A Thanksgiving to remember

We had such a nice Thanksgiving this year though it was very different from the past few years. This year, instead of having 20 people at our house, we had a nice, simple and quiet Thanksgiving with Bryan's parents who came to visit. We had a blast with them and miss them already. We went to the San Diego Zoo, the beach, the park, music class and just hung around the house. Ethan remembered them very quickly and was soon following them around asking them to either read to him or play trains! Check out the video of Grandma and Ethan, I think it was one of the highlights of the whole week!

Man on a mission

Ethan got a new bike for his birthday and couldn't really ride it too well since the wheels were a little tight. Once we loosened the wheels he was off and pedaling, literally. He flies around on the bike, steering and all. He loves riding it and it is crazy how well he rides it considering he just turned 2!

Kodak Moment

Every Friday morning for the past few weeks, our next door neighbor Dylan comes over to play for a few hours in the morning while his mother works from home. Dylan is about 10 months older than Ethan but the two of them have a blast together and I get a break from having to entertain Ethan. So today I was puttering around in the kitchen and the boys ran upstairs to Ethan's room. I did not hear any screaming or crying and took that as a sign that things were going well. After a little while I did not hear anything and decided to investigate. When I went upstairs I found the cutest sight, Dylan and Ethan had crawled into Ethan's bed and Dylan was "reading" to Ethan. They then noticed me taking a picture and as if on cue, they turned back into the crazy boys that they are and started jumping all over the bed. Oh well, at least they were cute and cuddly long enough for me to snap a picture!

The wonderful world of potty training

Well, I think it is safe to say that we have entered the world of potty training, though purely by Ethan's lead. For the past 4 or 5 days, Ethan has successfully used the potty 2 or 3 times a day. Ever since he was 18 months old he has always been interested in the potty. When we moved out to California we bought him a little potty which I think he has sat on maybe 3 times total. Just showed no interest in it and in fact would say that the seat hurt his bottom. Things cooled off for a while and then a few months ago he started to want to sit on the "big" potty so we would let him when he asked. Then I went out and bought the little toilet seats that fit on the toilet and he loved that. Every so often before his bath I ask him if he wants to use the potty to which he usually responds "no" and we leave it at that. However a few days ago he wanted to sit on the potty when I asked and actually went. Even better, there have been times when he comes to me and tells me that he has to go potty. Then of course there are the times where he stalls trying to go to sleep or take a nap by telling me he has to go only to sit on the toilet and play or sing! As always, he is very proud of himself wanting to call Meme and Grandma to spread the good news as well as tell anyone who will listen, even the grocery store cashier!! So, I think we have started the road to toilet training but think it could take awhile, but that is the latest and greatest from the Phillips household.

King of the Jungle

Ethan is officially in love with the concept of Halloween. Last year he was too young to really get it but oh boy does he understand it now. I took him to the mall in the afternoon to Trick or Treat at the stores and at first he was intimidated but soon got the hang of it and would walk into each store saying "more candy please". I had to keep reminding him to say "Trick or Treat" first. His costume was a riot but the lion's mane made it a bit top heavy and kept falling in his face. This evening we met up with some of our neighbors and the boys headed out to tackle the neighborhood. It was a riot watching these little munchkins all jockeying for position around the door and flocking to the candy bowl when someone would answer the door. After each house Ethan would come up to me and say "more candy Momma", ahh these kids learn quick. Now I can only imagine how much Ethan is going to beg to eat all of his candy, this should be interesting. Here are some more pictures from the festivities of the day.

Mr. Bo Phillips and Red Sox Nation

We have a new member of the Phillips family, Bo, as in Boston) the fish. This past weekend, Bryan took Ethan on a "secret mission" and returned home with a fish. Ethan picked out the fish and tank. He loves it and says good morning and good night to Bo everyday. It's his little buddy and the only pet he can have given Bryan's allergies.

On another note, we are celebrating the Red Sox World Series victory last night and are disappointed that we can't be in Boston to truly enjoy it but it is still sweet.

The weather is slightly improving but the air quality is still poor and supposedly the air is not clear until 7 days after the fire stops burning. Unfortunately, the Santiago Canyon fire, the one closest to us, is still burning so it may continue to be some time until we are able play for long periods of time. We have been doing a lot of indoor activities to keep Ethan and his friends busy, even carving pumpkins on the kitchen floor. Ethan wasn't too into the pumpkin carving and wanted nothing to do with scraping out the inside, can't say I blame him, I don't like it either!

Wildfire Update

The wildfires here in Southern California are unbelievable. Thank you to all our friends and family who have called or emailed to make sure we are okay. Fortunately we have not been in any immediate danger. The closest fire to us is about 15-20 miles away and as of the latest report it appears to be heading away from structures and moving towards the mountains. From our house we can see lots of smoke but not any flames. There is ash on our cars and the air is very thick from the smoke which means we can't be outside much as the air quality is so poor. Ethan's school closed early on Tuesday and was closed again yesterday as they could see flames on the hillside in the distance. Bryan's office is about a few blocks away from Ethan's school and he and his colleagues have gone up on the roof of their building to watch the flames. Apparently this is the closest any major fires have come to this area in a long time and some of the worst the state has seen. This is all new to us as we are used to just a good old snowstorm! Anyways, we're fine, a bit stir crazy from having to stay inside, but lately that is okay since we have our Boston Red Sox to watch and by the way they're playing things are looking good.