Icky Icky Devon is sicky...

5am and Devon starts calling "DADDY!" from his room, John went to check on him and I could hear Devon say that his tummy hurt. John, wanting to get back to bed asap, told him to go back to sleep. Motherly instincts wouldn't let me sleep so I got up and took him downstairs as I could hear him tossing and turning in his bed. He hardly complained and was so sweet. I laid a towl down on the recliner which is a great mommy tip! It really helps if they "toss their cookies" to make clean up easier, just swap out towels. I laid on the couch and dozed a bit and could hear that he was going to be sick, I lept off my couch throwing the bowl under him as quickly as I could to catch it. I had to do that 3 other times but at least I caught it EVERY time. If it was a sport, pretty sure I'd be a contender. Vomit catching, look out I'm sure it'll be in the next winter olympics ;) While it isn't fun to see your babies sick its nice to get to cuddle with them and give them some love, relax and watch movies and completely clear your schedule. I choose to look at these sick moments as as a mini vacation, yeah I know its weird. BUT I'm able to ignore all my other responsibilities and focus on just taking care of my babies. John came home for lunch today which was fantastic, he let me go out for a 3.25 mile run since its like almost 60 outside! It felt great. I wasn't sure how my body would hold up from just running on a treadmill for months other than a few short runs in Arizona. We head off to a foster care meeting tonight which I am greatly looking forward to, hopefully finding direction in our pursuit to further our ministry of children =) God is faithful and I know that He will provide the answers. Hopefully Devon is feeling better, his auntie Becca will be staying with them while we go. I ask for prayers as we seek out God's desire for our lives. Thanks!

Funny noises... =)

Heres a picture of Devon after he put his pajamas on all by himself, he was pretty proud of the fact that he got them on. It took me a minute to even realize what he was wearing since he put them on inside out and backwards =) Funny kid

Devon came running into the kitchen to find me since I was working on dinner. He was saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" all the way in and quickly came to a hault infront of me. Completely serious he says, "Mommy, there are noises coming out of my butt!" If you know anything about my upbringing I have been raised to think that these things are hilarious. I burst out laughing at his realization of quite the bodily function and quickly told him to go tell his father. I could hear John laughing from in the kitchen at Devon who repeated his discovery to his dad. Apparently the second time he turned around with his back to John waiting for "the noise" to come and looking over his shoulder with a big grin. Little boys =) Devon returned to me yesterday and informed me, "Wow, my butt is really noisy!" Again, I laughed and laughed at his innocent face. Its too bad that this will only last for a short while, I would love to hear teenagers express themselves saying, "That was a big noise out of my butt" instead of other phrases I've often heard =) Too funny is it to have little boys.

"From there to here, from here to there.... Funny things are Everywhere..."

From Whom ALL blessings flow...

 I've thought alot about heaven since I read the book "Heaven is for real" by Todd Burpo on my vacation and it has forever changed my views on such things. Theres something about heaven that I've often felt not ready for and I think alot of it is that I enjoy this life so much that I don't want to "miss out" on whats to come. I want to see my kids grow up and see them have their own children. I've experienced so many wonderful things here on earth that I almost can not fathom leaving it. I would almost say that I have had a small fear of death and its solely based around my selfishness. After reading this book I mentioned I have a curiousity and joy about heaven that I never have had. I have a peace about what is to come and know that God created a place for each of us, created it that we might feel his peace and love for all eternity.

I recently visited my grandfather in the hospital, he has parkinsens and dimentia and it has quickly progressed. Its not easy to see the people that you love going through such difficulty, everything within you wants to just make it better but it doesn't work that way. Relationships are important, family is important and God created such things with purpose. When we arrive in heaven there will be a whole crowd of those gone before us that will welcome us with such pure joy and excitement that we will never look back. I know with all my heart that those we lose watch from heaven, not in a creepy "look out because your great grandma is going to see you swearing at the guy that just cut you off in traffic" but in a way that they are enjoying watching your life. My Dad's parents are in heaven and I know that my grandmother is looking down on her great grandchildren and loving them even from above. My grandfather, my mother's father, couldn't be more excited about heaven, he's ready. There is a sadness that comes along with this realization but there is a comfort and joy for me now that God's plan is more perfect than my own, and always will be.

