My sweet husband called about two yesterday afternoon and asked me to get a little overnight bag together for everyone. We don’t have the cable and the college championship game was going to be on ESPN and he wanted to make sure we got to watch it, so he reserved us a hotel room in Nebraska. He thought we could go swimming, watch the game…just make a fun little night away. Seriously, how sweet is THAT?!
So off we went! The kids were pumped, as was I. At supper, Sawyer mentioned her stomach was hurting but she seemed ok, so we didn’t think a whole lot about it.
Then we got to the hotel and found out that the pool was empty due to renovations…even though I heard W ask on the phone if they had pool and all they said was, “Yes.” The only other hotel in town with a pool was undergoing renovations as well, so we had to stay put. Our little sweeties had great attitudes so we just tried to have some fun in the hotel room.
Let’s “watch” the game!This is more like it…Cooling off in the fridge after some rambunctiousness…
The game was fun to watch…even though I was rooting for the Ducks! (Are you surprised they lost?! HAHA After my weekend, I was not. 😉 )
We finally got everyone to bed and sweet Sawyer woke up about one…throwing up. I guess her tummy really was hurting… We were up with her until about four and then back up at seven. She’s feeling better now, praise the Lord. We’re all just a little tired.
I felt so bad for Wrexy because it felt like our little excursion was a bust. He’s such a hard-working, selfless husband and dad…I just wanted it to be perfect for him and he wanted it to be perfect for us. And it was…because we were TOGETHER.
This weekend was filled with a lot of sorry football. Sigh. I get so excited for the playoffs – especially when we’re a part of them – and I attempt to really relish the last couple of games before we say goodbye for 6 months…
I was just sorely disappointed this weekend. Four times over. The Patriots won (not a fan), the Seahawks won (not a fan). The Cowboys lost and our Broncos forgot to show up for the game. Sad, sad days.
My little football fan made the weekend better just by being her. I love her enthusiasm; it’s contagious!
The best part of the game, hands down…Sayble rooting on the Bronco’s, compliments of the husband’s stellar photography. 🙂
Alas, there will be more football games to watch and I haven’t really thought about it again until I started this blog post. Must mean there are more important things in life…can you believe it? 😉
Yesterday’s verse just got me! I know I’ve read it several times before and I know it’s one of a series of verses on our refrigerator, but yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks. (Abridged version below). Ahem.
Proverbs 3:7-8 says:
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.
Healing for your body…….. I want that! We all have our own health/body issues and the Lord is telling us how to heal them…fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Health issues really scare me. (There, I said it). I have a heart arrhythmia that’s deemed non-dangerous but when it acts up (especially for hours or days on end) it can send me into a tailspin.
A lot of it the responsibility I feel in being a mother. I’m home all day with my kids. I have the responsibility to BE ALIVE to care for them. So when my heart acts up or my blood sugar gets low and wonky or I feel weird or off or just not 100%, fear creeps in so fast, unfortunately.
In all of my fear, I get so often wrapped up in keeping myself alive.
If I just don’t move…
If I just lie down…
If I concentrate really hard…
If I prep Sawyer on how to get help if I need it…
If I make sure and be near a hospital…
If I make sure and have Wrex come right home from work…
If I have a backup plan…
If I, If I, If I…
It’s all on ME! THAT is relying on my own wisdom, as if I could truly keep myself alive if I wanted to.
And He gives His people wisdom, no doubt! I know there are common sense things I should/shouldn’t do to prevent death or an accident, but I know I so often tend to hold whatever I’m fearful of REALLY close to home and attempt to control it as best I can. Sometimes, it works. Scared of driving on bad roads? Don’t go out. But I have to learn that if it’s the Lord’s will to spare us or take us, He will spare us or take us regardless. I have to learn that He really is trustworthy…He hasn’t failed me yet.
Instead, fear the Lord…revere Him, honor Him, respect Him, stand in awe of Him…then you will have healing for your body.
Man, I need that. I NEED that.
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The kids have loved the kitchen set we got them for Christmas.
Adorable, right?The other pieceLet’s cook!
We’ve gathered a lot of “food” over the past few years it seems. One of their favorite things to do as of late is have feasts!
Ahem.That’s a lot of food!
Sawyer pulled out all the stops and hosted a feast for her and brother and some of her favorite friends. It takes a little time to put together and clean up but it’s sure fun to gnaw on wooden cucumbers with furry guests…
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We pulled out the construction paper this morning and made these with the kiddos.
Baby Moses
For some reason, Wryder did NOT like having his hands traced (though it’s one of Sawyer’s favorite things in the world….go figure) and cried through the majority of the lesson. Here’s to hoping SOMETHING soaked in…
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Hubby is on his way home, the kids are napping and I’m enjoying a few moments of quiet with some coconut coffee while listening to the dryer whir as I watch little tiny snowflakes fall.
Here’s to an equally peaceful afternoon for you…
I love waking up to my warm, strong hubby and not having to hurry to get out of bed. I love that he took the time to feel sweet Sayble (who is not NEAR as active as her siblings) and she responded by kicking him in the cheek.
I love hearing the kids playing and talking quietly in their rooms waiting for the ok to come downstairs…….or for us to rescue them from their crib.
I love the conversations about all that happened on Friday while daddy was away at work.
I love the excitement to get warm clothes on to go help daddy with chores and the glee when they realize he doesn’t have to go to a sale today.
Seriously, Saturday morning joy is just PALPABLE!
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My little football watching girl (praise God I have a partner to watch with!) informed daddy of all of the games going on this weekend and who we wanted to win (the Broncos, of course) and who we wanted to lose (the Patriots, of course). We have to get to work the nursery tomorrow at church and she’s excited to don her Bronco gear, tattoos and all, and suggested we do the same.
