Breaking News!

Mom is getting a droid!

Not this kind....

but this kind!

She has officially surpassed us all in techie coolness.

Happy Birthday J.J.!

Our marathon birthday month ends with J.J.'s birthday on the 28th.

JJ has always been extremely laid back, even as a baby. Mom said JJ was her easiest delivery, and beyond that she doesn't remember much, so he must have been really good. (The picture below is from the "butterball" days).

J.J. and Roo were the best of friends growing up, they loved pound puppies, Star Wars, and throwing toys off the balcony. They played volleyball in high school together too.

JJ is notorious in our family for being the most easy-going. In fact, some of our favorite JJ stories stem from his ability to achieve these extreme levels of relaxation. For example, when JJ was very young, he used to play by himself and kind of "zone out". When the older brothers would ask him what he was doing, he would say that he was "in the X-dimension".

Another good story is from when JJ was a teenager. He was working on his homework very intently. I was playing office with Mom, and we both walked into the kitchen together. We freaked out because there was a huge fire about 200 yards away in our backyard that had been going for awhile, and JJ hadn't even noticed!

JJ is more than just an easy going brother. He is known for being one of the funniest brothers as well. JJ is like Dad because he will be quiet and then just at the right moment he'll throw out the funniest comment, movie quote, or observation. This makes JJ dang fun to hang out with because you just never know what he's going to say, but you can be sure it will be hilarious.

JJ is a HUGE sports fan. He has always wanted to work for a sports team, and he still hopes that he might be able to do some kind of accounting for a sports team in the future. JJ has spent every morning since he learned how to read with his nose buried in the sports page. He knows all the players, history and statistics from every team for every sport... except baseball.

JJ loves sports, and the only thing he loves more is his family. When he found out Jennifer was pregnant, he announced it on his facebook wall by saying:

"Come this spring, it looks like only one of my top two life goals (watching the Jazz win the championship & becoming a Dad) will be fulfilled. I think it’s pretty obvious which one."

JJ is a wonderful husband and father. He is very hands-on with Nolan, and I think Jennifer is glad for that. He is so excited to be a Daddy!

He is patient, gentle and sweet. He also takes great care of the kitty cats!

We had so much fun visiting JJ a few weeks ago for Nolan's blessing. He gave his son a beautiful blessing and then he bore his testimony, which was nice to hear.

We love you JJ! We are glad that you are a part of your family and we miss you! We hope you have an awesome birthday!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Tutu!

Dads birthday was on July 24, and we celebrated by having a big America/Army themed party. There were 10 grandkids in the house, which is exactly what Dad wanted for his birthday. Here, he is being serenaded by Marissa, Nathan, Erica, Sadie, Mary and Lea.

Happy Birthday Spencer!

Spencer is actually in Idaho this week with his 5 kids, and we are excited to be able to celebrate his birthday with him.

Spencer's nickname as a kid was "smiley" because he was always cheerful and had lots of smiles to give everybody. As he grew up he earned additional nicknames like Spendo and Spendork from his siblings.

Spencer is SO dang talented! He took on a full renovation of his basement--on his own. He taught himself how to do everything--electricity, flooring, plumbing, drywall, egress window--everything by looking stuff up online or getting books from the library. Working on the basement was a long process and the entire family got involved. The finished product is beautiful and has added lots of value to their home.

Although Spencer's basement renovation is remarkable, he has always had a creative streak. When he was younger he used his talents to create skateboard ramps, crossbow targets and he even made his own surfboards as a teenager. Now, he uses his woodworking tools to create all kinds of neat things. He also made a violin bow for Kristin, which he said is one of the more difficult things to make.

Spencer is a great Dad to his 5 kids. He's very hands on and very patient. He wasn't always as patient as he is today, I believe he learned this skill while he was on his mission in Baltimore and New York City--some of the toughest cities in America!

Spencer has also had a very interesting career, working as a lawyer for big corporations and underserved populations alike. He also loved working as a Judge. I remember when I was visiting them a few years ago and Spencer was genuinely excited about his job. He is one of the few people who I know that truly loved what they do. Our conversation gave me hope that I might be able to find a career that I love one day too.

