Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

For holiday fun, I thought I would post some lion pictures and some pictures from last year as well. Notice I have a thing for safari animals and making Isaac pose for what I call "The ET Picture" (remember how ET hid in the closet among Drew Barrymore's dolls and stuffed animals so the mom would not see him???)

Halloween 2006
Halloween 2005

A Roaring Good Time

Thanks to all of you who graciously gave your opinion on Isaac's Halloween costume. I did seriously consider having several costume changes through-out the evening to make use of each of the cute get-ups, but we finally decided to go with the lion. No, I did not sell the other costumes out of the trunk of my car at all the local Halloween trunk or treats---however, now that I type that idea it could be a potential money-making endeavor. Perhaps next year. (I already returned the other costumes and was granted full refunds).

Here are some pictures from last night's Fall Festival at our church.


Me getting Isaac dressed before going inside

(This costume is not car-seat friendly. It also is not very Texas-friendly considering Isaac had on a long-sleeved shirt, sweat pants, booties, a hat, and a jacket with a considerable amount of padding in 80 degree weather. He was a trooper and didn't complain once, even when we subjected him to trick or treating in the heat of the upstairs of the church.)



We thought it would be a great idea to get Isaac's face painted with a lion's nose and whiskers. Isaac did not think this was a great idea. The whiskers didn't work so well and we ended up wiping them off quickly after they were painted on. I love his pouty expression in the top picture. Have you ever seen a sadder lion?Pre-festival cruising around his "jungle" with his walker

Not very many of the games were designed for toddlers, however Isaac did enjoy the lollipop tree. Little does he know that the lollipop is actual food. The sweet boy enjoyed taking all of his candy out of his pumpkin, organizing it, and then putting it back into his pumpkin for at least half an hour after we returned home last night. If only he knew what chocolate goodness laid beneath some of those shiny wrappers......

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How did you spend your Saturday morning? My husband spent his doing this.....

That is Tobe on the right, in the back, wearing the red t-shirt.

No, he did not enlist. He competed in a 10K Mud Run with a college buddy. Obviously participants must wear old clothes due to the mud factor. Tobe wore some old dress pants that he was planning to toss anyway. A team member had purchased ties at Goodwill for everyone on their team to wear. So Tobe tucked in his shirt, threw on the the tie, and wore his dress pants complete with belt---He went business casual for the run. That makes me giggle every time I think about it. Way to go, Baby!

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Isaac took about 4-5 independent steps several times tonight. My goal has been for him to be walking by himself by his 15 month check-up (in a week and a half). Will he reach it? Who knows--perhaps I should change it to him to be walking by the first day of kindergarten. We really think he has the ability to walk on his own, he is just so cautious. However, he has become the fastest crawler and could win any diaper derby around.

Here is a shot of him checking out Tobe's record collection while beloved giraffe dangles from his mouth. Usually giraffe stays in the bed but somehow this day he had escaped. Isaac likes to crawl through the house with him in his mouth on those rare occasions that giraffe is out of the crib. You can't tell in this picture, but the shirt Isaac is wearing has a mummy on it that glows in the dark. Precious. I took Isaac into the laundry room to show him but he was more interested in attempting to bang on the dryer.

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Baby #2 Update: Today marks the beginning of week 12! Yeah! I am always confused--does this mean I am in the beginning of the second trimester or does week 13 actually mark that milestone? I am hoping all sickness ends with the beginning of trimester number 2. I have become personal friends with our local pharmacist who I visit about every third day to have my nausea medicine refilled. Blueberry muffins are now on the "Never Going to Eat it Again in My Life" list. On Friday I ended up calling the doctor's office because I thought I had come down with a kidney infection of some sort (glamorous, huh?). The only symptom I had was lots of lower back and abdominal pain. Apparently it is not a kidney infection but the result of being a mom. The nurse told me I needed to be sitting 3-4 hours a day. Huh? Perhaps if Isaac was 15. Sitting with my feet propped up was easier when I worked because I could teach from my reading table (I had a very small class) and could save my standing for when I had to chase after a student or retrieve a tantruming child from the cafeteria. I plan to try to sit more (Hello, Baby Einstein) but I figure decades and decades of women have gone before me and endured pregnancies where they had much more to attend to than a sweet 14 month old and life continued on. Baby is growing well, which is such a huge blessing. I think I might be carrying this one a little bit higher than I did with Isaac because I have no trouble buttoning anything (I was using the ol rubber band trick by this time with Isaac, but I carried him LOW). Now that I have said that for all of blog-world to read, most likely none of my pants will fit tomorrow. Oh well.

