Worth 1,000 Words: What We’ve Been Up To

I was a little absent last week, though I can’t REALLY think of anything out of the ordinary we did – doctor check ups, grocery shopping, Cubbies…just the norm.

There was a little TV watching…mainly so I could watch them cuddle.

Aren't they sweet!? — Aren’t they sweet!?

Wryder got stuck in the chair one time. Then, after all the attention and hubbub, he got “stuck” a dozen or so more times.

I’ve apparently entered THAT phase of pregnancy. You know, the one you just don’t really get cold anymore because you have so much blood and baby pumping through your body? I guess Wrex was a little chilly on the way home Wednesday night and had a good giggle about his pickup settings.

The temp I put the pickup on... — The temp I put the pickup on…

We did a little chicken gazing. I could watch those ladies all day!

Wryder is ALL about driving these days. After almost every meal these days, he’ll pick up his empty plate and use it as a steering wheel. When we were outside, he used the knob to the jack on the trailer hitch as a little tiny one. It. Was. Adorable.

The kids got some belated valentines from Gramps!

Wryder LOVES food. One of his favorites, though…

This weekend has been a REALLY good one! The weather kind of forced us inside to work on some projects we’ve been wanting to get done but haven’t taken the time to do…and a few relaxing deeds, too!

We got baby Sayble’s layette done, as well as our taxes – hallelujah! Those can seem so daunting sometimes but Wrex and I worked all morning and got them done AND get a refund – always a plus!

We let the kids pick out a movie and had a fun supper in the living room…and Wrexy and I had a Bourne marathon! YAY! I’ve been wanting to do this for forever because I often fall asleep or get sidetracked while I attempt to watch ANY movie, but especially ones that aren’t so brainless. 🙂

We had a little outside snow play…

Don't ya just love their hats? — Don’t ya just love their hats?

and a lot of other silly shenanigans!

Tomorrow, we’re back to the daily grind. Thankful for this snowy cold…

DIY: Baby Layette

I’ve had my eye on a boutique layette for sweet Sayble’s coming home outfit but there was NO WAY I was gonna pay $30+ dollars for one. With that being said, we decided to make our own and let me tell you, it was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY easy! Here’s what you’ll need….

onesie (or a t-shirt would work)
fabric for the gown part of the layette
sewing machine
elastic
embellishments (optional)

Step 1: Choose your fabrics, measure and cut.

I chose this heart onesie and a soft, minky fleece for the gown. We have long babies and I wanted this to be snuggly and comfy, so with a bigger bottom seam allowance our fabric piece ended up measuring 20″ (wide) x 24″ (long).

Step 2: Pin and sew your bottom seam.

This is where your elastic will thread through to make it fitted over baby’s feet. Our bottom seam was about an inch wide. A half inch would totally work if using elastic. If you wanted to use ribbon instead, make it the size of your ribbon.

Step 3: Sew your back (or side) seam.

I opted for having my seam run down the side in the event I decided on ribbon vs. elastic, that way the bow would be seen. Either way works fine, you pick!

It also helps to have cute helpers around. 🙂 He was enthralled with the sewing machine!

Step 4: Measure out where you want the gown to start on the onesie and pin in a gathered fashion.

We placed our fabric about an inch or so down from the armpits of the onesie and pinned it upside down so you just have to flip it over when you’re done. (My apologies for the blurry pic – what the heck??)

Step 5: Insert your elastic, add embellishments and marvel at your work!

I mean, c’mon…isn’t that adorable?? I can’t wait to bring our sweet baby girl home in this snuggly little thing – with a big bow in her hair, of course. 🙂

***Kudos to my fabulously talented hubby who sews far better than I, that can take my ideas and help make them come to life!

I Wrote Again – Is It Gonna Snow?

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. 🙂

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... — RaRa and the grand-girls…

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.

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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…

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…

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?

Sittin' with Santa... — 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?

Worth 1,000 Words: Cute Kiddos

My “babies” are at such fun ages! Sawyer is so creative and persistent – and Wryder wants to do anything she does – so our days are pretty exciting. 🙂

I must admit that I firmly believe that I have the world’s best job. There are some hard days – what career doesn’t have those?? – but the blessing and reward and good days outweigh those tough times, by far.

I’ve finally gotten some more room on the ole iPhone and have been a little snap happy lately. Enjoy these pics of my cuties!

