HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY MAX!

7 years ago today, this sweet boy gave me the best gift ever... he made me a Mommy! I can't imagine our world without him. I get kind of sad thinking about how fast he is growing up, but I am so proud of everything he is learning and the adventure's he is having. I love that he is all boy, but has the most caring, tender heart. Happy Birthday Max, I hope you have the best day!

CrASh

Today Jake was heading home to get Max from school and was rear ended on Geneva Rd. It was one of those when your watching in your rear view mirror thinking OMG please stop, please stop..... well that lovely girl did not. The spare tire mounted on the back took most of it but the door is munched because of it so that is where most of the damage is and the bumper is bent. I guess when we take it in to be est for repair will tell more. Nothing like whiplash for Christmas!

If your happy and you know it????

I am so happy that we are all smiling when we walk out the door for church. And I can't say much I am usually the grumpiest.Why does the process have to be so difficult?By the time Max has a fit about combing his hair, putting on church clothes and wearing socks and real shoes. Kate melting down because it is her "fashion day" and she wants her hair in one big piggy not curls and she want to pick her outfit which never goes well. Good thing when we finally get there, attitudes change. Well stupid me, today I thought they looked cute and I would try to get a picture. Well, this is the best I could get today. You should see the others

The REAL Santa Claus!

This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions we have. At my Mom's school there is a "Santa" that works there and they have a little party and he comes for about an hour. It is really neat because he remembers the kids from year to year and little things about them. My kids get so excited for it. I love to capture their faces when he walks through the door. It is priceless. Kate could hardly contain herself. They sing songs, and each child gets some good quality time on his knee.

Santa just walked in!!!! They were both so excited.


Kate was picked to help ring the bells for Jingle Bells

So proud to hear Santa's praise of her fine bell ringing!

Kate was starting to have anxiety that Santa had forgot her. He picks their gifts out of his bag and Max and Kate's were at the bottom. When he called her name she ran up and hugged him.

It was so cute!

Max was so excited to see the REAL Santa. He would not go see Santa at the mall because the guy at the mall is a fake. The REAL Santa comes to Grandma's School. He did so great he almost remembered everything off his list. He only forgot Halo Lego's. He told me he gets kind of nervous sitting right there on Santa's knee.

Kate wants Polly Pocket Olphin(dolphin) and Princess and the frog. I think she was the only little one that really told Santa what she wanted. That girl is not shy.

Max got some new books, "Magic Tree House" books 1-4. And Kate got a Princess and the frog night gown. She nearly stripped on the spot to put it on. My camera died before I got a picture of her.
Here is Santa on his way out. He plays a game with the kids that they can't open their gifts until he counts to 4. Well he gets to 3 a whole bunch of times and then stops to tell stories or sing a song. He finally yells 4 as he is half way down the hall to leave. They love it!

P.S. Santa told us his favorite drink is Diet coke and snack is chocolate chip cookies.

I have so much to be Thankful for and I love this time of year because it makes you stop and reflect on it. We should all take a lesson from our children, I have been asking the kids each night for awhile what they are thankful for and it is usually the very simple things in life that we take for granted: Family, food, a warm house, friends and love. Kate was always thankful for food, and Max did have to throw in his Xbox too. But most nights it was our most precious things in life. I am also very grateful to be a mommy, a wife to a wonderful husband, and that Jake and I have good jobs to provide for our family.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner at house. We were able to have the great company of my parents, Jake's parents, Jake's sister Julie and nephew Braden, and my cousin Shaunna and her kids Brandie and Dillon.I feel so lucky to have both of our parents close to enjoy holidays with them.Jake always cooks a fabulous meal so we are all stuffed and then hung out and watched UP and enjoyed each others company. I am dumb and only took pictures of people eating, that is rude but oh well here they are.

Jake passed out from exhaustion

Kate loving that she has both Papa's in arms reach.

She has them both wrapped around her finger

Kate and Max running off there meal. I think I need to try that next year.

I love Thanksgiving and it is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Jake and I ended our holiday with our annual black Friday shopping, I have been a slug all day due to my lack of sleep. And now on to Christmas I can't wait!

Yeah! Today is my purple birthday and I get to go to Kangaroo Zoo and eat purple cake and have purple balloons and NO MOM you don't have to go to work it's your birthday....I ♥ my Kate! All week she has been telling me it is my birthday soon and she informed me it is today :) When your 3 anything is possible.

Carving pumpkins for Grandpa Sutch's Birthday

Field trips and fall fun

We are all still alive...

Tonight was the car show we were taking my Dad's car to, the Rib City Cruise Night. I got the car to and from safely, no incidents! It was not quite as nerve racking as the lesson, but I did keep checking the rear view mirror to see if he was following me to check up on me. It was a fun night, and the car won an award! Jake thinks we got robbed for the best costume award. We got a lot of complement's on the car, I told my Dad but I don't know if he believes me. People would stop and talk to Jake about the car and he would just agree with them. He needed a history lesson about the car before we went. At one point Max informed the guy that it was not Jake's car it was Ned's. Bob and Cindy were there all dressed up as skeletons, that is his truck next to the T-Bird. I do think Jake makes a pretty sweet Elvis! He was even bustin out some moves in the picture! Thanks for letting us take it Papa Ned!

Driving lessons...how old am I???

I had to write this down because it is so funny to me. My dad bought himself a new car this year, well a new old car. It is a Red 1959 Thunderbird convertible and it is fabulous! He has put every spare second this summer into replacing old parts and sprucing it up. It was in really good condition when he got it and he has put it in tip top condition.

