Monday, May 31, 2010

He's 41...

Fourty-One. 4-1. 41...

May 31, 1969 was a big day for Brenton Lynn Phillips.
May 31, 2010 was a relaxing day for Brenton Lynn Phillips.

We celebrated by going to beach! Yeah, we celebrate big around the Phillips house!

So, while at the beach, we went over to Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Linda's house for a little celebration -- to make it even better, they live on the water. SWEET. So, we ate. We visited. We played. We fished. We celebrated (with cake). We swam. We had a great time! Happy 41st Birthday to my sweet Brent (and to his Mama for giving birth to him -- it's a big day for her too)!

(I just love this picture. He was doing exactly what he loves to do!)

(Still doing what he loves to do!)

(And, now he has a little helper to help him do what he loves to do!)
(To be honest, not sure how much of a "helper" the little one was!)

(Yep, that's us...Perfectly Phillips!)

(Little Man getting in on the action!)

(Nothing like Daddy's kisses!)

(There's the birthday boy just chillin'!)
(Birthday Boy and the Mom that loves him so much!)

(Brent and Uncle Jimmy -- such amazing men!)

(Brent and Mike -- can you tell they used to aggravate the devil out of each other?)

(Me and my better half -- ignore the fishing pole!)

Yes, I know the hat looks stupid, but I'm getting older, so I'm allowed to look stupid every now and again.

What a great day...and even more fun days are ahead of us. Stay tuned. Cool pics coming your way!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be married to a 41-year-old man that acts like he's 18 (all the time),
Chasity

PS...He keeps life interesting. I think I'll keep him!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Two in One...

night on the last day of 1st Grade.

Peyton lost his first two teeth...WOW! After months of being asked, "When am I going to loose a tooth?" it finally happened. TWO IN ONE NIGHT. Of course, the two happened, because Brent pulled the WRONG tooth the first time (luckily it was ready to come out, just not quiet as ready as the RIGHT tooth)! We were actually kind of shocked that Peyton let Brent pull the second tooth, considering he got the wrong tooth the first time.

Of course, me being me, I tried to capture it all on camera (in between gagging at the site of watching Brent pull the tooth and seeing the blood). I wish I was like my friend Sarah and could handle the blood, etc..., but I can't so, I tried to get pictures1 without really looking at what I was aiming at...makes sense right?!

Here's the action:

(Brent and Peyton doing one of MANY test runs...)

(One last smile with ALL baby teeth in tact!)

(Wiggling it even more...)

(Wiggling it the other way!)

(Little Palmer had to get in on the action. But, it was around 10 p.m. so he was fading fast!)
BTW...they don't get to stay up that late every night, but since it was the last day of school, we let them stay up later than normal!

(Lil Bro getting in on the action...he can't stand it)

(This is it...it's time...)

(It's OUT!)
(He's an official SNAGGLETOOTH!)

(and then he ran to the sink to get the blood out...GROSS!)

(I totally missed the 2nd tooth coming out, as Brent put ice on the first tooth and it numbed it so much that he literally just wiggled the second tooth and it came right out...no blood. So this is the picture I got of the second tooth!)

(Thanks to Brent, apparently, if you lose 2 teeth in one night, the tooth fairy doubles the amount you get. Here's the math: 1 tooth = $2, so 1 tooth + 1 tooth = $4 x 2 (doubled for loosing 2 teeth in one night) = $8 from the tooth fairy - and he got a note:)

My baby isn't a baby anymore! His top 2 teeth are loose too...it won't be long now. I guess getting those Dina pictures done back in March was a really good idea!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have captured all of this on film (and to have had the cash at the right time when I needed it),
Chasity

PS...I never carry cash, but I've been keeping a $5 tucked away for this very night. YAY me for being prepared:)


Thursday, May 27, 2010

The End...

of Peyton's First Grade year as we know it...

I can't believe he's done. WOW! They grow up sooooo fast.

(Peyton and his best friend Cannon)


(Peyton and Mrs. Melin -- our teacher from Florida and fellow FSU Alum)

(Peyton and Ms. Cassie -- Whew don't know how they do it).

AND, he ended the year with all E's. Principal's list every 9 weeks (think Dean's list). Amazing how smart he is!

Bring on Summer...we're ready...

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have such a smart (and cute) kid,
Chasity

PS...I don't remember the last day of school being mass chaos, but apparently, it was. Not sure who ran out of the school faster...the kids or the teachers!


Time-Out...

Mama Kat's Writers Workshop subject for today:

Who are you giving a time-out to?

The answer: Me, Myself and I.

I'm taking a time-out for myself (before I lose it...really)!

April and May have sucked! Big time. SO GLAD THEY ARE OVER (almost).

So, since I'm placing myself in time-out, I get to choose where this timeout will take place...I choose: Destin! The beautiful snowy white sands and emerald green waters of Destin.



