2009 in Review

Last week in Target I was inspired to purchase the children calendars for the new year. I saw two "create-your-own" calenders sitting in the clearance bin, calling my name. I am not one to pass up a bargain, especially when that bargain has a nice little red sticker attached to it informing me of exactly how much I will save if I make the purchase.

The "create-your-own" calendars found their way into my basket and have settled into life here at casa de phillips.

It is safe to say that Isaac now has a new interest, which is one of informing me exactly what day it is, how many days in the month we have experienced, how many days we have left and what events he has carefully written in on his "create-your-own" calendar.

Just in case you were worried that I am unaware that today is January 4th and that I am actually four days behind in posting my year-end review....I am fully cognizant of the date and time.

I am also slightly cursing the Target clearance bin and their cute "create-your-own" calendars.

Regardless of the date and regardless of the fact that my oldest child will most likely share the intricate details of every day's date for the next 361 days, it is time for the savethephillipsfamily year-end pictorial review.

January 2009

Barak Obama became a household name at casa de phillips, causing the children to toss it around casually to friends and relatives. We make strides to support our nation's leaders and want the children to be able to recognize and name the President of the United States and the Governor of our state.

I also felt the need to make my 18 month old watch the Inauguration, despite her inquires as to why Playhouse Disney was not on.

February 2009

The husband and I snuck away for Valentines Day. We had the opportunity to listen to and later rub elbows with a favorite performer of ours. Good times.

My favorite picture of Miss E. of all times (to date) also happened to be snapped in February of this past year.

The children were fortunate enough to experience their first live production when we all went to Sesame Street Live.

March 2009

Isaac cultivated his love for boy stores and discovered that although his head is rather large, it still fits inside the mouth of a shark.

Miss E. discovered that she finally had enough hair for a sad little top-of-the-crown ponytail.

The family also took a day out of our normal schedule and headed to the local zoo to feed wild birds and hear me retell the tales of my African safaris.

April 2009

Easter was enjoyed by the family. The husband and I were faced with that particular parenting dilemma of attempting to keep the religious aspects of this holiday first priority while also enjoying photo ops with an odd bunny and having the children search the yard for eggs filled with candy. I believe it is safe to say that although fun, the secular celebration of Easter is a bit confusing.

The arrival of April also means the arrival of bluebonnets in our fair state. The children posed in these beautiful flowers on four separate occasions.

I am a bit obsessed with obtaining the perfect bluebonnet picture.

This is my favorite from last year's many bluebonnet sessions because it fully captures the daily adventures of our twosome.

April ended with Isaac performing in his first school production. He managed to slow things down by raising his hand and sharing a personal tidbit about one of the songs sung. Bless his sweet, over-involved heart.

May 2009

May welcomed the two's into casa de phillips. Evelyn turned two in the middle of the month. Fortunately she had already been exerting her Independence since the age of 15 months, so this transition was not too terrible.

We did host a 50's classic dinner for her birthday party to celebrate her deep love for french fries...and my deep love for cute party costumes.

Somehow in May we managed to snap a decent family picture before church.

The husband and I escaped to Jamaica for a few days in May.

It was amazing.

This vacation is often the topic of discussion between the two of us, especially on those yucky days when the children are fussing and the weather is miserable.

June 2009

The local pool opened its doors to us at the beginning of June and we made good use of it all during the summer. We heart a good swim day at our favorite pool and barely let a weekend pass without gracing its cool waters.

June also welcomed Miss E's first attempts at pigtails.

July 2009

The children and I set off on many adventures this past summer, attempting to accomplish a field trip each Friday. Some were fun, some were busts but all will be remembered.

I also began writing more in July. Time management became my new friend.

August 2009

Our boy turned four at the beginning of August, which seems unbelievable to me. We celebrated with an art party. The husband and I were brave to let small children and paint be let loose in the living room of casa de phillips. The couch managed to come out paint-free in the end and everyone had a good time.

We ended the month (and the summer) with a day at the lake with my parents on their boat. Both children attempted intertubing and loved it. My anxious helicopter-parenting ways survived riding on a boat with our two preschoolers.

September 2009

School doors opened again in the fall. This year both Isaac and Evelyn attended school. Isaac is a pro at the preschool routine now. Miss E. is still getting used to the idea of being away from home for four hours each week. She likes to pretend she is not a fan of school, but we know it is simply a ploy for pity.

(I have no idea where Isaac's first day of school pic went. Check it out here)

October 2009

Swine flu hit casa de phillips, taking down three of our four members. Fortunately no one had it at the same time. However, it felt like everyone was sick for an eternity.

The children and I also attended the state fair, where we encountered many things.

Including zebra.

Who knew?

After much debate, we settled on "Robin Hood" as the theme for Halloween costumes this past year.

November 2009

After a rainy October, we welcomed in a cool November. The four of us spent a week at my parent's house, where I was able to convince the children to pose for sweet pictures that they will one day hate me for.

I consider it my right as a parent...

December 2009

December was a whirl-wind as we hopped from one activity to another, celebrating the holiday season. We had our first white Christmas, which was such a thrill to everyone in the family.

2009 has been a good year for casa de phillips. We did not win the lottery, we were not the recipients of some grand prize and we have not experienced overnight fame or success. There have been times of tears, flashes of anger and feelings of hurt.

However, we have been healthy. Our life is relatively drama-free. There is a roof over our heads and food on our table. We continue to be showered by the love of friends and family. And we do know the blessing of grace granted to us by our Lord.

Thanks for following along with us this year and we hope you tag along in 2010.