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Emily

I know we’re not supposed to have favorites…..

But I do. How can you not love this man?

His conference messages, always spoke to my heart. I always heard and FELT his words.

Especially the last conference about compassion, and the most recent one about ‘come what may and love it’. The messages were pure, inspired, and stuck with me. I remember them clearly as if he just spoke them.

I hope I can remember his words always, I am a better person because of the messages he has shared. I will miss seeing him at conference, sharing his wisdom and whit. But am excited for his reunion with his wife.

God Speed Elder Wirthlin.

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Elliot Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

Thanksgiving Checklist….

Pilgrim…

check
(See the Pilgrim hat in front? It got ripped shortly after we took the picture. 🙁 I got to Truman’s Class Thanksgiving Feast to help them. I love seeing my children in their school setting, watching them interact with peers, the things they say, the way they act, what they do, the routines they follow. Oh, I can’t get enough)

Food? Turkey, Stuffing, Potatoes, Gravy, Artichokes, sparkling grape juice….

check
(A Few years ago, I realized someday (hopefully not for a long, long time) I am going to be the Matriarch in charge of putting together this grand feast. So since then, we’ve tried to make our own Turkey, and little dinner, to begin the practicing! I am no gourmet chef, but it is fun to celebrate just our little fam too!)

More Turkeys….

check.
(Every year, we’ve done this. We hang them up, and it’s fun to see how the boys writing and artwork skills have changed over the years. Plus what is Thanksgiving without a Hand print Turkey?)

Gratitude?

check.
(An important part of Thanksgiving. I’ve been trying to encourage the boys to be aware of the abundance of blessings that are around them. Pretty sure someday the real concept of gratitude will sink it, but for now, a majority of the time Tucker is grateful for Robots/Robotics and Truman for Hercules or whatever Superhero he is pretending to be at the moment. I am especially grateful for a healthy rather uneventful pregnancy, and an amazing husband who I don’t appreciate enough for all of the amazing things he does. I have so many blessings!)

Still More Turkeys?

Check
(Just kidding there not really turkeys, but they are the cutest little people I know.)

And to you, wishing you
a wonderful Thanksgiving!
THANK YOU
for being a very important part of my life.

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Elliot Emily

More TBL

I don’t know if posting this has helped, or just that the ‘nesting’ has set in, either way, it was a pretty successful week!

#3 Crib Sanded. DONE! (I did this without realizing that it could be hazardous to the baby…) I did it in a well ventilated garage, on a beautiful, slightly windy day…so hopefully all will still be well. I knew painting had bad fumes, and therefore recruited Toph to help, but didn’t know the harmful effects of sanding!

#4 Crib Painted (mostly). I bought the paint, and again, my sweet husband got recruited to help with my projects. We have to just do the touch ups and the final clear coat.

#1 In baby’s room, furniture moved out, vacuumed, and then rearrange present furniture in preparation for the crib.

#5 Remember the fun reading area? The boys have loved this, and maybe someday we’ll be able to set something else like this up again, but for now, the baby does need a closet to store clothes! So the bookshelf needed to be moved into the storage room. Still accessible to the boys, and now I can start getting the closet ready for baby brothers clothes.

#12 and #13 Neighbor Gifts Poem Written, Tags Made and attached to presents. Come December and we’ll be ready to deliver (#14)!

And I forgot one thing off my previous list
#9 Super Saturday done. That was a BIGGIE. I forget how much big event like that have so many details, and take so much coordination! But I have an awesome board and RS Presidency. Making it so much easier to complete successfully.

It feels good to cross these things off!

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Elliot Emily Topher

The Baby List (TBL)

I wrote this on Monday, and somehow didn’t post it. I’m blaming it on Pregnancy Brain. That’s a good enough excuse for alot of things right now! 🙂
So about a month ago, I kind of had a realization, that ‘baby brother’ was on his way, and began a list of things I needed to have accomplished before his arrival. Somethings were pertinent to the baby, others were things that have to be done because it is the Holiday Season, or because we own a house, or because I know if I don’t get them done now, they won’t happen for a LONG time until we settle in the routine of having a new member of our family.
I’ve had a goal of getting two or three things done each week. I haven’t totally and completely met this goal, but I am trying hard. And think often about my TBL.I am hoping that posting this, will encourage me to meet my goal of two or three things off that list each week!
So here’s what I’ve gotten done so far….

#10 Neighbor Christmas Gifts purchased, and #11 wrapped, (They still need the tags (#12), and I need to write a poem (#13) but that can come another day, right?)

