AUGUST 18, 1986
BLESSED DAY
We welcomed JACOB STEVEN PHILLIPS to our family!
To say I waited for you for nearly a quarter century doesn't generate quite enough emotion or longing! I wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember, and you were and are so many gifts to me. The miracle of birth and the emotions that come when you hold a newborn infant for the first time are indescribable, but heavenly gratitude and joy just oozed from my soul. As traumatic as your birth was for all of us :) it was my first and most amazing adventure of becoming a mom.
so many gifts and well wishers and visitors.
Aunt Gloria finished her mission in time to come and be with us for your birth. Grandma Stoller came, but you weren't ready to come out to play. She had to go home, but came back when you were getting blessed. Your birth was pretty intense, but to make a long story short, because you were so healthy and strong, all that my body put you through didn't deter your safe and natural (as-close-to-being-born-in-a-rice-patty) birth. After having your head rotated, hours of contractions that were mind numbing, five hours of pushing and waiting for you to let go of my rib, you finally emerged and we were so happy to have you in our arms!
We were overwhelmed and thrilled and grateful for every minute of trying to figure out how to be good parents. Until you got colic. Then we woke up to how hard being full time caretakers is.
Grandma has been to see every one of you when you got home, and helped run the house! It was such a help to me.
We took oodles of pictures and took you out to explore and opened your eyes to everything we could as safely as we could.
You loved learning, touching, hearing, seeing, feeling, and tasting, you fully used those senses to explore. We had a lot of fun, you were easy going and attentive and so glad to be alive. Happy to see strangers and smile at them, fully engaged in what ever was going on. Then your world changed. You had to share us, and you weren't sure what it was all about.
We had Deanna and Harvey to be second parents and lots of grandparents around in Maine. Here is Grandpa and Grandma Phillips (with the barking dog) which you named because when we referred to the grandparents you wanted a visual to know which one we meant. And then came newborn Gabe, your Roonie.
Even with all the confusion, you loved Gabe and you protected him... and yourself from him... You pretty much never left his side.
You seemed so grown up for a fifteen month old. And that's not our dog. That was a trial pet for Deanna and Harvey. (that's where we got that test and release idea, ha ha). And you learned how to share. So cute.
I loved dressing you up in my homemade costumes for halloween. You were always game, no matter what I chose, but you'll notice Gabe isn't always so thrilled. Forced anything wasn't for him! By then we figured we had the hang of parenting, and Brittany joined our family.
You were every bit as protective of Brittany as you were of Gabe. It was great to have a big brother care so much about the well being of his siblings. Still is :)
Brittany and cousin Danielle were born days apart, and we all lived in Utah so it was fun to get together. You're in the sand with Nathan.
We made cream filled bunnies and chicks and rolled playdough on the eggs to make decorations. So artistic.
BACK To Maine :)
Whoot Whoot! I made the pinata and the cake, look how fun we were! Grandma Phillips and Kristen and Dan were able to be there.
I made that costume out of blankets dad and Doug had as kids. You itched like crazy and got rained on, I think we threw them away after that incident!
We built this fun snow Garfiled right before Brooke was born. It didn't really help me go into labor, but that was my hope! That would be 1993. Oopsy.
I wouldn't say you got the acting bug, but you enjoyed the detail that the teacher put into the production. You always loved the extra details and effort no matter what the event.
Our family grew to include Brooke, and Errin and then Amanda finished out our tribe.
Early love of computers, love of cats, Fang was a great cat, til he pooped on the beds following Errins' arrival. And this is about the time I decided we needed some vacation opportunites. And we started our adventures. Along the way we stopped to expose you to history and a moderate amount of suffering.
VACATIONS
Over the years we had mini trial vacations, the first one with you was to Canada. This is when you first understood the power of Flayers... or flowers. We went to Prince Edward Island and saw Teddy Roosevelts cabin. You loved the dinner plate sized dahlias
Then we took our first real no work vacation trip to San Diego in 2003 and realized vacations were going to be WORK, but I was hooked.
This was something I was going to keep doing, and make them more fun! and Educational!
Carthage Jail, Illinois
Smithsonian, Washington D.C.
...and spiritual
Sacred Grove
Niagara Falls
Adam Ondi Ahmen
don't remeber the story, but we were in the car talking about our luck at finding the "ritzy" places to stay (budget was a factor in our travels) and laughed our heads off at the idea of this place. It was as cheezy as the name implies. Missouri 2009
Catching fire flies and doing slow motion to get cool photos, also you were making fun of the Nephites in American Indian tour we were enjoying.