Have a great week! More pictures of our precious lion enjoying Halloween to come!

Costume Central

Four. That is how many Halloween costumes currently reside in casa de Phillips for a particular 14 month old. Despite my love for all things crafty, I have never learned to sew. Therefore, I must purchase my child's Halloween attire. This has been a bit traumatic for me in that I have not found the "perfect" costume except for one that Isaac might suffocate in during a mild Texas fall and another one that was much too expensive. While my mom was visiting, I finally purchased a costume at Osh Kosh (Sidenote:I grew up knowing a woman who would not allow her children to wear Osh Kosh clothing because it said "Gosh" on it. Wonder what she thinks of all of the overly suggestive t-shirts marketed to today's youth now.). It was a zebra and it was cute. I didn't LOVE it, but I also didn't hate it. The only problem with this costume (now referred to as costume #1) is that it is size 12 months and it about choked Isaac.


Today, Isaac and I went to the local mall to get some exercise since the rain prohibited us from walking this morning. The only problem with mall walking is that I am tempted to shop. After completing our three miles I allowed myself to look in only three stores (one per mile). First we hit the new mega-Children's Place. Apparently someone had returned the lion costume that I had my eye on at the beginning of costume-shopping season (which had quickly sold out). It was on sale and then marked down an additional 50% off. I snatched it up (This is costume #2). I then noticed a pumpkin costume, which has also been hard to find lately. Again it was on sale so I threw it in the basket as well (Costume #3). Before making my purchase, I inquired as to what the exact return policy on holiday attire might be. As long as I return the costumes with tags before Halloween, I will get a full refund.

Happy with my purchases, Isaac and I resumed walking so we could hit the other two stores before time to leave. One of those stores was the Gymboree outlet. I am not terribly impressed by this new store. I thought it would be items that did not sell at original Gymboree stores. Wrong. It appears they have gone more of the Gap outlet way and simply created cheaper lines to sell in this store. Of course most of it was little girl apparel and hardly much boy stuff.

Finally we hit the Osh Kosh store to see if someone happened to return a size 18 month zebra costume. Someone had! We snatched that one up (costume #4) and headed home for lunch and naptime.

Here is the delimma--obviously Isaac is not going to wear four Halloween costumes. Technically Halloween Costume #1 is not even in the running because it is too small and I will be returning it this weekend. That leaves costumes 2, 3, and 4. Much to my child's dismay, I dressed him in each costume and shot some pictures so that you, dear reader, could give your opinion on what costume you like best. The best part of this whole delimma....none of these costumes cost me over $8!

Costume #4: Zebra Costume from Osh Kosh (also costume #1)

(the only way I could get Isaac to sit still was to bribe him with books.)

Costume #2: Lion Costume from The Children's Place

(a tan shirt and tan pants go under this outfit. I didn't want to torture Isaac too much so we skipped that step. It also has little slippers for his feet but they are in a package. I did not dare open such package in case it ruins my return)

By the way, Isaac managed to fall off his ride-on dump truck while wearing this costume and hit his head on the corner of a wall in his room. He didn't even bat an eyelash. The headpiece makes a nice little helmet.