Spencer and Kristin have been married almost 13 years! They are still every bit as sweet to each other and affectionate as they were back then.

Spencer has a lot on his plate, with 5 kids, working, projects, and teaching seminary every morning at 6am. He handles every challenge with an admirable positive attitude. He is very loving and always seems to have more to give to anyone in need.

We love you Spencer and hope you have a very happy birthday!

Nolan Overload

Here's some more pictures from our trip...

Mom & J.J. having cereal in the (beautiful) kitchen

J.J. is so cute with Nolan!

Jennifer's parents absolutely adore this little man!

It was funny to watch them with Nolan, they are so happy to have a grandson close by!

This is everybody watching Nolan's bathtime.

Grandma Rae and Aunt Natalee with Nolan.

Here Nolan is learning to use bottles so Mommy & Daddy can go out on a date!

Nolan's Busy Bathtime

How many people does it take to bathe a newborn?

Well, if that newborn is Nolan it takes one Mommy, one Daddy, a great-grandma, two grandpas, two grandmas, an auntie, and a few cats.

Nolan has had bathtime before, but this was our first chance to watch him, so we all crowded in the bathroom and made the expected "oooo" and "awwww" sounds.

Its so funny how Nolan likes to look at himself in the mirror!

It was totally cute to watch JJ and Jennifer dote on baby Nolan. They even got all the nooks and crannies with a cotton ball!

Nolan seemed relaxed in the warm water, but I think all of the attention from his relatives might have overwhelmed him a little bit.

He was ready to go bed after his bath.

All snuggled up with Mommy! Phew! :)

North Carolina Trip

Mom, Dad and I had a fantastic week in Charlotte, NC! (Or, if you are advanced enough to handle it... Tega Cay, SC).

We were there to officially meet the newest Phillips--Mr. Nolan!

Nolan is clearly a very intelligent and fashionable young man. (Notice his shirt in the above picture). ;)

I love his "chillax" expression almost as much as his smile!

He is pretty squirmy and loves to do big, drawn-out, dramatic stretches.

Maybe he learned this stretching skill from his furry siblings...

Lizzy

Yoda

and Jengo.

Other than Nolan and the Kitties, we were also there to see J.J. and Jennifer's new house! It is just beautiful, fresh and of course immaculate. This picture is looking down into the family room from the second level "catwalk" above.

Its hard to tell in pictures, but their dark wood floors are seriously gorgeous! Their subdivision is growing everyday, and we almost saw a house go from foundation to completion during the time we were there. One of J.J. and Jen's favorite things to do is walk through the new houses to see the different floorplans. Here they are with Jen's parents out on a walk through the neighborhood. I stayed home with Nolan haha.

All of the houses are in a colonial style which Mom and I like, and no two houses are exactly the same, which creates a lot of character within their neighborhood. They have an awesome swimming pool with a slide too! We went there several times during the week.

This is Nolan's adorable whale-themed bedroom! Jennifer has decorated the whole house really cute, and she impressed us all with her creative talent and skills. We helped them plant some plants and hang some pictures while we were there too.

Dad and Nolan spent so much time together they started to wear matching clothes...

and they talked to each other in Baby language...

and when Dad decided to take his afternoon nap....

Nolan wanted to join him!

Dad wasn't the only one to enjoy little Nolan, of course...

Mom was the best at bringing out his little smiles.

And he was the best at bringing out hers. :)

Nolan got to go on a walk with Tutus!

There was a cute shopping center that we walked through and found this random phone booth...

We also went out for several yummy dinners! Nolan is still young enough that he sleeps through most meals. (thank goodness)

This is us at the Melting Pot, a fancy fondue restaurant. It was dang good!

J.J. and Jennifer are very sweet, devoted parents to Nolan. They seem to be handling all the stress and sleeplessness of parenthood very well. They are keeping a good sense of humor about the little things, and reading all the books about the big stuff. They are doing great!

This picture is one of my favorites, and it was not staged! (well, not originally) They were all holding each others hands. Such a sweet little family.

We love you guys! Thanks for hosting us for a whole week!

(More updates to come...)