St Louie
Dad got tired of me correcting him so he refused to drive, I took over driving and took us through a very dangerous part of town, on ACCIDENT, but we LIVED!
Cohokia mounds, the mound builders. Remember jogging to the top of the mound?
Mississippi River boat tour/GQ photo shoot.
AND don't forget PERU- what an awesome experience to get to see where you lived, suffered, blessed and changed eternity for many people. I loved the architecture, the people, the food, well some of it, and the colors. I loved seeing the families you taught embrace and thank you, what a privilege to share that with you. A forever memory, and one you can laugh at as you visualize having to lift me off the center of the Machu Pichu plateaus because I thought I was going to spiral off into the abyss on the rickety rock staircases in the sky. I put the photos from that vacation with the Missionary section so look for photos there.
Bahamas Baaaaabie!
Grande Bahama Island
We had such a good time on this trip. It included a cruise ship and all the food we could eat, and entertainment that was pretty fun.
Sanabelle Island Florida
Our first FLY vacation and we took you to The Tampa Coast area. We didn't have Gabe or Britters or Stew, but we did have sun and excitement. We saw Manatee and dolphins swimming in front of the boat, caught fish off the coast, went to Busch Gardens and stayed in a condo. Ate fresh fruit and visited the Tampa acquarium. Fun fun fun!
Tampa, Florida
Scariest Motel we've slept in. If I wasn't so sick I'd have made dad take us somewhere else. We all offered to go sleep in the car instead of this place. Smell, burned and stained bedding, dirty walls, serious wet staining on mattress ( blood, urine?) made for a memory to last a lifetime! It was our last stop to make an early flight out of Ft. Lauderdale airport. But we made the most of it! Laughed til we cried, expecting someone nearby to be shot by morning.
And the lovely Puerto Rico
I'm so grateful we were able to see all those places and have the experience of being with family. Sometimes the driving was murderous on those cross country trips, but having you guys to help us break that up made it affordable ( as the van become the MOTEL)! I will always cherish those memories and the things we got to do with this wonderful family. Now we have to create the vacations with our new family members and keep the stories growing :)
And then we liked to see what surrounds us...
Inside Timpanogos Cave, Utah County
Utah Lake with the cousins
Lake Powell with the cousins
Lake Powell Family Time
Lake Powell with the cousins
And test our physical limitations- Hurricane, Ut
Four Wheeling with cousins
Kanaraville Falls July 2012
Some Memorable HOLIDAYS:
Easter in Maine 1993
Christmas American Fork, Ut 1997
Christmas Hurricane, UT 1999, 2000, 2001
What we did to pumpkins... (this
was the biggest pumpkin we ever carved. It was a family tradition to get dirty and carve them up.)
what YOU did to pumpkins.
Trip to Beaver Mt.
You loved SPORTS and played hard and well.
First broken bone... you were a senior
Don't forget family wrestling :)
"Oh beautiful MOMMY!"
We loved watching you play and seeing you put so much into learning whatever sport you played. You definitely gave extra in preparing yourself to be the best, and wanting to contribute so that the other teammates could play well too. "Team player" would describe you well. You learned a lot through all of this training, and it was great to be a part of it through coaching (Jr. Jazz) and every other sport we gave criticism for... and then coaching With YOU in volleyball, one of my favorite experiences with my adult/young children.....great memories.
For your 17th birthday you wanted your friends to taste lobster so we flew in some real Maine lobster and had a BBQ at the park. So thoughtful and selfless. Your last year of school was a milestone for the whole family, the first to graduate and move on. Sad and happy times
Mission Time
You shared your missionary "farewell" with us, I kind of regret taking that away from you, I cherish the experience and am so grateful to have been a part of it. Another one of your sacrifices- had we known we wouldn't have come to get you, but traveled back with you later:) But it was wonderful otherwise.
It was amazing to see you with some of the families you taught. They loved you and were so grateful for your influence, you will one day understand what it feels like to have people revere your child. It's such a sweet thing to witness.
Ya, you're at the edge of a CLIFF! Oh be still my heart!
It had to end..... and it was great to have you home with us!
Then after a time, you got serious, and got a girl :) and she rocked your world. Thank you for listening to and trusting your feelings, you two compliment one another so well. We love her and love you as a couple.
We had a lot of local adventures;
We were the support crew for Gabe, Ivory, and Brooke to go skydiving.