Costume #3: Pumpkin Costume from The Children's Place
(Putting this costume on was met with several tears and much complaining. I felt like the worst mother in the world for forcing my child to suffer all in the name of holiday fashion. For actual wear, a black shirt and black pants are worn underneath.)

What is your pick?

In closing, I saw a woman pulling triplet boys (younger than Isaac) in a wagon today at the mall (the wagon was more like a train. Each child had their own little wagon and they were all attached. There was even an extra wagon holding her packages). She was visibly pregnant. She must be the most patient woman in the world.

Photo Catch-Up

Here are the latest Isaac pictures. The first ones were taken in our local gazebo--a process that involved me chasing Isaac around this structure as he attempted to find the two puddles of water that happened to exist. I love the fact that he is wearing an Old Navy performance fleece---1. Because it means the temps are actually chilly and 2. Because he is becoming more little boy than baby (and I bought this fleece for $1.99 on the clearance rack before he was born). The crib shot was taken on Sunday morning before church. Note beloved Giraffe dangling from Isaac's mouth. We had placed Isaac in his crib to serve as a holding cell as Tobe and I finished those last-minute things before dashing out the door. The last picture is of Isaac reading a book at his great-grandparents birthday celebration. As the party came to an end, Isaac was winding down and sitting in my lap. He signed "finished" several times, meaning "Party is over. Get this baby to bed." That boy loves his sleepy time almost as much as his mama!


A Tuesday night post would not be complete without a Dancing with the Stars departing thought. For those people that continue to vote for Jerry Springer, I beg you to stop. The man doesn't want to play anymore. Please put him out of his misery and let him go home. I am not digging Monique's new hair--a little too Diana Ross with a fro. (By the way, last weekend my parents and I saw a baby--perhaps 9 months old--with an afro at the Red Lobster. Huge afro that was done on purpose, not just crazy baby hair. It was quite the peculiar sight). Mario is beginning to annoy me. My top favorites are Emmitt and Joey. Did anyone else notice Rachel Ray in the audience tonight? I wish they would have interviewed her, however she might have just yelled into the microphone and ruined the atmosphere.

Who are you rooting for?

PS. If you haven't made the switch to beta blogger, I encourage you to do so. Things seem to run much smoother and pictures are easier to download.

Happy Blogaversary!!!

Today is Save the Phillips' Family's one year blog anniversary!! Yeah! For those of you who have been with us this whole year, hopefully you don't consider the time spent reading my ramblings as a waste. At least you didn't spend this time watching Celebreality on VH1.

In celebration of this one year anniversary, I will share two cute Isaac antics. Would anything else do?

Antic #1: We keep several doors in our house closed to keep Isaac out of unoccupied rooms. Like most toddlers he loves bathrooms and could spend hours reorganizing our toiletries. Life is much easier if he is not granted access to bathrooms or the master bedroom (where he likes to snatch either Tobe or my glasses from their respective nightstands and crawl away with them as fast as possible.). Because some doors are kept closed, I have taught Isaac that he has to knock on the door to see if someone will open it. If no one happens to be in the room, then I say, "No one is home. Oh well." and Isaac will crawl on his merry way. The sweet part of this story is how Isaac knocks on the door. He stands up at the door and knocks with his hand---however his fingers are stretched out and pinched together (think of someone making a bird's beak with their fingers) rather than the traditional closed fist. He will knock and then attempt to reach the doorknob. Priceless. The funniest thing is when you are actually on the other side of the closed door and he knows it. He will knock furiously until you open the door. Apologies in advance if you ever happen to stop by casa de Phillips and need to take a restroom break. Most likely Isaac will think he needs to join you in there and will knock on the door to let you know.