#8 The boys have gotten their Flu Shots (we are always SO MUCH healthier during the years we get these, and with a new baby, the less we get sick the better!)…

Funny story about this one by the way. I made the mistake of telling Truman over a month before our appointment about the shot. Big mistake. he asked me about it constantly, almost daily, until the big day. He was so worried and nervous when the day finally came. We went in, and I decided since Tucker was so calm and collected, I would have him go first. It would be a good thing for Truman. The nurse had everything ready (I am sure she had already been doing it all day), so I helped Tucker up to the table, then it became one of those moments, he realized, really realized, it was really going to happen–right then, and he didn’t want to do it. So, he started to freak out. Really freak out, then In the back of my mind, I remember that Christopher used to freak out over shots, like really freak out too, and I think, oh dear, maybe I should’ve had Truman go first.
I look over at him, his eye are as big as quarters staring at Tucker on the table, and he’s madly grasping the door knob trying to get out of the room, but not taking his eyes off of Tucker, therefore he’s unable to open the door and make a run for it. Luckily the nurse was fast, I held Tucks arms and she took his legs. He was crying before it started, but as soon as it was done he stopped, and just had tears running down his face. The anticipation was so much worse than the actual thing. Again, I look at Truman, while I am trying to console Tucker, get him off the table, Keeping an eye on Truman and trying to convince him that it will hurt just a little and be over quick. At this point, Truman’s finally taken his eyes off Tucker, and can now focus his attention to getting out of the room by opening the door, which he does easily once he can focus a little better. Truman is quick, and he was out the door, down the hall, and almost to the waiting room by the time me and my pregnant belly caught up to him. I carried him back down the hall, and he really wasn’t happy, but the nurse was quick, again she grabbed the legs and I had the arms. (Much easier to manage a 3 year old then a 5 year old) He got his shot in the leg. Truman cried for only a second, then looked at me and said, Mom it wasn’t that bad, then stopped crying. We walked out of the room with boys with smiles on their faces. The boys happily choose out Stickers, and I never would have believed the transformation that occurred, and the emotions that were felt and experienced in such a short amount of time. Definitely a relief to mark this one off our list, until next year that is 🙂

#3 Sprinkling System Drained. How nice to have a sprinkling system to be drained 🙂 (thanks to my sweetheart installing and draining)

#7 Garage Straightened (Again, a big shout out to my handsome man, couldn’t have done it with out you!) Well Actually I stayed in the house, and put away the stuff that was supposed to be inside, but somehow had found a home in the garage, while he and the boys straightened out there. Nice to have such a helpful boys, eh? Now that it’s straightened, it makes it easier to get things out of the attic, like….

#2 Crib Down (it’s out of the attic, just staring at me, it’s SO banged up, (we got it used—after 5 kids who’ve used it, and so many moves, It’s seen better days) it needs a little face lift, I’m waiting for a really warm day to paint it. *or recruit Toph to paint it*

Here’s to getting more done this week!

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Emily

Happy Birthday Brother Chad….

Chad is the newest member of the Phillips Family and my brother -in-law.

As he is the newest member, just married Jo this summer, we are still getting to know him!
A few of the things I do know about him:
–He plays the guitar really well, especially with all of us singing off key around the campfire.
–He is the youngest of his family, just like Jo, and they are perfect for each other.
–JoAnna has never been happier, than after she met him. She just glows when she talks about him.
–He is easy going, enough so that he blends in so well with our family, but yet adds so much.
–He is adventurous, and is heading off to China in a few short months…
Looking forward to getting to know you better! Hope you’re having a great day!

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Elliot Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

I realized again today,

how hard Sundays can be with Two ACTIVE little boys and being pregnant. I think I could write a good comedy story about it….someday when it is funny, I just might do that.

But with that said, I am grateful to have two active HEALTHY boys. I am grateful they TRY to be reverent, and TRY to remember not to run in the halls at church and the chapel, and TRY to remember not to climb over the pews into the elderly womans lap behind us. I am grateful I am HEALTHY enough to attend church and partake of the sacrament, even though the whole time is spend prompting and helping them be reverent. I am grateful for FAMILY who is close enough to see and to celebrate them. I am grateful for the OPPORTUNITY to serve my Savior. I am grateful to be a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTERDAY SAINTS. I am grateful for HUGS and KISSES after the boys are naughty.

Lastly, I am most grateful for the reminder that my little boys are just that….LITTLE BOYS.

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Emily Truman Tucker

Sayings….

