Philip Funnies XVIII

After spotting an ambulance on the road:
"Wait, is that the truck that has the band-aids?"

While digging in the dirt:
"I'm digging for golden!"

Talking about his swim instructor, Miss Jules.
"I think her first name is Miss."

Looking at the birds outside.
"The red ones are Cardinals. And the blue ones are called PJ's?"

Me: Miss Jules has an accent, I wonder what country she is from - maybe Australia.
Philip: Why would she teach here? Maybe she just wanted to go to another world to teach.

Looking at a cup full of carbonated beverage:
"And the bubbles are going up! Just like beer!"

While watching fireworks on TV:
"It looks like the whole world is on fire."
At the Natural History Museum, Philip was very interested in the exhibits about early humans. However, his reaction was: "They look disgusting."

Finding an animal hole in the sand on the beach:
"I think a fox lives in there."

Talking about how the baby will put his toys in her mouth.
"She will probably try to bite my spaceship, but it will be too hard for her, so she will just slime it."
"Did you know that Transformers are metal, Julia? Because Transformers are bigger than people. People are not metal. I know that because I'm the big guy."

Holding up a flashcard: "Exoskeleton"



"Ghostes (ghosts) are not real. Julia, I'll tell you what else is not real. Robots, dinosaurs, space, and monsters."
On a day we were going to the waterpark, I got ready with my hair pulled back, then sat on the couch to watch him play with his toys. Eventually he looked up at me and said:
"Mommy...is that you? You look different. I've never seen you look like that before.

Philip: I just saw an animal in the woods.
Me: Really? How cool! Do you know what kind of animal.
Philip: I'm not sure because it was far away. Maybe a reindeer...or a kangaroo.

"Do you remember the day our baby got married?" (baptized)

{this moment} 6 Months/First Meal

{this moment} A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Julia at Three

At three years old, Julia is:

Inquisitive

Funny

Quietly Defiant

Stubborn

Sweetness

Caring

Loving

Julia is all sugar and spice. Switching quickly from being sweet and loving to crazy.

She often walks on her tiptoes.

She plays happily with cars and baby dolls. She thinks Rescue Bots are cool, and loves anything princess. Oh, and she loooves play dough!

She is good at sharing.

She likes to go on errands with Andy or I and quietly daydreams in the car. Oftentimes she is so quiet that I double check she hasn't fallen asleep.

She likes to help cook and clean the house - especially cleaning windows, cabinets, and walls (not so much picking up toys).

She insists on choosing her own clothes each day.

She had her first haircut and first day of school this year.

If we are having something the kids like to eat during the day she asks that we save some for Daddy.

She is going through a fierce "Why" phase.

Her facial expressions tell you exactly what she is thinking.

She is a little Mommy, both to her dolls and her siblings.

She developed a beauty mark this year, but we already knew she was absolutely beautiful, inside and out! 

Julia's 3-Year Old Birthday 21 Questions

1. How old are you? 2

2. What is your favorite color? Green

3. What is your favorite toy? Trucks

4. What do you like to learn about? Books

5. What is your favorite TV show? Garfield and Let it Go (Frozen)

6. What is your favorite food? Peanut butter and jelly

7. What is your favorite game? Magnets

8. Where do you like to go? Target

9. What is your favorite animal? Stuffed animals

10. What is your favorite song? Let it Go

11. What is your favorite book? Let it Go book

12. Who is your best friend? Abby & Izzy

13. What makes you happy? Abby & Izzy

14. What do you like to do with your family? Target

15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play

16. What is your favorite holiday? Spring

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Stuffed animals

18. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pa-sketty

19. What was your favorite birthday gift? What is a birthday gift...my castle

20. What do you think about before you fall to sleep at night? Flowers and bugs

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? A big sister

Julia's Jokes VI

Andy: I'm going to eat your toes.

Julia: No! You can't eat my toes because they are decorative toes.

Philip: Julia, come upstairs with me!

Julia: I can't come upstairs because I'm pregnant!

While being a ringleader in a lot of mischief while Andy was out of town, I threatened to call Andy to tell him about the kid's behavior.

"Oh! Daddy will be delighted!"

After reading a book that said camels have very long eyelashes to protect their eyes from sand:

"Do you have super eyebrows? The kind that keeps the sand out of your eyes?"

"My teacher is going to love my awful dress!"

"Philip gave me crackers because I was as hungry as a goat...I was hungrier than a goat!"

"Mommy, don't steal our liberty, okay?"

Andy: This is your left foot.

Julia: No, that is not my foot. That is a skin bottom.

Me: Is it fun having a baby sister?