Antic #2: After dinner last night I came into the study to do something real quick and Tobe was catching football highlights on the television. Isaac was playing in the tupperware in the kitchen. Isaac soon joined me in the study, eager to play on the computer. We did so for a while and then returned to the living room to play. While Tobe and I were playing with Isaac in the living room, I noticed something unusual lying on the kitchen floor. Closer inspection showed me it was the cartridge from my label maker. Here at casa de Phillips we have not baby-proofed our cabinets with the traditional latches. All dangerous things are way up high and completely out of reach. However, I have wanted to teach Isaac from an early age to respect certain things in the house. He knows he is allowed to only play in one kitchen cabinet (tupperware cabinet) and all others are off limits. Sometimes he will open a "forbidden" cabinet and look at me with a sly grin, but for the most part he stays out of them. My beloved label maker resides in a cabinet that is off-limits. Upon seeing the cartridge lying on the floor, I picked it up and asked Isaac if he had been in the wrong cabinet. Those blue eyes filled with guilt and he gave me his sly grin. I reprimanded him and then began to look around the kitchen floor for the label maker. It was not on it's usual shelf so I figured Isaac had taken it out and carried it somewhere in the kitchen. I couldn't find it so I decided to ask my 14 month old son exactly where the label maker was. I said, "Isaac where is the label maker?" Isaac proceeded to explode in giggles. Every time I asked this question, he giggled loudly. It started to get creepy because I was starting to wonder if a 14 month old had to ability to actually hide something and keep it a secret. I must have asked him ten times and he died in a fit of giggles each time. It was hilarious but spooky. I finally located the label maker in another cabinet and realized that I had placed it there last time I used it. Isaac had merely found the extra cartridge and had only pulled that out. However, as Tobe and I went to bed last night we discussed how funny and creepy it was that Isaac was laughing so hard every time I asked him where he put the label maker. We decided that it must be the word "label maker" that was funny to Isaac and not the thought of confiscating his mom's most prized possession.....hopefully.

Excuses, Excuses....

Before Paige names me on her blog as someone who has not blogged in weeks, I figured a new post was due. I am sure that no one wants to hear my long list of excuses as to why this website has been neglected lately or why I only post about once a week (if lucky) anymore. How about just one little excuse as to the lack of blogging.................

Phillips' Baby #2 is on the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you read that correctly. Tobe and I are expecting our second child in May. Yes, my children will be 21 months apart (that is the second thing people have told me after saying "Congratulations" as if we had not done the math already). Although Baby #2 is a little bit of a surprise and will arrive a few months before originally planned, we could not be more thrilled. It took us a while to get pregnant with Isaac and we were considering our fertility treatment options when it finally happened. What a blessing to not have to go through that struggle with this new little one!

So far, everything looks good with this pregnancy. I am almost 11 weeks along and am hoping all sickness and migraines end when I hit that second trimester mark. Because my body was just pregnant a year and 1/2 ago, the tummy has popped out a bit sooner this time. However, I simply look dumpy rather than glowing and pregnant. So you friends that have seen me in recent weeks and thought to yourself, "Lynley needs to lay off the oreos." please know there is a baby growing inside that stomach somewhere. Lately when Isaac is sitting in my lap to read a book or watch a movie, he squirms his body down a bit lower and makes himself nice and comfy on mama's new figure.

Because today is Thursday and because I attempt to post a Thursday 13 sometimes, here are 13 things I am going to do differently with this pregnancy:

1. I am hiring a personal trainer the day this baby pops out. Although I lost all baby weight I had gained with Isaac, the ol body didn't quite go back to its normal self. I have already informed Tobe of my plan to hire a personal trainer--in fact I might hire her before the baby arrives. Those of you with two or more children, please don't call me and tell me there will never be time to go to the gym again. I will work out at 4:30 am if I have to while feeding a baby if necessary. There will be no messing around with the weight this time.

2. I plan on completing three 5ks while pregnant with this one. I only did one when pregnant with Isaac, so I figured I should up the stakes. Besides I have already completed one during this pregnancy, so technically I only have to do two more. Anyone want to waddle beside me in the Spring?