As always, I am amazed by my children. Here are some things they have said/done, that makes me wonder how their little brains work, but yet I can understand how they reached these conclusions. But they are interesting conclusion they’ve jumped too none the less…

Truman:

(Truman has been thinking a lot about good choices this past few weeks)
“If Tucker doesn’t start listening, Satan is going to be coming to our house…”
“When we make good choices, we get to go to heaven. When we get to go to heaven, we get to see Jesus, and that will be good, because we don’t know what Jesus looks like, cause we can’t see him. Ever.”
When discussing with Truman, the idea that we will have to purchase a new car after baby brother comes, because our car will be small and tight for three car seats, he says to me, “We’ll have to get a babysitter for Dad, Tucker and Baby Brother, because if not they’d be LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLYYYYYYY (Lonely) while you and me go pick out that car.”

Tucker:

We have a young man in our ward who is experiencing some major health problems. We’ve been praying for him and the boys made a card and we went to the store to get a little treat to give him. When we were at the store, Tucker wanted to get a treat to, but I told him not today, then we got back in the car to go deliver it, Tucker was throwing a major fit. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was going on. I thought he didn’t want to give the candy away. Finally, he was so out of control I pulled the car over, and in a very stern voice said ‘Tucker you have so much halloween candy at home, this is ridiculous. You don’t need this candy, you are being silly. I don’t like this behavior, what is going on?’
Tucker then turned to me and with tears in his eyes said, ‘Mom, I’m afraid I will catch his germs and have to be in the hospital like him.’
Man Did I feel bad, we then had a discussion about how you can’t catch these germs, and then I felt horrible for the rest of the night that I was so shallow to think Tucker was that upset over a piece of candy.
Thank goodness for the children in our lives to keep us grounded, sane and a little bit crazy. 🙂

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Emily Truman Tucker

Someone asked me the other day,

Does Tucker still like Robots?
Maybe these videos he took a few weeks ago will answer that question…


YEP !!!! (Especially these wooden robots, thanks again Grandma and Grandpa Phillips)!! And he is learning the fine art of making videos. (Which from what I understand from Toph is something he enjoyed doing too when he was little–)

It’s nothing to exciting, and may be boring to many people. It is just him playing robots. But it just makes my little heart jump to watch him. Seeing things like this makes it seem almost as if he’s growing up right before my eyes. (And you can hear Truman commenting/helping in the background too…)

And I love that he is at the age of entertaining himself for a few minutes, while I make some phone calls for church stuff–sorry you can hear me gabbing in the background 🙂

And just in case you want more robot goodness, here is another one, you got to love it.

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Emily

4 Spot…

Cat tagged me FOREVER ago, like I think in August, and I’m just now getting to it. Sorry Cat.

4 Jobs I’ve held
1. Momma/Wife/Homemaker/Cook/Chauffeur/Maid
2. Transcriptionist
3. Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority (MEFA) College Savings Plan Advisor
4. Study Abroad Office

4 Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. Home videos of my boys
The other two are my boys favorites, that I do watch over and over, not because I can, but because they can 🙂
3. Planet Heroes, Ace in Space.
4. Robots with Rodney Copperbottom.

4 Places I Have Lived
1. PG, UT
2. Quincy, MA
3. Providence/Logan, UT
4. SLC, UT

4 T.V. Shows I Enjoy
1. Gilmore Girls
2. Eli Stone
3. Pushing Dasies
4. Chuck

4 Places I have Been on Vacation
1. Cal-i-for-nia
2. Europe: Italy, France and Albania
3. New York City
4. the Bahamas

4 Favorite Foods
1. Cheese, (Surprising I know)
And besides that, being pregnant, there are not a whole lot of other foods I can eat over and over and over again….. 🙁 But normally… I love

1. Cheese
2. Spinach
3. Cherry Tomatoes
4. Chocolate

4 Websites I visit (pretty much daily)
1. Gmail
2. Google Reader
3. My Blog
4. my Work Website.

4 Places I Want to Visit
1. Back to Europe FOR SURE! I can just taste the Gelatto now.
2. OR Some place with a warm beautiful beach,
3. With my husband and Children,
4. And Room Service to feed us all!

Now I’m supposed to pick 4 other blog buddies to do this!
You’re supposed to copy this and tag 4 other people (Cathrine already tagged all of the sisters and I’m afraid I don’t know who else really looks at my BLOG, so whoever wants to do it, please do 🙂

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Emily

Remember…

We write to taste life twice, once in the moment, and once in retrospection.
-Anais Nin

I may be MILES behind in posting, and what I want to post, but when I see quotes like this, I remember why I do it. Hopefully they’ll be more posts soon.