(see the Palm Trees...they're calling my name)

Of course, in order to get out of time-out, there are several things I'll need to do:

First, I have to pack a really large bottle of Coconut Rum and Strawberry Margarita Mix in order to enjoy a nice Cocorita on the beach (yep, that's my name for this homemade drink I've been drinking lately)!



Second, I have to see my Mom! Ok, I really NEED to see my Mom! She decided to leave me by myself for two weeks while she toured Alaska -- really, what was she thinking leaving me alone to have no one to vent to for two weeks.

(Me and Mom at the beach...)

Third, I have to give my Granddad a hug. He's had pneumonia (pair that with a really bad heart) and it scares me, so I want to go see him and give him a big hug.

(Us and my Granddad at Chris' wedding...he LOVES the beach!)

Fourth, I'm going to send my MIL, husband and boys off on a deep-sea excursion for about ummmm 7 days...ok, not really 7 days, but even just 1 day of lying on the beach, by myself, with no one around is a perfect time-out for me!

(I'll make sure to wave as they're leaving!)


Fifth, I'm going to live in my swimsuit (covered up by the cover up) and not do my hair or makeup for a week -- yahoo! Let the curls be curls...leaving the flat iron at home.

(WOW! This was the last picture I have of me wearing my hair curly in public -- 6 years ago!)


Lastly, I'm going to take the time to get my perspective back...remembering what really matters in life, what doesn't matter, and how truly blessed we are (this thought, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that I watched My Sister's Keeper last night)!

So, with that being said, let the time-out begin!
Chasity

PS...Anyone notice that every picture on here has something to do with the beach...I think my self-imposed time-out can't come soon enough!

Monday, May 24, 2010

It's Tough...

being a "girly girl" in an "all boy" world!

Tougher than I ever imagined.

Warning: there's a tiny pity party about to happen, so stop reading here if you don't want to join my party...but trust me, the party gets a whole lot better by the end!!!!

I must first say that until today, I've NEVER REALLY thought about all of this...

For whatever reason, today is the day that I realized just how tough it is being my "girly girl" self in my "all boy" world. All this thought process began because I'm trying to re-do my blogsite design with new colors, patterns, etc... and I'm torn. Torn between keeping MY blogsite (dedicated to my boys) somewhat girlish with a lot of boy OR just going all girly with a little bit of boy. Brown counts for boys, so throw in a little pink, orange, green and that makes it boyish right??

So this got me to thinking...about how it's tougher than I ever imagined.

People always tell me that I need to have a little girl because I'm such a girly girl. BUT, the truth is, I like being the only princess in the family -- not like I get treated like a princess (most days I feel like Cinderella before she met Prince Charming) -- but I'm the only princess nonetheless.

AND, I can't imagine not having boys. I can't imagine life without my little favorites! In fact, if I was told today with absolute 100% certainty that I could have a 3rd boy, I'd have a 3rd boy and never even think twice!

But today, for whatever reason, I want a little pink in my life...

Honestly, I knew I was in trouble the day I found out Peyton was a girl, then...a boy -- all within 15 minutes. Thoughts shifted from ballet pink to little boy blue. Then it hit me even more when my Mom and I went shopping for the first piece of baby clothing, only to realize 1/4 of the store was for boys, the other 3/4 of the store for girls. I chalked this up to "saving money."

When the boys were babies, I could get away with being a girly girl by dressing them in the cute smocked outfits, adorable little shirts with their names on them, footed jammies and matching little shorts sets. In fact, I used to tell Brent (whenever he would say something about their outfits), "I get them until they are 4. After that, they can wear polos and khaki's for the rest of their lives. For now, they're mine to dress them however cute I want." Then the day came that they REFUSED to let me dress them in "Bailey Boys" and oh good grief, I can't even remember the name of the store that literrally took thousands of dollars from me -- Strasburg (I actually had to google it to recall the name -- it's a sad day). Four years old came way too fast for me. I still struggle with the decision of what color polo I can dress them in to make our picture look cute. Shoot, these days, it's hard to get them in anything other than a t-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. Crocs are about the extent of cuteness -- heaven forbid they have to dress up in polos and khakis for church -- within five minutes of being home, they've ripped off those clothes and are right back in their play clothes. Even jammies aren't cute these days -- Sponge Bob and Star Wars...yay cuteness!

What I really need to know is how to get my boys in some pink??!!

It's tough not being able to buy cute $5 ribbon bows. It's tough not being able to buy super cute shoes. It's tough not being able to buy pretty little sundresses. It's tough not being able to buy the ADORABLE little Lilly Pulizer dresses. It's tough knowing that I'll never be able to buy flowers for a little ballerina for her recital, talk about how stupid boys are, help her get ready for cheerleading tryouts or write my "legacy" letter to my sorority when she's ready to go through rush. I think I'll just chalk all of this up to saving money:)

Instead, I'm a girly girl living in an all boy world -- baseball bats and gloves, karate uniforms, soccer shin guards and cleats. Monkey in the middle, wrestling matches, tickle fights, who can run the fastest races, who can burp the loudest or well, I'll let you guess what kind of competition comes next.