3. I am purchasing a bella band. Maternity clothes never fit me correctly, especially the pants. I carried Isaac so low that the pants would not stay up on my hips. Also, I cannot do over the belly panel maternity clothes due to their itchiness and scariness factor. The bella band seems like it will let me wear my regular pants longer and eventually hold up those ever-so-attractive maternity pants (By the way, I detest maternity clothes. I know people who had babies ten years ago consider us new moms so lucky with all the choices stores have now. However, I still stand by the notion that all maternity clothes look like tents.)

4. I am not wearing a maternity swimsuit this time (simply because weather will not permit and because my maternity swimsuit has enough material to make seven regular bathing suits.)

5.I am not going to develop random pregnancy illnesses (While pregnant with Isaac, I had a variety of odd things happen to me. One day at school my hands and feet turned blue--smurf blue. Apparently all the blood was going to my tummy. The doctors just told me to lay down if I felt dizzy. Also, my blood pressure would get pretty low. At one doctor's visit, my OB asked if I felt okay and if I need to lay down due to it being so low. I felt fine. I became very dehydrated one day at work and started having contractions--didn't know what they were at the time--despite the fact that I was drinking large amounts water. Finally, a suspicious mole popped up out of no where. I had to have it removed and sent off to determine if it was cancerous because it looked so strange. It was not and I was again fine.)

6.I am not going to obesses over every little pregnancy related thing. With a 14 month old, there isn't much time to pour over "What to Expect..." every night and worry my self to death.

7. I am not going to have to take the second glucose test (I had to with Isaac because my first test was right on the borderline, due to my thyroid. I am going to will myself from failing the glucose test with this baby becasue I cannot drink all of that goop again)

8.I will not go on a three mile hike after my water breaks

9. I will eat more than a measely chicken sandwich before going to the hospital when in labor

10. I will not make a belly cast of my stomach while in my ninth month of pregnancy (I did not do this with Isaac either, but am still mystified by this process. What do you do with the cast after it is made? Do you display it for years to come or do you realize that it just takes up space and stinks when the baby is about two years old?)

11. No Lasagna. Ever. (My worst morning sickness moment last pregnancy involved lasagna and the movie Napoleon Dynamite.)

12. I will not get a special pregnancy massage. (I did this with Isaac and my stomach was not big enough to fill the hole that is made for pregnant women's tummies. It was very uncomfortable and not relaxing at all)

13. I will blog every tiny detail of this pregnancy to spare my poor husband from having to hear me recount them at bedtime each night.

Finally, here is the new big brother to-be. My parents were in town this past week and my mom kept looking at Isaac saying, "You don't look big enough to be a big brother." Well, he has a few months to grow into his new title. I think it fits him beautifully.

There were several attempts to take Isaac's picture with this sign. For some reason, he detested it and would throw it down whenever it was handed to him. Our solution? Distract him with a book and tape it behind his head. Attractive, no?

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

(Isaac is in a phase of being too cool to smile for Mama's camera)

Isaac's new hangoutFun times at the Apple OrchardChillin' while watching a little Baby Einstein

This and That

Perhaps I should set my blogging time for 4am so I could be sure to squeeze it in for the day. The only thing scheduled for 4am is sleeping, so I am not that busy then anyways.

Here are some catch-up things from the past few days:

Friday Isaac and his pal Morgan explored the new children's play place called Kidzmuze. Alison and I highly recommend this place. It is basically a large warehouse with a variety of themed rooms for your child to play in (toddler room, basketball room, story room, art room, and my favorite--the grocery store). Because it is new, it is incredibly clean. Also, there are employees (I believe they are called Play Experts) who walk around and tell you things your child can play in each room. They will also play with your child while you hang out in the adult area, but that seemed a bit harsh to us. Isaac experienced his first "bully" while playing a Kidzmuze. This bully child was only 17 months old but he managed to step on Isaac's hands, pull Isaac's hair, steal toys away, and push Morgan out of line for the slide every time she approached it. I believe he will one day be in the local Juvenile dentention center.
Despite the bully, Kidzmuze also has a very safe feel to it. I am not a huge Chuck E. Cheese fan because I feel that it attracts child molesters (call me crazy) and the bathrooms are always in dark corridors. Creepy. However, you cannot get into this place without a child and the bathrooms are monitored. If you have a free day, swing by Kidzmuze and give it a try.(Give us a call and we will join you--it is right down the road from us!)
Here are some pictures from our morning. Again, Morgan and Isaac refused to be in the same picture together looking halfway pleasant. How are they ever going to manage a wedding portrait one day?