Today is more of a serious post as I pray for the health within our family, my grandfather as he transitions into hospice care and walks towards the light of God in His perfect timing. I also pray for my aunt Debbie today, she has been battling breast cancer and had surgery on Wednesday. She is one of the strongest women that I know, she is named well =) If you aren't familiar with Deborah from the Old Testament I'll share a little. Deborah was a judge who led the Israelites against the the Caananites in a war that they shouldn't have won. God's power shown through Deborah overcoming the unlikely odds to give victory to those who were faithful to the one true God. My aunt Debbie's spirit is strong even when her body has been weak and I believe that God is showing His almighty power through her situation. She is fighting a battle that only God could overcome.

I had music practice last night at church, something that fills my spirit =) We were talking about God's direction in our lives and I shared something with the group that came out of my mouth but it wasn't really my words. "God is the wind in our sails..." Its an analogy John and I started using early in our relationship. John's family loves to sail so it came naturally for him to relate to such a thing. Its easy in life to feel like we're waiting for God's direction, waiting to know "what God wants us to do". John and I became a little fed up with waiting around for such an epiphany and decided that its much easier for God to direct us if we're moving. If He doesn't want us to be moving in a certain direction, His winds will redirect our path. The storms we experience can either make us better sailors or forever fearful of the water. I could go on forever about how this analogy works but I think the main picture is what is most important. As we sit in the boat we can either have our sails down as we wait for the waves to toss us around or we can raise our sails letting God's almighty wind direct us. Let me tell you it doesn't work to go against God's wind either, when we try to change directions and the wind hits the sail wrong it can be dangerous. But when the wind is perfect, the sail is full and we glide across the waters of God's grace. I found this picture of a lighthouse I took and kind of thought it was perfect to pull all my random thoughts together today. I started with talking about heaven, praying for my family's health and wrapping it up with an analogy of God's direction. When the waters are rough we look for the lighthouse (God) to guide us back to where its safe. My prayer for you is that God be the wind in your sails as you go through this life.

When I visited my grandfather my grandmother kissed him goodnight and sang him a hymn "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow". I was given a gift that night as I experienced this moment between my grandparents. She was praising God among the circumstances, even though there is such heartache that comes along with it all, she praised God. Tears may have been present in her eyes but there is such a hope and love that poured out of her words to my grandfather. I praise God today for such a love and for the chance to see such a thing. I hope that God blesses my marriage as much as He has my grandparents. I put together a 50th Anniversary slideshow for my grandparents a few years back and this was the first song that played as it showed pictures of my grandparents as children growing up, getting married and having children of their own =)

Oh Arizona... part deuce

Welcome back! Here continues the adventures of the Phillip family.

Thursday we went to the rodeo parade which meant we had to wake up earlier than we had our entire trip, 7:30am. We woke everyone up to get them going and my dad couldn't believe that we were actually going out the door so early even though he was the one who initiated it all! We bribed Tim to come along with the promise of donuts but he was a little disapointed by donut holes and turnovers. We drove to the south side of Tucson, to the rodeo grounds where the parade was and found a spot. My dad had been talking about this parade and how it is the longest unmotorized parade in the world. Jack was put on John's shoulders as you see here and everytime he is put on someone's shoulders he holds onto their ears AND he uses them like reigns. He tugs on the ear towards the direction that he wants to go, its almost like he's meant to be a cowboy and has an instinct =)

Just because a parade is "the longest unmotorized parade in the world" doesn't mean its a very good parade, sorry to offend any Arizonians but as you can see Devon decided to play in the dirt rather than watch the parade. I think next year we'll watch 10 minutes of the parade from the comfort of our home and save ourselves the gas money although it was a fun experience. We got back to the parking lot and Tim took the stroller with Devon in it over some speedbumps. It went a little air born actually, tested the shocks pretty well and got the attention of some nearby kids who started counting down and cheering for Tim and Devon. Maybe we'll join the parade next year, add some excitement =)

