, energetic children and love under one roof!
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Here Comes Santa Claus!
We signed up again for the annual fire station fundraiser! You provide the present and donation, and here comes Santa on a fire truck with the sirens a blazin’! Needless to say, for two little boys who love fire trucks and Santa BUT really love getting presents, this is a total hit! Andrew was a bit apprehensive of the big guy but certainly mustered the courage to get his present when his name was called.
Love our Hogan-Phillips family traditions! Now if we could only get everyone to look and smile at the camera at the same time…. #2018goals
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I just did the math….
They just sent out information about Kindergarten registration. In our school district you need to be 5 by October 1st to enroll. So….Andrew will start Kindergarten in the fall of 2020. And then therefore graduates in the class of 2033! 2033!!
How I feel learning this:
But then I remembered we’ll only have 1 daycare bill each month!
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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
…And if there were words to accompany these pictures they would be:
Andrew: Hey Teddy! Mommy got us all dressed up nice to visit Santa. And she really wants to take a picture. But let’s see how quickly she’ll get frustrated and want to throw the phone across the yard. I’m going to be serious.
Teddy: Cool! I’ll smile and be super cute!
Andrew: It’s working!
Teddy: I’m hamming it up big time and you won’t crack a smile, Andrew. She’s gonna blow!
Andrew: I’ll give her a half smile.
Teddy: Cool. I’ll look down now.
Andrew: Nice work.
Teddy: I think I saw a new gray hair.Together: Let’s practice NOT looking at the camera and NOT smiling at the same time.
Andrew: Have we practiced enough? Your ready for Santa little brother?
Teddy: I think so. Let’s go meet Santa and give mommy a photo to remember.
Mission accomplished. These boys have an amazing way of making me laugh, smile, cringe and cry all at the same time! And I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Merry Christmas from the Phillips brothers!
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Pageantry
The annual Palmer School holiday pageant….or the annual school event where Kristi stands up in front of all the other parents to sing ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas.’ [Note- Year 1: I sang with Andrew because he was a baby. Year 2: I sang with Andrew because he was crying. Year 3: Andrew was great but Teddy is a baby. Maybe next year I won’t have to perform?!]
Andrew’s toddler 2 class sang S-A-N-T-A (to the tune of BINGO), Jingle Bells and Dreidel Dreidel. While I don’t think Andrew will be asking to perform on Broadway anytime soon, he did great! I’m proud that he stood up there with his classmates and sang all of his songs without lifting up his shirt, crying, or picking his nose like some other kids.
And while Teddy isn’t able to sing just yet, he certainly looked pretty darn cute!
Merry Christmas!
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Andrew’s First Trip to the Dentist
Milestone! Andrew had his first (and long long overdue!) trip to the dentist. I took him to SmileWorks, a local dentist who specializes in kids. I was a little nervous about how he’d do but I am so proud to say he did AMAZING! He walked in, took off his coat and sat in the waiting room with his hands folded and waited his turn. He was a little reluctant to sit in the reclining chair but was willing to sit in an upright chair. Once the hygienist told him that her tools sounded like Lightning McQueen, he was hooked. He sat there, opened his mouth wide and let them clean his teeth, floss and do an exam with the dentist. Ka-chow!
He walked away with a Lightning McQueen toothbrush, a monster truck sticker, a balloon and a big cookie (pre-visit bribe from Mommy). He’s already asked when he can go back!
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Let it Snow!
The first snow of the winter! On Saturday about 3-5 inches of light, fluffy white stuff fell. Last year Andrew really never got much of a chance to play outside because of the new baby, his varied illnesses and a downright refusal to wear ANY sort of snow gear. But much to my total delight he put on his snow pants, boots, gloves and hat with (almost) no fuss! It probably helped that I lured him with the promise of ‘snow digging!’ The kid is a total sucker for anything that involves a dump truck or digger.
Andrew loved the snow and ‘making paths’, aka shoveling. The snow was so light that he could easily push it around with the kid-size snow shovel I found for him at the rummage sale last fall. He legitimately shoveled a big chunk of the driveway and I didn’t stop him one bit. It’s about time he pulls his weight around here!?
On Sunday once the snow stopped, Teddy and Daddy got in on the fun too. Teddy was skeptical at best of his first sled ride and the whole experience for that matter. And Daddy was pretty pleased with the snowman he built!