(Morgan's shirt reads "Cute". I completely agree!)

Friday evening we were able to finally eat dinner with this family. I think we have cancelled and rescheduled this dinner about five times before it actually happened. Fun was had by all. If you ever want to eat out with a couple whose children are incredibly well-behaved in a public setting, dine with the Fletchers.

Saturday morning was our local 5K. The weather was nice and cool and Isaac tolerated being in his stroller for the longer distance than usual. None of us won any trophies, but we all had a great time!

Saturday night I left the boys at home to attend a lingerie shower/ bachlerette party. It was a blast and everything was nice and mild-mannered. I believe the bride-to-be had a wonderful time and cannot wait until the 14th!

Here is Isaac just chillin' in the glider on Sunday evening. He loves any type of chair that he can sit in by himself, especially if he can sit in a chair and read at the same time. A new favorite book this week is one with animals A to Z. His favorite is the Yak, which sends him into a fit of giggles. Yesterday he was even saying the word "Yak." We don't teach children useful words in our household, but rather obscure animal names!

This week has been busy, busy, busy. I have come down with a minor cold (must be these cool Fall temperatures we are experiencing) and don't have much of a voice today. Whenever I talk to Isaac, he just looks at me like I have lost my mind.

I received the holiday Hanna Anderson catalog in the mail on Tuesday, which immediately put me in holiday attire panic mode. If you read my blog at Christmastime last year, you know the pain it is to find affordable, high-quality, non-tacky, baby boy holiday outfits. I still have not decided on his Halloween costume and now I am worried about Christmas apparel.

Finally, here are some entertainment thoughts from the past week:

1. If Rachel Ray continues to yell rather than talk on her new talk show, I may be forced to not watch it. This saddens me because I love RR and the show airs at the perfect time (Isaac is napping and I am getting ready for the day). It is my 30 minutes of television time and she is ruining it by yelling constantly.

2. Why does Samatha Harris clap her hand to her wrist instead of clapping like a normal person on Dancing with the Stars? She drives me insane with the fake clapping and the wanna-be DJ voice. Also, the flat-ironed hair is not working on her.

3. I have finally picked who I am for on Dancing with the Stars--AC Slater (aka Mario Lopez). I know he breaks the rules and I know that he cheated on his wife on their honeymoon, but I think he is the best. As a resident of DFW area, I should root for Emmitt but I like Mario better. Question: Is George Lopez related to Mario and is that why he is always in the audience? Also did you catch Eva Longoria in the audience cheering Mario on? She is on the prowl for a new man now that she and Tony are over. Tobe and I have a theory about Eva--once you take off the make-up and brush out the hair...she is just pretty average looking.

4. Playhouse Disney has picked up the new 30 minute version of Johnny and the Sprites and we are quite excited here at Casa de Phillips. Isaac usually watches about 15 minutes of Playhouse Disney in the morning while he drinks his milk and we sometimes catch Johnny and the Sprites (it is currently a short) and Isaac loves it. Occasionally we will watch an episode (there are only five) on the internet as well. Isaac is really into puppets, especially if they sing and dance, so the new 30 minute version of this show should be a real treat! (For those of you who know who Johnny is, yes I am aware of the Avenue Q connection. For those who don't, just google it if you really must know.)

Happy Thursday!