We came home to eat some lunch and John helped my dad change the breaks out on the suburban. We packed up and headed out again, this time for Mount Lemmon. It is quite the drive as you head up the mountains. There are moments that your looking over the edge of quite the drop off. This is where I will explain that I am terrified of heights. Like when I go to a Brewers game I get anxious walking up the stands to my seat, pretty sure if I fell I'd just roll down the stands and onto the field... okay, I know its unrealisitc but its what I picture. Anyway, so as we drove up I hit a panic moment that continued until we got to the restaurant in SummerHaven on top of Mount Lemmon for pie. It was excellant pie and the boys were each given free rock candy for coloring a picture. Everyone thought it was really funny to pull me towards to edge to make me look well my mother and sister Rebekah anyway. We made our way down the mountain again and made a few stops for pictures, this one of John and Devon is pretty great to show how it feels like the mountains keep going forever. Some pretty fantastic views even for someone as terrified as myself =) We were supposed to grill burgers but hadn't even stopped at the grocery store yet and it was already 7pm so we got Uno's deepdish pizza instead and let me tell you, we were not dissapointed! I haven't had deepdish in forever and it was pretty great. We watched Despicable Me while we ate our pizza, great kids movie if you haven't seen it.

Friday John used the leftover steak from our tbones to make steak and eggs for breakfast with homemade breakfast potatoes. One of my favorite parts of this vacation was how involved in cooking John was =) He did alot of the grilling which took pressure off me. My sisters and I decided to tackle our tye dye mission so we set out to tye dye tshirts, tank tops and sports bras. I did all this in my black swimsuit outside with my back to the sun and got quite sunburnt on my back but that didn't stop me from laying out to continue reading my book.

We had relaxed for the morning and after the kids had naps we went out to Sabino Canyon. It was a nice easy hike with some great views and a gorgeous dam that we came upon. Again I was in awe of the mountains surrounding us. I still can't get over the fact that my parents have 3 palm trees in their backyard. Devon talked most of our trip about wanting to climb the mountains and would get so excited when given the chance to climb even the smallest hill.

Jack was so excited about the water at the base of the dam that he walked right in with his shoes on, thankfully John scooped him up quickly. We took the boys shoes off and let them explore a little. The water was freezing but the boys still thought it was fun to put their toes in. The sun was setting as we started walking back and the mountains start changing as the light hits them differently. The sunset that day was truly amazing. The sky was painted with pinks, deep purples and blues almost like God was telling me ,"Hey Rose, I like to tye dye too. Top this!". I will be posting some of those pictures I took to my website if people want to buy them but I don't want anyone stealing them since they are pretty awesome pictures. I'll get them up in the next week if you want to check them out at http://www.rosephillipphotography.com/

I'll end this day with a great picture of my brothers. These are my baby brothers and all of them are taller than I am. I am proud to be their big sister, its fun as we get older how our relationships to eachother changes. They are each unique and I love seeing God shape them into the men that God wants them to be.

Whoa, I must apologize for forgetting to tell you what we had for dinner. John grilled burgers for dinner and we had tater tots, YUM! Sorry, that was a close one =)

Saturday we made a discovery! For those of you who don't know that I'm a Thrift store aholic you should be aware that there is such a thing and that I just can't help myself. You won't find me at a mall, you'll find me at the local goodwill buying all the name brand clothes that you would for $3 a shirt. My dad escorted all us ladies out thrift store shopping, I'm pretty sure he had no idea what he had gotten himself into. We had a blast! We started at Goodwill and found some fun deals and then we made our way to a store called the Buffalo Exchange. Its down near the University for you Arizonians that don't know of this amazing store. Basically people sell their awesome clothes to this place, you'll find more name brand better condition items than you could goodwill. You do pay a little more but you get better quality everywhere you look. I got two pairs of cowgirl boots ($18.50 a pair), a jean skirt, two pairs of jean shorts and a pair of skinny jeans. I will make sure to post pictures of my new boots when I wear them. My thrift store obsession actually started after I went to Africa which was something my parents and I reminised about as we drove from each store. I'm not sure what exactly from Africa made it click but I have been a thrift store shopper ever since. We came home and made steak and chicken quesadillas with rice and beans, YUM!