I'm sure if I had a girl, she'd be exactly opposite of a girly girl, knowing my luck!!!!

Cute swimsuits, piggy tails and tutus will all just have to go on existing without me buying a one of them -- again, saving money! For now, I'll just buy a new color polo and try to coordinate it with one of my super cute Lilly dresses (mental picture: me all dressed up in my Lilly dress sitting on one of the boys fighting with him to put on his matching polo shirt -- it happens!)

Pink madras, polka dots and paisleys will all just have to be worn by me. Stripes, camo and super heros are very much in my day-to-day world. Lush, floral pictures are replaced by hunting-shirt, farm pictures (see Dina pictures as an example).

Bottom line, the Lord knew I needed boys. He knew what he was doing when he gave me my favorites. He knew I needed to save money (so I can pay for dates later on down the road). He knew I needed to sweat while sitting out at baseball and soccer games. In fact, he knew I needed to have one in karate so I could work out while my little one is learning to beat up other kids.

The Lord knew drama would be too much for me. The Lord knew my life would be completely boring without boys in it. The Lord knew I would need to laugh more and let go of perfectionism. The Lord knew I would need the hugs and kisses of two little boys to keep me going each and every day. The Lord knew I wouldn't have time in the mornings to do my hair and the hair of a little girl.

Couch jumping, counter climbing, pillow fighting, leg sweeping, ball chasing, mud digging, dog loving, video game playing little boys is what the Lord decided I needed to have.

And I can still have my pink and eat it too:) Granted, they might have to wear a pink shirt every now and again!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have to be creative with color coordinating my blog page,
Chasity

PS...Which one (see below)...I can't decide...Imagine the Dina pictures paired up with this or if you like one of the other's I can color coordinate -- polos for the boys with something of mine:)











Sunday, May 23, 2010

Digital Scrapbooking at WiddlyTinks.com
Scrapbooking Ideas Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Dont's...

of soccer...

I took my camera to the Soccer fields in hope of getting some good photographs of Palmer playing Soccer. Not. Today.

Instead, I shifted the camera and caught (on memory card) Palmer demonstrating all the don'ts of Soccer...

Don't #1 (and this is a biggie)
Don't step on your teammate! It's not nice!

Don't #2
Don't be the one kid on the wrong end of the field...everyone else is at the other end.

Don't #3
Don't play in the net while you should be trying to kick a goal.

Don't #4
Don't do somersaults on the field during the game!

Don't #5
Don't pick the grass or flowers while the game is in play...you will get run over!

Yep, I think we might try football next! Baseball -- NO! Karate -- NO! Soccer -- Maybe NOT!

Football????

Truly Thankful and Beautifully Blessed to have a child that is able to do the "Don'ts" of Soccer,
Chasity

PS...Maybe we should try music!




Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day...

is supposed to be a day of love. kisses. hugs. relaxation. joy.

"Supposed to be" are the key words.

Not this day. Not today!

Brent gets a free pass on Valentine's Day, but after today's epic failures, I'm kind of sure he gets the idea that he (and the boys) do not get a free pass on Mother's Day.

Note to Brent -- giving me an unsigned Mother's Day card bought at Publix the day before Mother's Day does not count as "effort." Asking (instead of just doing) if he can cook me breakfast for Mother's Day when he has NEVER made breakfast in the 10 years we've been married does not count as "effort." Getting up at 7 a.m. with the boys and then going back to bed 30 minutes later after I've showered does not count as "effort."

I know I should be this Mom that just thoroughly enjoys my children no matter what, but today was the day when all they did was fight with each other, aggravate each other, complain about everything and just DRIVE ME INSANE. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY CHILDREN UNCONDITIONALLY, but what I've learned is that Mother's Day -- at the end of the day, is just like any other day when little boys are involved! Or, maybe I've done something wrong in the fact that my children don't respect this day for what it is "supposed to be." Oh wait, that's Brent's job to teach them about Mother's Day...I think he got the hint that next year, Mother's Day is not just an ordinary day. One day of the year when Mom's get singled out for all they do.

We won't remember these pictures as Mother's Day 2010 pictures. We'll remember these pictures as the "year my boys learned that they do not get a free pass on Mother's Day" pictures!





Ah, life! It teaches us lessons even on days we don't want to be taught lessons. But today, taught me so much. Taught Brent so much.

And even as a 35 year old, Mother's Day is just not the same when you can't be with your Mom. I would have given anything to go to lunch with her today!

I wouldn't trade being a Mom for ANYTHING in the world. I would, however, like to have a "power switch" for my boys!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to know that next year's Mother's Day will be AWESOME,
Chasity

PS...The best part of my day today was when Brent apologized for messing up today.