Julia: No, having a baby sister is not fun because there are alligators in our living room.

After getting our room all straightened up in advance of company arriving, the kids brought in their books and stacked them haphazardly on every flat surface in the room. Bringing me in to show me:

"Do you like it? Say thank you!"

Julia: Do fishies sometimes bite our legs?

Me: Sometimes they come up to take a nibble, just to see what we are.

Julia: To see if we are a bear?

Looking at her tongue in the mirror: "Oh, that is a fascinating tongue!"

"Philip, the sea urchins didn't spike me, buddy!"

"I don't want anymore milk. My belly's all soaking wet."

Catching Up: August

August was a whirlwind of activity. It always is, as we have a lot to celebrate in August, but this year was even bigger!

We took the kids to the water park one weekend. They had a blast! Philip was in swim lessons most of the summer and loved practicing his skills at the water park. Afterwards we went to a nearby boardwalk with a cute little beach and shopping area. We stopped into an old-fashioned candy store and everyone found a little something.

We went to our first/only baseball game of the summer - a minor league game. Philip had fun and may be ready for a MLB game - Julia isn't there quite yet! They had fun riding the merry-go-round and eating treats. We watched fireworks from our car before leaving (they still aren't fans of the noise).

Andy and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. We went out to a nice restaurant along a river overlooking Annapolis. It was a rainy night, so we weren't able to sit outside, but we still had a window seat with nice views of the bridge and downtown.

Philip wanted to visit Andy at work, so we found a day where we could go in for a visit. They were so proud to wear visitor badges. It was a nice day, so we ate outside in the courtyard. We visited the koi pond just as an employee was coming to give the fish their lunch. He gave the kids the food and they had a blast feeding them!

 

Andy's brother and family came up for several days for a visit. The cousins loved playing together. We all went to a bounce house place for Julia's birthday and one day visited the John Paul II Shrine in DC.

 

 

We celebrated Julia's 3rd birthday! She first asked for a Hello Kitty party, but after a few days, she changed it to a Let it Go (Frozen) party. She invited neighbors, her baby-sitter, one of Philip's friends, and of course the family we had in town. We made snow that the kids played with outside and she ordered "pa-sketty" for dinner.

 

We also celebrated my birthday. We had a little pre-celebration with the in-town family - pizza and cake. The following day, Andy took me out to dinner and the kids surprised me with gifts - so thoughtful!

Once that whirlwind ended, we had a week to get ready for school. We were assigned Philip's teachers, and they were kind enough to let us visit them one-on-one before school began. Philip was able to pick out his own cubby and check out the classroom without a lot of other kids around. That weekend, the school hosted a picnic for the Kindergartners. They did a scavenger hunt where the kids got to see the different classrooms they will be using throughout the school. We had a great lunch, and enjoyed meeting other parents and classmates.

 

 

Finally, Philip's first day of school arrived. You know that the first day of Kindergarten is hard on parents, but when it is you going through it - whoa! It may have been a little harder on me since Philip has always been home with me, except a couple hours several days a week last year for preschool. We were so proud of Philip! He went right to his classroom and desk, and didn't get clingy or act apprehensive at all.

 

All ready to bring Philip to school - and stay herself?

The first day was a half-day, so we went out to lunch afterwards. He had a good day at school and his only qualm was that "they didn't teach me how to read." That Friday on the way home, we were discussing how his friends had their first day of school that day. He said, "I hope they had fun at school. I had fun. I love school!" That was a big deal for a little guy who was apprehensive of going to school and concerned about having to go every day. We really like Philip's teachers and the school has a very welcoming and joyful atmosphere. We are so glad we chose this school for Philip this year!

 The kids took it hard when they realized that we were trapped in the parking lot 

until the teachers dismissed us the first day.

 

You send them to Kindergarten, and the next thing you know 

they are driving the family car!

Julia has been doing great with all the adjustments our new schedule brings. She usually asks to pick Philip up from school at about 10:00 in the morning.They became good buddies and playmates over the summer, so it is sad to see them split up during the day. However, I am enjoying having some time alone with my little girl this fall. Julia started wanting to wear dresses each day and she has one in particular that is her favorite and that she asks for nearly every day (see pics from Andy's office). She started drawing some pictures that are partially recognizable this summer (as long as she tells you what she has drawn, you can make it out). She regularly gets confused about what big/little or older/younger means. For example, she will often tell me that when I get bigger I will be able to wear her clothes. It is super cute to hear her view on things.

Philip has become super content with playing with his toys and can entertain himself for longer periods of time. He rarely asks to watch TV anymore, which is very welcome. It is too bad that as soon as he got easier to handle, I have to send him off to school! One of his favorite sayings is, "That's so rusty!"