Sunday, you might be wondering why I have a picture of a snowman for our Arizona trip... because it snowed! We woke up Sunday morning to find about an inch of snow on the ground, it was strange to see snow on palm trees. Whenever the sun would peak out the snow started melting like crazy but Tim ran outside and made a snowman as quickly as he could, heres his work =) I thought our Arizona snowman should definitely be apart of this blog. We went to church and the weather was still crazy, raining one minute, snowing and sleeting the next. It was a day to stay inside and we relaxed while my parents visited with some of their friends that came for a brunch. I took a fantastic nap that afternoon, read some more of my book and then made pizza bread again. Its a cheap way to feed alot of people and great for Sunday nights. We rented the movie Megamind with Will Farrell, Tina Fey and Brad Pitt and LOVED it! Such a funny kids movie with an interesting plot, definitely a must see.

This is the view of the mountains from my parents backyard. Isn't it crazy beautiful! This was Sunday morning I ran outside in shorts and a tank top to quick take pictures while their was a layer of snow on everything. The mountains are just breathtaking and magnificent. I still can't believe this is where my parents live and while I'm sad that they are so far away from us, way to pick a fantastic place to live! Spending two weeks in Tucson was just the right amount of time to truly appreciate it and yet there is SO much more to see.

Monday I tried something new and laid out in the sun for a few hours reading my book and then we went and got In and Out Burger. Let me tell you, if I ever open a restaurant chain this is it! Everything is made fresh and you can watch them as they make it while you are going through the drive thru there are windows the whole way showing into the kitchen so you can see them make your food! The potatoes are made from fresh potatoes, never frozen and its all not over priced. SO GOOD! Arizonians, if you haven't experienced all that In and Out Burger is you are missing out!! We then went frolfing for the afternoon and then came back for grilled chicken and cheesy broccoli rice for dinner. We played "Darn it!" as a family where Tim learned what trump meant =)

Tuesday I did laundry and started to pack =( while John and my brothers thought they would climb down Mount Lemmon. They started down the trail though but it was SO snow covered they lost the trail so they turned around. They hitch hiked down the mountain to where my dad was waiting for them. They came back and I was (SURPRISE) laying outside by the pool soaking up the last bit of sun I could and reading. John and I organized our things so we were all packed and then we had brats, hot dogs and home made potato wedges for dinner. Oh, we do eat vegtables with every meal but its not what I am passionate about so I almost always forget to mention it =) After dinner my dad made margaritas and then we played "Darn it!" again. We said our goodbyes and I took pictures of each family member with the boys. Its hard to say goodbye when your not sure when you will see your family next. At least now I can picture where they are living, the house they are in and visualize what they describe to me. These two weeks we had were so fantastic, such a great vacation and it never would have happend if my parents didn't move to Tucson. So today, I thank God for what He is doing with my family. I know that it isn't an easy transition but God is at work regardless. I am amazed by the world around us, there is so much to experience and its so easy to stay in our little comfort bubble.

Wednesday morning came early as we had to leave the house by 4:30am to get to Phoenix for our flight at 7:50am. The boys were a real hit this time in their matching monkey and turtle footy pajamas in the airport. Here the boys are watching Cars on the plane. We borrowed a dvd player from John's coworker Mandy that was a real blessing, I think we would have gone crazy without it. Our flights and layovers were less eventful this time which I suppose means things went very smoothly. Don't worry we changed the boys in the O'hare airport into their Packers gear so we as a family were once again all dressed in pride. I lay on the airport floor and took about an hour nap and then we hopped onto our little puddle jumper plane to Milwaukee where our friend Devin was waiting to pick us up from the airport (what a great friend!). Walking in the door to our house was a strange feeling, two weeks of being gone and having John's sister Rebecca house sitting had me feeling like Mama bear looking for goldilocks =) While its good to be home its hard to come off of such an awesome vacation surrounded by God's wonder. Thankfully I didn't have too much time to focus on all these feelings as we had to repack our bags and leave for the Dells as soon as we could. Our trip was great, I can't wait to go back again.

Wow do I look tired in this picture. From our travels we found, "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere..."

Our travels... Part one?

So I first should appologize for my lack of writing in the last month, its been a little crazy for us as you'll read in this post. I didn't realize how many people read my blog until I took a month off and had quite a few people asking when I was going to write again, thank you for the compliment. I enjoy writing and telling stories. So I'm going to share our adventures as we traveled to Arizona to visit my parents...

