A New Year a new Place a new Blog

The Phillips family
December 31, 2012

     Welcome to 2013. We have moved to El Paso Texas!! It is wonderful here!!  So this year I changed the name of my blog. I hear so many times people say oh you are just a mom. Yes I am just a mom, and I am proud of it. So I am going to blog what just a mom does!! 
     Liam is 3 1/2 years old now. I am trying to get him ready for school. My goal this year is to sit down with him each day and teach him something. Today we sat down and did dot to dots that I got off  the Nick Jr. site for free. I realized he knew  his alphabet, but he didn't know how to hold his penci,l or draw a straight line. So I went online and looked for some help. I found this cool blog called Preschoolmama. It has so many tips on how to help little kids with fine motor skills. So tomorrow we are going to try one of her tricks to help Liam learn to hold a pencil. I am excited to try her tricks and they look like fun activities that Liam will love!!! 
   I am hoping to be creative and be able to share with you things that have helped me be just a mom. 
   

February 2012

                      Thank you to all my friends and family that made my birthday special this year. 
        Liam and I had a great Valentines Day that we spent with friends. I took Liam out to ice cream He got raspberry with mini marshmallows. When he was finished he went up to the counter he ask the lady for some green and some chocolate. She gave him a spoonful of each. He said thank you and walked out. He knows how it works. I got a wonderful surprise from Callan. He sent me my favorite chocolates and beautiful roses. We realized that we have had 4 Valentines together and have only been home together for one of them. That is OK we cherish everyday that we spend together.

     We did get a couple of weeks of positive weather in February. We got to go outside and take some walks. There was still a lot of snow on the ground, which made for a better work out. We were hoping winter was coming to and end. unfortunately it dropped again back into the negatives. We just got about another 2 feet of snow, but we are hoping March will bring lots of great surprises for us. We hope all is well with you and your families and you all had a wonderful February.

My Creations

So I stopped writing my blog about the end of summer. I was making crafts for people, but I didn't want to post the pictures.  But now that I am done and gave away all my gifts I can update my blog.!!

First family update. Callan is still in Afghanistan and doing well. Liam and I are still up in Alaska. It got really cold this year. We got down to -55 last week. Way too cold for me. Winter is still not over. We have a lot more to come. Today however we had a heat wave and it got up to 25 degrees. Liam and I went out for a 45 minute walk!! I started teaching reading at an elementary school part time.  I love working with kids and it helps the time go by. It is hard to leave Liam every morning, but we have had really great babysitters. Liam is sleeping in a toddler bed now. He is getting better going to sleep, at first it was crazy, but we are both getting the hang of it. Now we are working on potty training. He knows how to use the toilet and does it all the time for a sucker, but still wants to wear a diaper. I need to remind him more to use the toilet. So far 2012 is looking good for us and we know we have exciting things to look forward to this year. We can't wait!!

I made stuffed elephants, soft stacking rings, crib sheets, and blankets for my sister-in-laws, sister, and some friends. I hope they all enjoyed having cute babies, I wish I was having one!!

I also made fleece argyle blankets for some of my brother-in-laws. I also made some other lap blankets for my family. Since I started work I haven't done much. I am crocheting a blanket right now, but that is more so I don't snack while I watch TV.

I made some yummy food for the first time too!!

I enjoyed making all my projects. It was fun and kept me busy.

 Blanket and Baby Gifts!!

pajama pants

Liam's Halloween Costume

He was Lightning Mc Queen

Egg rolls

Creme Puffs

Wontons

Liam made a hand Wreath for Callan For Thanksgiving!

Now That it is 2012 more will come. I am hoping to update each month!! With what the Phillips Family is upto!!

Seward, Alaska Trip July 2011

Callan came home for two weeks on his R&R. We had a great time. We were able to sneak away for three days to Seward and we had so much fun. Well after I got over leaving my son that long for the first time.   In Seward we went on a Cruise into the Kenai National Park. It was amazing., we saw so much wild life. We were able to see killer whales, humpback whales, dolphins, otters, sea lions, puffins, and a couple of bald eagles. we even went by a glacier. How amazing. Then next day Callan and I climbed up a couple of the glaciers and it was a lot of fun. Callan and I after seeing our pictures, have decided we need to invest in a better camera.The wildlife is a little small. We loved R&R!! We miss you Callan and love you!!

Killer Whale

Puffin

Otters

Glacier

Dolphin

Humpback Whale

Liam loves His Cars!