Introducing

Cecilia Grace

7 lbs. 4 oz.

18 3/4 in.

 

 

She is absolutely perfect!

Philip at Five

At five years old, Philip is:

Artistic

A builder

Imaginative

Funny

A good playmate and big brother

A nature lover


A perfectionist

Fast

He loves knights, superheroes, Legos, dinosaurs and race cars.

This year he finally stopped raiding the pantry and now tells me when Julia is trying to sneak food.

He always surprises me with his sweet side. If I do something special for him, or get him a surprise, he will often tell me out of the blue, "Thank you for doing that for me. I really love it!" He also very sweetly gives me and Julia compliments about stuff I wouldn't think a little boy would pick up on - like my hair or clothing. He doesn't say I love you much, but I cherish these little sweeties that he gives me.

Wish I could bottle that sweetness

Over the past year, Philip has grown more independent and confident.

For the first time, he is interested in picking his own clothes and (usually) gets changed independently.

Probably the biggest change in Philip over the past year has been his social development.

He started preschool and had a great time. Despite being very slow to warm up, I was proud of how he did at school. He participated in the things he felt comfortable with and tried new things throughout the year. I have a very stubborn little boy. He told us he was going to "be quiet" at school and he found a way to communicate with friends and teachers without using words. Now according to his teachers, he wasn't necessarily always quiet - he made lots of happy noises and laughed a lot, but he stuck to his guns about not speaking in the classroom.

Having a little guy that is so very slow to warm up has its challenges, but it also helps us to celebrate each small accomplishment. When he plays with a friend without us being by his side, raises his hand in response to a question at storytime, or nods when an adult asks him a question, Andy and I quietly celebrate. He is making lots of progress - the change in him over the past year has been wonderful to watch and I know he is on his way now!

Friendships are playing a bigger role in his life. I love that he calls his classmates and neighbors, "the friends." He is finally to the point that he will usually run off to play with his buddies during playdates without insisting that Andy or I go with him. He also wants to invite pretty much any kid we meet over to our house to play.

He has started talking to adults who he feels very comfortable with - mainly family members and a couple neighbors. At the beach this summer he was okay sitting at the dinner table with cousins, aunts and uncles, even when Andy and I were busy doing other things.

His temperament has changed a lot, too. This little guy definitely gave me a run for my money from the day he was born through the preschool years. As he progressed from the early 4's to the older 4's, he mellowed out and now he is usually a breeze to take care of. He still has his meltdowns, but much less frequently.

He has started to play independently. I am amazed at how quickly he transitioned from needing lots of hands-on attention and ideas for entertainment, to playing quietly and happily with his toys for long periods of time (15 minutes is considered long at this point). Sure makes my life easier!

His art skills really took off this year. He went from scribbling to making his first drawings, to coloring in the lines, to now making more elaborate drawings.  His teachers always complimented him on the time he took with his artwork. They said he did quite well and had a much longer attention-span for it than most boys his age. These days he loves to draw and color. He will happily spend an hour or two after school just doing artwork - it is amazing.

Philip loves to learn about dinosaurs. Each time we go to the library, he heads to the nonfiction section to pick up some books on dinosaurs. My library bag gets really full, really fast!

When I first found out I was having a boy, I was very nervous about how I would handle one. I grew up with just one older sister, so having a little boy was very foreign to me. I feel like as he has grown, we have hit all the major little boy interests. At one he loved balls, at two - cars, at three - construction equipment, at four - race cars, and at five - superheroes. I have loved going through all these stages with him and learning new things along the way. I'm sure I have much more to come. Little boys are so much fun and my little boy is perfect for our family!

Philip's 5-Year Old Birthday 21 Questions

1. How old are you? 5
2. What is your favorite color? Blue
3. What is your favorite toy? Space Guys
4. What do you like to learn about? Space
5. What is your favorite TV show? Rescue Bots
6. What is your favorite food? Stuffed Shells
7. What is your favorite game? Angry Birds
8. Where do you like to go? Abby & Izzy's house
9. What is your favorite animal? I like tigers.
10. What is your favorite song? Spiderman and Tumeni Notes
11. What is your favorite book? Dinosaurs
12. Who is your best friend? Abby & Izzy
13. What makes you happy? Spiderman and catching fishies
14. What do you like to do with your family? Play
15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run around
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Bunnies
19. What was your favorite birthday gift? All of them
20. What do you think about before you fall to sleep at night? Dreams and stories
21. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't want to be anything. I just want to be a person. I want to be a great biker.