Trip to Washington County Fair 2012
Then you cute kids got engaged and married
Such a wonderful thing to see young love and admiration become a goal to get to the Temple, then have it be sealed forever. A beautiful day, a beautiful new family. We are so happy and blessed to have Ivory in our family, she jumped right in and fits like she was always supposed to be here. (which I love so much, no testing to see if she could like us after walking on egg shells!)
Candy apple making- Meridian Idaho 2012
Just one of the many fun things we did in Meridian. Thank you for the special time we had to get to spend as a family, special memories.
Boat Race at the park. I won, he he. Actually we all won in different categories :)
The carving tradition continues...
AND THEN YOU MADE US A BABY:)
WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY, PRECIOUS GRANDCHILD:
Jocelyn Ivory Phillips
November 11, 2013
AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL!
The perfect addition to our wonderful family!
Jacob, this is just a fraction of the fantastic life you've lived thus far. You were a wonderful, helpful, inquisitive, smart, happy, spiritual, obedient, kind, protective little boy, and those qualities grew with you-helping you to become the trustworthy and capable person you are today. People have always trusted you, and they had/have every reason to. Your siblings love you, we love you, and I love the way Ivory and Jocelyn look at you, I see their love for you twinkle from their eyes. You have always been a good person, salt of the earth kind of person, and no weakness have diminished what you bring to our world. You make our journey more special because you are here. Just look at what you've accomplished in the name of love. I also want to deeply thank you for what you've been to me from your very first day. I realized when you left on your mission that you were a vital part of my support and recognition team. You laughed at my jokes, you recognized when I was frustrated or sad, you didn't feel a need to correct me but rather accepted me for me, and made me feel good about who I was. I also want to apologize if I made you worry and feel the need to be that support ( I didn't realize how needy I was until you were gone and I didn't have a daily dose of appreciation or someone to think my incorrect grammar and crazy use of words was funny :) I probably scarred you with that, but know that I recognize it and thank you sincerely for caring and for being that child and help to me. I also accept that it may have caused you pain, and I am sorry for that.
JACOB
Jacob is strong and true. Guardian. He is peace.
He soothes and comforts. He draws us into one.
He is relaxation and order, yet driven to accomplish.
He is knowledge and works to learn.
He is the beauty of nature, he is fun with the eager excitement of a child.
He is careful of detail and aware of his ability to change things for the better.
He is thoughtful. He is kind.
He is voice and words are his tool.
He lifts us and lightens our load.
He is grateful.
He is honorable.
He is firstborn and has lived to earn the respect and love of his siblings, because he has dedicated his life to them. He is firstborn and honors that position with a true heart.
Our Kids Save Us
We’re supposed to be the guide, the one who teaches and pulls aside, who lead with confidence. As parents we want only what’s best for the child, growing ourselves..our weakness are revealed.
We bring them into this world, hoping on prayer we can do them some good.
We visualize what we hope they will become, We worry over poor choices we make-fearing their lessons might push them away, or worse... that our guidance leads them astray.
They come so innocent, so pure, so clean. Needing us in every way. Smiling upward-their whole soul alive! Shining eyes undaunted by fear, untainted by failure. They trust and believe, trying to make sense of the things we say and the messages we intend.
They skip without care, play with peaceful minds. They laugh and it pulls us in, when we are open. They are grateful. Aware of the magnificence of life and all it’s glories. They express amazement and look for the good all around. They are full of curiosity and thanksgiving.
They grow, with us alongside them stretching under the pressure of teaching, not sensing that they are guiding us. We have it all wrong.... our kids come to save us.
In their innocence they remind us of hope, their understanding well beyond their years. They seek to make us happy. They worry when we aren’t at peace, offering hugs to bring us out of our sadness. They laugh with us to build our confidence. They cry with us to ease our pain.
They inspire us with their choices, many we wonder if we could make, as they require a strong heart. They guide us with questions and reminders of what we ought to do. They pull us into playtime to rejuvenate our soul and ease our troubled minds.
They delight us with their abilities, and surprise us with their creations. They love without question and often without reason, They hold to us and believe in us and expect that there will never be a day that they can’t! The pressure that we may disappoint them is always in the back of our minds, but their forgiveness helps us to keep trying.
And all the while I thought that we were leading them......
-Diana Phillips-
You are amazing and I can't wait to see what you do with the next 25 I mean 28 years :) I hope you have a wonderful birthday Jacob, and love you forever.
