Happy Birthday Phillie!!!

We had a blast celebrating Phillie's birthday (Nov. 12th) this year! We celebrated multiple times, starting with our visit to Oklahoma, where we smashed a couple cakes and opened a few presents. Followed by a lifegroup party, complete with Mommy-made Superman cupcakes with P2's little-people friends. Finally, we had a serious, throw-down, mega party at Ma Maw and Pa Paw's house with the family and a few more friends and little ones. Here are some photos of the fun!

it's almost here...the 1st birthday!

Amazing, but true, Phillie's 1st birthday is just a few weeks away! I can't believe my baby boy is almost one year old! They say time flies, but MYLANTA!(my favorite exclamation as of late), where does the time go? We're going with a Superman theme. I guess I'll work out the details here in the next week or two. It's all just for the adults anyway! Phillie would much prefer playing with a box or the dog's toys. I wonder if he will even like Superman down the road. Probably, if his Daddy has anything to do with it. When Phil Sr. was a kid, you could see him on any given grocery trip wearing a costume of some sort. So, if you live in Central Ohio and you see a kid wearing a cape with a giant "P" on the back, it just might be me and my little man :)

Autumn

It's a quiet, rainy Sunday and everyone else in the house is napping except me. Although the calendar says it's still Summer for a bit longer, I can smell Autumn in the air. I was in the kitchen making apple sauce for Phillie and I looked out the window just in time to catch a leaf falling off our River Birch tree. It was as if Fall was happening right before my eyes. It's so amazing to watch the transition of God's creation from shades of green to a wide spectrum of vibrant color! I snapped this picture of the tree and the bright red burning bushes below it. The next few weeks will be like a beautiful painting, constantly evolving, of trees and bushes giving us one last burst of life before they slumber for Winter. I love this time of year in Ohio. It's something I never really got to experience in Oklahoma, where you go straight from Summer into Winter, all at a Friday night football game.

snaps

Here are some recent snapshots of Phillip Jr.

fond memories of my housekeeper

Ahh...I remember the blissful days of yore when we could afford to employ a housekeeper. It was simply divine...arriving home from work to a lemon-scented, dust-free paradise. Now that I'm a SAHM and operating a home on one income, we can no longer afford this luxury. I really don't mind cleaning my house, in fact, I rather enjoy it. However, there's just something so decadent about having someone else clean it and to be able to plop down on the sofa and relax, knowing your home is neat and tidy.

I think a bulk of the fondness for that time stems from the now-impossible task of KEEPING my house clean. Nearly impossible, I should say, with a crawling baby leaving a trail of toys wherever he goes. Now, I suppose, it's a different standard of "clean." My home can be technically clean, yet messy at the same time, you see. C'est la vie.

in with the new

MUCH has happened since I last updated this blog!! I have a SON! Phillip Jr. was born November 12, 2008! Yippee!! ...and I'm a few years older and wiser. In the days ahead I plan to upload some pictures and blow the dust off this old blog so we can get back up to speed.

Here's Phillie brand new in the hospital, all 7 pounds and 1 ounce of him completely adorable!










Here he is at 6 weeks!













Daddy and Phillie at Children's for his 2nd steroid injection. This was just before he hit 6 mos. This procedure was done on his right eyelid where he had a Hemangioma. This is a blood vessel cluster that was actually in his eyelid. Praise God, the injections were a success and the Hemangioma is now barely noticeable. We're praying and believing his vision will not be affected.





Here's a recent shot of Phillie, now almost 10 months! Time has flown by so quickly. Just looking through these pictures reminds me how precious each day is and how grateful I am to God for making me a Mom!