Tuesday night we were running around gettting everything ready, packing as much as we could into 3 carry ons because we refused to pay to check our bags. We were prepared, I could hardly fall asleep as I mentally checked my many lists of things to pack, things to straighten around the house and wondering how tan I could really get in 2 weeks. Wednesday morning we were ALL packed so the boys and I headed to Mom to Mom and John went to work, we all got home by 11:30 and John and I literally paced the house for 30 minutes because we had EVERYTHING packed and in the car but weren't leaving until noon. We went through security and everything very smoothly, the boys ate peanut butter and jelly as we stood in line and drooled over the planes on the runways. We boarded the plane early (yeah for having little kids) and the kids were invited up by the pilots! They were able to press a few buttons and then received their wings, pretty exciting.

We flew into Chicago for our layover and spent 3 hours there. Oh, did I fail to mention that we ALL had Packers gear on? Yes, our entire family wore as much Packers apparrell as we could and received much feedback, especially in Chicago =) Okay, so we're a little proud of our team! We of course had to go to the opposite end of the airport and decided the shuttle was a hassle so we walked.

Moving Sidewalks =) I handled the kids while John handled the bags. We climbed onto a moving sidewalk and the boys thought it was pretty great. We climbed off and Jack decided that he wanted to do it again so he took off running back towards the start of the sidewalk we had just gotten off of while Devon kept moving forward to the next sidewalk. My head went in two different directions as I had to choose which child to follow. Where's John you ask? He got ahead of us and I couldn't see him. So I chased Jack and picked him up like a piece of luggage by the back of his shirt and started running back towards Devon who was now in the middle of the moving sidewalk. So I'm running along the outside carrying my child by the back of his shirt running and trying to beat the moving sidewalk to catch Devon while onlookers laugh at what is taking place. When I catch up to Devon he's holding a strangers hand and she's helping him off the moving sidewalk. She said that he fell getting onto the moving sidewalk and she helped him up and he just didn't let go of her hand. No stranger danger fear in this little boy as he continued holding the woman's hand until she took her other hand to release him. I continued to our gate where I finally found John and greeted him with, "Where the heck were you?!" and gave him a brief... okay, when am I ever brief but I quickly described our ordeal. Pretty sure next time we are in an airport everyone gets a leash, including my husband. We ate a quick bite and let the boys watch Lion King as we waited for the next plane. Devon slept most of our 3 hour flight to Phoenix while Jack rolled around between our laps.

We were pretty glad when we finally landed and were able to stretch our legs and unleash our toddler. My sisters ran to us, squeeling with delight to see their nephews. We had about an hour and 40 minute drive home so we stopped at McDonalds for chicken nuggets "for the kids" of which they each maybe took a bite and then passed out in the van as we drove. I could see the silhouttes of mountains as we drove but had no idea what we would be arriving to see. When we got to my parents house most everyone was awake and waiting for us at midnight, we got a brief tour of my parents mansion. The house they are renting is AMAZINGLY beautiful, it truly is one of the best houses I've ever seen. We crashed in my parents room and slept soundly. The next morning began 2 weeks of awesomeness. We relaxed that first day just taking in our new environment and enjoying the company. My Danish cousin Henriette was visiting from Denmark and we were able to go for a run together along the mountains. I couldn't get over how close my parents live to the mountains as we ran along them. We grilled pork chops and played cards with my brothers that night. We played a game called "Darn it"... as some would call it, it has many names actually but it has come to be a favorite of John and mines.

Friday came and we ate donuts, eggs and kielbasa and then hit the road for Old Tucson. We drove about an hour to get to Old Tucson which is where many western films were done. You really feel like your walking through an old western movie as you go through an entire town that is set up with movie scenes being played out. We got to sit in a saloon and drink frozen lemonade and watch the "Can-can girls" perform. Then we went outside to watch Billy the Kid duel a few men and thats where this picture is from as you can see Devon isn't too sure on the whole guns thing. We rode a train around the entire set, let the boys go on a pony ride and went through a haunted mine. The haunted mine was too scary for the boys so we covered their eyes and moved quickly. We got to drive old fashioned cars around a go kart track and then go on a carosel. It was alot of fun, so much to do. One of the best scenes we saw hand alot of stunts to it including a man falling backwards off a 2 story building. We then went from there to an old spanish mission. There was a beautiful white church (where a wedding was actually taking place) and hill with a cross on top. We walked up the hill and some climbed to the top to enjoy the view. We closed out our day by heading out for mexican food at Guadalahara Grille, which was some FANTASTIC food! John and my dad sure enjoyed the margaritas =) not that we all didn't have margaritas, but they especially enjoyed them.