OK so back to the driving lesson. Jake has wanted him to enter it in a car show but he says it is just his cruiser and won't. So Jake asked if we could take it to one this week and he somewhat agreed, Jake was hoping he would come but he said he would give me driving lesson so I can drive it. SHOCK! I have only rode in it once and Nan Nan Nana Jake ,I GET TO DRIVE IT! Well that is what I thought until the driving lesson and I had nightmares about driving it last night. I am the only girl and his baby but I fear for anything happening to that car and what the punishment might be.

So I get in the driver seat and he tells me about the mirrors, lights, park break, key switch, gear shift and how do manage all of these right. Next he tells me " YOU have to DRIVE this CAR, it is NOT like these new cars that DRIVE themselves... 2 HAND ON THE WHEEL AT ALL TIMES!!" Ok I am so nervous it is not even funny. We pull out on the road, I am checking my mirrors, the speedometer, 2 hands on the wheel. He tells me to change lanes so I can feel how it pulls to the cracks and breaks in the road. 2 hands he reminds me. Next he tells me now try out the breaks get used to them, so I push on the breaks and slowly slow down. We are now off the main road and again he tells me try try out the breaks, I start to slow down and he says NO SLAM on the BRAKES! So I do and he tells me see it's not like these new cars that just stop and do it for you, YOU have to DRIVE the CAR! He makes me take a U turn so I realize this does not turn on a dime its a boat. We get back to his shop, and park the car. He is never yelling at me or mad but man my heart was pounding and gut gurgling. WHAT the HELL has JAKE got me into????

My dad is the best and I am so glad to see him passionate about something for HIM! Thanks Dad I will treat it like my first born or a newborn... something!

I love Sunday afternoon naps........

I spy with my little eye

Max was eating breakfast this morning and spotted these deer right across the street at our neighbors house. He said there was 3 but by the time I made it out with the camera there were only 2. Too bad I did not have time to put on my zoom lens. Max was out with his binoculars trying to spot more.

Zing Zang Zoom...

We took the kids to the Circus on Saturday and had a lot of fun. It was Zing Zang Zoom and it was a magic show. They made an elephant disappear and made the bad clown turn into a tiger! Max thought the magic part was a lot of fun. Kate really liked the dog show and the kitty's(tigers).She thought the tigers wanted to eat their trainer. They both really liked all the acrobat's. The tight rope was right in front of us and they had a great view of it.

Jake bought the kids a $15 snow cone. I about died when Jake told me how much he had spent. And to top it off Max spilled more than half of it on the ground, I almost died laughing when he did it. I asked Jake how $15 dollars looked melting on the ground. It had these flashing lights at the bottom of the cup and Max would raise up his cup like a big stein of beer when something was cool in the show. Watch out college frat parties here come Max! Well those fancy flashing lights stopped working about 1 hour after the show ended, again me laughing at Jake.
Sorry honey!

Before the big show we were able to go down in the arena and meet some of the clowns and some were doing some of their acts.

And of course we needs some good lunch, we hit Happy Sumo at Gateway and enjoyed some good food. Max is getting quite handy with his chop sticks. He ate his entire meal with them. He is concentrating very hard in this picture. Sorry the pictures are not great we took are crappy little point and shoot camera.
Check these two out, they both want a hand on that fancy cup dad bought them!

Max's 1st love note~

I got home from work today and Max told me he had something bad happen at school today. Concerned and wondering if someone was mean to him at recess or he dropped his lunch tray, I ask him what happened? He tells me this girl in his class wrote him a note that said " I Love You !" and after he read it he tore it up! (he shows me how he wildly tore it up) Then some girls laughed at him. And he proceeds to tell me that after that other girls kept writing him notes that said "I Love You!" and EVEN a boy wrote him one. He said it was making him so mad and he was tearing them all up. I can just see it now all of them getting a kick out of Max freaking out and tearing up all of these notes. This makes me laugh because he tells me that him and his friend everyday at recess let the girls chase them. Already a ladies man.

Girls Day at the Salon!!!!

Today Kate and I went to get our hair cut at the best salon ever! Kate's hair had got very long and stringy which was driving me crazy. Robyn cut about 2 inches off her hair and it is still past her shoulders. It looks so cute and she loves it. I am starting her young at pampering herself and getting a great hair cut. There is nothing better! It was so cute she fell asleep while Rob was drying her hair, pure relaxation.

Enjoying the wash and scalp massage

Oooh those eyes are heavy

Dozed off to sleep, so cute.

Striking a pose after her glitter spray

She just loves Robyn!

Finished product, isn't she lovely?!

Our one and only camping trip for the year....

Max has been asking all summer to go camping and we had not made it, so it was the annual Phillips family reunion so we decided to go. It was up Hobble Creek right by the golf course. It was grassy and we had this big pavilion that was nice.We only went over night but the kids had a lot fun.

On Saturday afternoon the kids painted their very own cars for the drive in. That night they all pulled their cars up and watched the movie Cars on the big screen. They had popcorn, treats and drinks! What a cute idea! The funny thing was the kids sat in those silly cars and watched the movie!

They cooked dutch oven one night and the kids were in heaven they had ribs! There is always good food at the reunions

I took my camera and only took a few pictures. I survived the tent for a night, Kate did not want to be confined to a sleeping bag and kept us up most of the night kicking to get out of the sleeping bag. Next time she is booted off the air mattress. Max had a blast playing with all the boys and of course Kate was my social butterfly!

Happy Birthday BaBy!!

Happy 32nd to my handsome husband! I love that you are a great dad, husband and friend! One of my favorite things about you is your a kid at heart and always will be! I hope you have fun with your new toy! Love your older, wiser women...xoxxooxx

~Hot Lips