tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198468872024-03-07T19:40:30.175-05:00Pages That No One Will ReadFrom the mind of Chris PhillipsChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.comBlogger371125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-61956449485226595232023-11-17T01:27:00.000-05:002023-11-17T01:27:15.686-05:00Italy Summer 2023Italy holds a special place for us. Kacey is one quarter Italian. We love the food. We visited in 2006 and really fell in love with the country and way of living. And then, we were lucky enough to live in Siena in 2010 during Kacey's internship. While we could have revisited the county while living in Dublin, we were still holding tight to the memories and wanted to visit many other places. So, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-41107502724534528042023-04-19T07:57:00.002-04:002023-04-19T07:57:33.424-04:00MasonWe laid Mason to rest Monday, April 17. He had a great 17 years with us. He was a great annoyance/companion to Stella. He caught mice in Ireland, lizards in California, bunnies in North Carolina, more mice in Rhode Island, climbed on the house a lot in California, and got very close to Liana once Stella passed. He often slept with her and she is heartbroken that he is gone. He loved being outsideChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-86137084597911397202023-04-17T19:58:00.000-04:002023-04-17T19:58:08.932-04:00Utah and Arizona National Park TourFor Spring Break 2023, we did the National Park loop through Utah and Arizona. I had traveled this area in high school and was excited to show the family the beauty of the area. Since we have a fourth grader, we got a national parks pass for free. We gave the kids the small canon camera to use on their own. We landed at 9:15am. We had placed a Walmart pickup order of snacks, food, and water for Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-67737952739331919492021-02-01T09:51:00.000-05:002021-02-01T09:51:56.663-05:00Grandpa VanHook These past few days I have been flooded with good memories of my grandpa. He lived a long and wonderful life. I have memories of growing up and loving going to my favorite place, grandma and grandpa's house, the house he built with his hands. Looking through all the tools in his workshop, playing basketball with cousins on the gravel (no blood, no foul), kickball games at the sidewalk Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-74283617690016276962019-06-08T20:07:00.001-04:002019-06-08T20:07:43.968-04:00SantoriniWe were really looking forward to spending a relaxing few days on the island of Santorini, and celebrating our 15 year anniversary! On Tuesday we caught our early 6:30am flight to Athens from Rhodes and ate some breakfast during our layover. We arrived to Santorini airport at 10 and even though we had to wait a while for our bags, we got outside right as a bus to Fira was getting ready to leave. Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-90242795950274513962019-05-31T19:35:00.000-04:002019-06-06T15:33:08.547-04:00RhodesOur direct flight to Rhodes has us landing around 9:15am. We learned the taxis in Rhodes are mostly based on a fixed price system, which was really nice! We were dropped off pretty close to our hotel in the old town, but I knew going in we would have to walk just a bit. We arrived at Petrino hotel around 10:30 and were greeted with orange juice and room that was almost ready. Our room here was Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-37779609031063174372019-05-31T19:25:00.001-04:002019-06-08T20:12:42.053-04:00Athens
Thursday was a very early start but we landed around 7am and took the metro to Syntagma Square. We arrived at Plaka Hotel around 8:30am and went to enjoy their breakfast! I booked a room with an Acropolis view and it definitely did not disappoint. The hotel also had a rooftop bar with amazing views, especially at night. Our plan for the day was to not do too much and relax and enjoy the day; we Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-88806866765457138172019-05-22T11:15:00.000-04:002019-05-22T11:15:00.080-04:00EphesusWe had a short flight to Izmir at 7pm and took a short taxi ride to the
DoubleTree. They had a restaurant next door so we got pizzas and went to
bed.
Wednesday morning our tour guide Ozge met us at the hotel. I had
prebooked a tour through a reliable company on trip advisor and as in
the past, this worked out well. To our pleasant surprise, we ended up also having a separate driver, and ourChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-79768900780656316742019-05-19T14:37:00.001-04:002019-06-08T20:26:26.460-04:00IstanbulWe started our anniversary trip with a visit to Istanbul. We arrived around 4pm to the new airport and had arranged a transport to the city, as the metro line was not yet complete and many stories of taxis ripping you off exist. It was a good decision to pre-book a transport and many good companies are in the business. Our driver could not reach the hotel exactly due to the street being blocked, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-57134593056041335522018-08-07T18:56:00.001-04:002018-08-07T18:56:29.700-04:00StellaStella left us today. She had a good life with lots of adventures. She nested and cuddled with Kacey. She checked up on crying babies. She cleaned Mason. She was loved and loved us. She will be missed dearly and remembered fondly.
Baby Stella 2003
First Christmas 2003
Licking ice 2005
Why is he here? 2006
Mugshot 2006
Chillin 2008
Cleaning 2008
Helping with Nolan Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-51161454562946830452017-08-30T18:51:00.000-04:002017-08-30T18:51:45.970-04:00Maine and New HampshireThis week, we visited Acadia National Park and the White Mountain National Forest. We decided for a last minute trip with the in-laws of the two areas. Booking last minute, needing two rooms, in Bar Harbor is difficult, but the Days Inn was good enough. We got in to town for a late lunch Saturday and went to the Finback, a place we ate at more than once two years ago when visiting. Following Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-55824467723023218142016-03-12T13:06:00.002-05:002016-03-12T13:06:29.071-05:00Colin is 15 months oldColin is growing well. He is small like his brother was, but super active and climbing. All animals say ruff ruff, even the cats. He is 29.5 in long and 18lbs 5 oz. He says book and can point to things like brother, sister, cat, nose, ears, and mouth.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-3146839185119604362015-12-12T11:04:00.001-05:002015-12-12T11:04:42.108-05:00Colin is One Year Old!Colin just turned one! He is 17lbs and 29". He is very fast and almost able to climb up on the couch. He is quite goofy and silly. He points a few things out (sis, brah-brah, ma, da, ball) and these are also all words he can use. He eats ok, maybe not quite as good as brother and sister did at this age. He gives great hugs and kisses. He is finally starting to read books instead of eat them.
I Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-36051949068161060962015-10-08T11:26:00.002-04:002015-10-08T11:26:18.939-04:00Colin is Ten Months Old!Colin is getting pretty goofy. He baby-talks to us a lot now; it seems like he is sometimes trying to have a little conversation. He is eating most things now and pretty good at chewing. He still doesn't nap very well. He is trying to climb on stuff still, but hasn't YET been able to get up on anything. He is just now starting to point at things, so soon he may be able to point to things that I Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-2450928839698053592015-09-08T11:44:00.001-04:002015-09-08T11:44:31.461-04:00Colin is Nine Months Old!This little guy is progressing well. He still seems small, but eats ok and is super active. He is walking! He started taking steps a few weeks ago, and now he almost walks more than crawls around. He can stand up quite well without holding on to anything. I need to find some more foods for him to eat. It is funny how you forget what you used to feed the first two kids when they were this age! He Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-50839581160186276302015-08-18T07:23:00.000-04:002015-08-18T07:23:17.424-04:00Nolan is 7 and Colin is Eight Months OldA little late, but better than never...
Nolan turned 7 and once again we weren't really in a place to have a party. So, we took him to Mystic for the day, then home for pizza and cake. He picked chocolate cake with blue icing and gold sprinkles. He picked out a stuffed octopus from the aquarium and got a new bike.
Colin is so close to walking. He is kinda taking a step, but mostly falling Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-10362787568183944232015-06-10T11:43:00.001-04:002015-06-10T11:43:36.445-04:00Colin is Six Months Old! And other happeningsColin is six months old! Times going pretty quick now. He is crawling around so fast, it is a little challenging thats for sure. His two bottom teeth popped in a little over a week ago, and his top two are working their way through right now. We have been cup feeding most of the time, that works the best for him. He still isn't taking naps in his crib; he wakes as soon as I lean him over. We alsoChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-33870833985620846952015-05-30T07:47:00.000-04:002015-05-30T07:48:05.527-04:00New York CityFor Memorial Day weekend, we drove to New York City for a few days to take in the sights. We stayed near Columbus Circle on the edge of Central Park. Thursday night after arrival, we ate some Thai food near our hotel. It was good, as we haven't had good Thai food in a long time.
We had a list of things to see and a possible order to see them in. Friday we started off at the Statue of Liberty. WeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-66876668788634883252015-05-08T13:35:00.000-04:002015-05-08T13:36:40.282-04:00Colin is Five Months Old!Colin turned five moths on Tuesday. He has been barrel rolling and scooting around for a week or so (also getting up on his knees), but Monday night he really crawled. Now, by the end of the week, he is getting much faster! He went to the doc today and he is 25" and 13lb 8oz. He is small, but also very active and not eating much during the days. He has been sleeping in his crib some during the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-36599442798707960412015-04-10T10:09:00.001-04:002015-04-10T10:28:30.100-04:00Colin is Four Months Old! And other progress..Colin is 4 months! He is getting so big. He is rolling around; we already have to be careful about where we leave him. Transitioning to expressed milk via a bottle is a struggle. Liana and I really struggled with this and I am trying to not repeat that. One morning he figured it out, but forgot by that afternoon. Yesterday he drank some from a little cup, so hopefully that is our ticket to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-53898512514341977882015-03-13T18:23:00.000-04:002015-03-13T18:23:06.540-04:00Colin is Three Months Old! And other updates...Colin is three months old! He gives lots of smiles, but makes funny/scared faces for the camera. So, mostly the smiles are just for us. His legs are quite strong and seems like he really wants to roll over. He likes playing on his back some, hitting the hanging toys with his hands. I think he is close to giggling, but not quite there. He is cooing at me some.
Liana is almost 2.5. We are startingChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-19966479731875703572014-12-12T11:30:00.000-05:002014-12-17T16:46:23.006-05:00Colin David PhillipsWe welcome with love our new son, Colin David Phillips!
He was born December 5, 2014 at 8AM. He weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 20.5 in long. At his one week check-up he was already at 7 lb 6 oz. He loves to try to hold his head up and watch his older brother and sister.
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-56959899436849477802014-11-08T08:45:00.002-05:002014-11-08T08:45:15.617-05:00Liana Turned Two!I completely forgot to write this, and actually thought I had already done so. She is a sweet little girl, but also stubborn at times. She isn't sleeping by herself, and we can't really enforce it living in an apartment as she just screams. (She hasn't been a good napper since about April/May). She eats a good variety of food, but grazes and won't eat much in one sitting generally. She saves it Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-66994243503074426452014-08-23T15:14:00.000-04:002014-08-25T17:34:56.592-04:00Goodbye Ireland, Its Been Grand!It has been a tiring week, emotionally and physically. Running around, packing, movers, hotels, flights, taxis. Monday our furniture went away, we finished packing our suitcases, and we moved to a hotel. Tuesday our belongings were packed up and we wrapped up some things around town. The cleaners also started at the house. Wednesday the cleaners finished and we handed our keys over. Our lovely Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846887.post-23053051387037060412014-08-08T09:23:00.000-04:002014-08-08T09:23:10.667-04:00County DonegalWe finally got up to County Donegal for bank holiday weekend. We were once again fortunate to dodge a lot of rain (started while in the car, stopped when we arrived). This is a beautiful area and due to its proximity from Dublin, most tours stay away.
Friday afternoon we drove to Belleek, a small town on the Ireland/NI border that is known for its pottery. We booked a little bar B&B there Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06805010116540889597noreply@blogger.com0