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Yesterday was Fun Friday and the kids had been so patient this week with all of the nesting going on around here that we decided to take a little road trip to Sterling.
Sawyer was, of course, sweet and happy and revved up to go. Wryder…..not so much. Night and day these two, I tell ya.
I wanted to snap a pic of them before we left because they’re just so stinkin’ cute and these were the best I got…
Happy and Grumpyand again…
Once we got in the car, Wryder perked up a bit and by the time we got to the play place he was a happy camper!
Happy number 2On the piano slideAs sweet as she is cute…
After an hour and a half of playing and eating, we ventured off to Wal Mart to grab a few necessities (and clearance Christmas items) and the lady at the bakery gave the kids free cookies. Day. Made.
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Today will be day of cupcake decorating, football watching, snuggling, playing, laughing and JOY. Here’s to Saturday!
A dear friend of mine, Sarah, has teamed up with Katie Ferrell of Dashing Dish for a 30 day Fit SPIRIT challenge and I’m taking it! Wanna join me?
It’s easy-peasy and uber rewarding – what’s not to love?
The challenge will be based on the SOAP method of bible reading. SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.
From Sarah:
Using SOAP as your guide to bible reading is a powerful way to make the Word of God come alive in your everyday life. It is especially helpful if you’re new to studying Gods word and need a place to start!
Before you begin, I highly recommend getting out a good old fashioned pen and paper to write out your SOAP. I promise you it will have infinitely more power than simply reading through the steps! And, as always before spending time in God’s word, I recommend praying! Ask Him to reveal himself to YOU on a personal level and to give you clear discernment to recognize His voice!
How does it work?
1.) Scripture: To begin you choose a scripture. We have provided a daily scripture calendar to guide you, but don’t feel limited by these suggestions. Let the Holy Spirit guide you if there is a verse He has for you each day! First, read the scripture verse. Because it’s kept short you can really study the verse. I would suggest re-reading it, using bible study apps to read it in several translations, look up the meaning of words to really gain understanding of their meaning. This is your time to really understand the verse.
2.) Observation: What did you observe about the scripture that struck you. This can be one sentence or a whole book.
3.) Application: How can you apply the observation so that it affects your life today? What is God revealing to you? How can you make His word alive and applicable through that scripture verse today?
4.) Prayer: Write out a prayer to God based on what you just learned and ask him to help you apply this truth in your life.
There’s a downloadable calendar with pre-selected Scriptures you can use but don’t be afraid to the let the Holy Spirit be your guide; just get in the Word!
This poor thing has been neglected! I wish I had some deep, revelatory reason as to why…but I don’t. The Lord didn’t tell me to take a break…I didn’t take a sabbatical to make sure I was spending x amount of hours not on the computer and with the fam…I haven’t been suffering from writer’s block and there certainly hasn’t been a lack of happenings to talk about…I’ve just been absent. Shame on me!
Alas, I’m back! So let’s catch up!
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We had a fabulous Christmas break! My husband’s job affords him quite a few days off, so we had daddy around (all to ourselves, mind you) for two weeks! YIPPEE! We ate well, slept well, played lots of games, watched some fun shows, cuddled a lot, talked a lot – took full advantage of our time with him.
We were all dreadfully sad a little sad to see him go Monday morning but we all survived!
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I have been in MAJOR nesting mode. My poor husband.
The past two days, I’ve decluttered/deep cleaned our ENTIRE house! Six bags of trash and six bags of give away later, I’m feeling good! (Except for my feet, lower back and hip – but hey, it was worth it!) Now if it will all just say this way until baby comes……..
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Speaking of baby….we’re having a GIRL! Sawyer called it from the beginning and she was right again…and quite proud of herself. 🙂
Yay for Sayble Jean Phipps!
Sayble Jean Phipps is due May 1st and doesn’t seem to be near as active in utero has her siblings. 🙂
We are over the moon about having another sweet little princess. I’ve already ordered a few *ahem* hair bows. The selection of girly, frilly, adorable clothing, footwear and head wear is astounding. I’m already thinking I made need to order a new debit card so I won’t have the new number memorized like I do this one. Ay yi yi…
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We got to see a lot of family over Christmas break. We got together with all of Wrex’s family over Thanksgiving and snuck in some family pictures! How cute is this set of grandkids? I mean, I know I’m a little partial, but come on!
RaRa and the grand-girls…All the grands!
We met up with my family halfway in Kansas and spent the weekend together – soooo thankful for the time together! Sawyer was so excited to have another cousin to play with, hold hands with Gramps and swim at the motel pool, of course.
Cooking a feast!
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Other happenings (in no particular order, thank you pregnancy brain)…
I had four teeth pulled. Not my favorite experience, especially pregnant, but I survived…
We had a little New Year’s Eve party with Sawyer. We let her stay up until nine and then we watched last year’s ball drop on Youtube…
Fun fun!
I made Sawyer a set of Disney princess felt ornaments for the tree in her room. I LOVE how they turned out. I see more of these in my future…
Can you name them all?
We got to witness two beautiful unions in the past month. Sawyer and Wryder danced their little hearts out AND met Santa at the first wedding – how cool is that?
JOY!Sittin’ with Santa
I thought I was getting a stand mixer for Christmas and I got a handgun instead! (MUCH better, in my opinion!) We’ve been so busy and it’s been so cold, I’ve only shot ten rounds through it, but I’m excited to get more familiar with it and take my concealed to carry class…
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I’m sure there’s more to tell but that’s a good start, yes?