Saturday we went frolfing or frisbee golfing but it was SO incredibley windy! It was like being in a sand storm at some moments. Henriette left that day to head home to Denmark so we said our goodbyes early afternoon. I wish Denmark wasn't so far away =( I so love our Danish family. Chicken broccoli casserole for dinner that night and another round of "Darn it!".

Sunday we raced to church having been promised AMAZING donuts and we missed them! We were able to hear my daddy preach and he gave a fantastic sermon as always. We returned home for hot ham and rolls which we had to warm ourselves because apparently the state of Arizona didn't get the memo on Hot Ham and Rolls on Sundays. We relaxed for the afternoon and then in the evening we relived a proud moment for our family. We rewatched the Superbowl, we're even nerdy enough that we all tried to talk with anticipation as if we didn't know the outcome. I made pizza bread with Rebekah and Tim. Its the easiest pizza recipe ever. Use a loaf of french or italian bread, cut it lengthwise. Use pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice and then stick it under the broiler for 4-5 minutes and BAM cheap, easy, fast, awesome pizza. The Packers won again =)

Monday I started reading a book that my Mom recommended called "Heaven is for real", if you haven't read this book stop reading my blog and go get the book. It is a fantastic book which really affected my outlook on heaven. I devoured the book in one day, so seriously stop reading my blog and go get the book! I laid out in the sun for 2 hours reading and got sunburnt, I was just glad to be a color other than pastey. Then in the afternoon we went frolfing again with my brothers. My mom made fetucchini alfredo with chicken and spinach for dinner which is always a family favorite, fantastic recipe of my mother's. Have you noticed I tell you everyday what we ate for dinner? I like food...

Tuesday I lay out in the sun again and started reading another book called "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult which was over 500 pages so I couldn't quite devour it in a day, although I wanted to. If you haven't read this book, I highly, very highly recommend it too. Who knew I read so much?! Maybe I'll start using bigger words and sound smarter. Stay tuned to see what happens =) I lay outside reading for another 2 hours and then in the afternoon my brothers Justin and Charles, John and I went hiking to Romero Pools.

I started the hike feeling all energetic, I'm a runner and the boys teased me for wanting to run up the hill. They were smart to be pacing themselves. Hiking is very different from just running, different muscles are involved of which I can describe to you which ones by how those muscles were sore by the time we finished our hike. Roundtrip we hiked 5.5 miles and the pools were well worth the hike! It was beautiful, a series of pools that feed into eachother nestled up in the cavern of some mountains. The views were fantastic. Charles slid and got a boo boo and me being the "mommy" had a first aid kit =) BUT I'm also a baby when it comes to blood. So I handed him gauze and a band aid and squeeled at all the blood. I'm no nurse for a reason. We made our way down as the sun was setting and got to see how Tucson is surrounded by mountains, its truly amazing how in every direction you look there are mountains, and they are all a little different. We made it home and then John grilled Tbone steaks, it was great to feel like I earned my steak with that hike. The meat was a great price at $5 a pound so John bought plenty of steak! We wanted to grill as much as we could before returning home where we won't see our grill until April... maybe May.

Wednesday Theresa and Rebekah stayed home from school and spent time with us. Rebekah and I laid out by the pool for a few hours reading and then walked to Walmart to buy stuff to do tye dye! If you don't know this about me already, I have a weakness for tye dye, I'm still a 10 year old girl at heart. The boys went frolfing in the afternoon and then we did tuna melts for dinner. I love me some pickles, cheese and tuna =)

That was our first week in Arizona, its so fun to relive and try to remember each day. We had such a great time so very relaxing but also lots of adventure. Stay tuned for the second half of our trip. If you made it to the end of this posting, give yourself a pat on the back for having such an attention span =) This is a long post!