Not at all enthused about wearing an owl hat... — Not at all enthused about wearing an owl hat…

Really, he didn't like it... — Really, he didn’t like it…

My big boy eating a midnight snack... — My big boy eating a midnight snack…

With another smile... — With another smile…

with a tumbleweed... — with a tumbleweed…

Black beans are gooooooood... — Black beans are gooooooood…

Little Pumpkins

Daddy brought home a pumpkin a week or so ago and a little cutie we know was awfully excited! Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice, mild day and if the wind decides not to blow 100 miles an hour like it is today, we’re gonna take them to the pumpkin patch! EEP! One of all of our favorite things!

We snapped a few pictures with the pumpkin because, well when you’re four that’s awesome…and because we wanted to make a little baby announcement to send out to the fam.

Here’s a few cute shots I took of the kids…

My goodness they’re cute! I love their unbridled, innocent passion for a pumpkin!

When daddy got home, he snapped my pic and this was the little card I made to send to the fam…

We’re all a little excited around here…and not just about the pumpkin.

Sooner Rather Than Later

I really didn’t mean to leave for so long. Really, I didn’t. Can you believe I haven’t written here in almost a month?! That’s quite some time for a rather wordy person…

I got busy helping with a 60th anniversary party…and Cubbies started up again…and I joined a Tuesday Bible study…oh, and I’m growing a new life. *ahem* That really takes it out of you, you know?

YES – in case you haven’t heard, baby Phipps number three will be joining us in May!

Just after leaving the doctor's office... — Just after leaving the doctor’s office…

YAY! We are over the moon excited to have another wee one join the ranks! We told the world yesterday and today I’m feeling so humbled and grateful for the wonderful community of supporters we have out there. Sawyer is pretty buzzed to be a big sister again and Wryder has no idea what in the world all the hubbub was about. Rude awakening coming in 7 months…

So yeah…we need to catch up! I need to show you a few pics of the anniversary party…and tell you about my twin nephews that I got to see for the second time…and talk to you about my hair…and discuss all things fall…and how my family made my birthday extra special…and how I’m nauseous – a lot. I was never sick with the other two so I guess I had this coming.

I told my sister~~-in-law~~ this morning that I’ve never had to “push through” more in my life than I’ve had to in the past three weeks. Thank the Lord for heaps of grace, selfless husbands and ginger ale…those seem to be my staples these days.

It’s naptime around here and I do believe I’ll take part in that – BUT – I’ll be back! And sooner this time, rather than later…

Our Humble Abode: Kids’ Room

As much as I love our bathroom, I love the kids’ room even more! It started out just as Sawyer’s room, obviously, but we decided we’d like for them to share a room for a while so we could all be upstairs together. (Our home has two bedrooms upstairs and two bedrooms downstairs.)

One of Wrex’s biggest desires for our home is peace…and the room sharing didn’t really result in a lot of peace. Wryder is a really light sleeper and no matter how much training we did or rules we had, it just wasn’t working out. He was waking up a lot, which would wake us up, which would then wake sister up and peace was hard to find. We separated them for the time being but hope to revisit the room sharing thing soon.

Before:

When we moved in, this room was probably in the worst shape. Between the paint job and the fact that the previous tenants put carpet upstairs by gluing it to the hardwoods, meant that we had some work to do.

View from just inside the door. See the glue tracks from the carpet?

And, again, that paint job... — And, again, that paint job…

Closet and it's paint job. Are you seeing a theme? — Closet and it’s paint job. Are you seeing a theme?

After:

We put in wood flooring and painted everything pink, of course. The walls in this room are thin and strange and the ceiling had a lot of visible joints, so we added faux beams to break the room up a little and hide those seams.

***This room has changed a bit in the three years we’ve lived here, so some pictures are older, while some are newer, but you’ll get the idea.***

Ta-Da! Told you it was pink! This was when it was just Sawyer... — Ta-Da! Told you it was pink! This was when it was just Sawyer…

One of my favorite parts of the room is this little chalkboard. This door is the entrance to the upstairs crawl space and looked kinda silly just hanging out there, so I added some chalkboard paint and the paint cans as chalk holders. (This was prior to the last can being hung).

We decided to take the closet doors off and leave it exposed and I really like how open it is and how it turned out. The dresser is one of my favorite things in the house. I painted two drawers and mod-podged maps on the remaining two – cute and easy!

Who doesn't love maps!? — Who doesn’t love maps?! And shoes, for that matter…

The rest of her room is just lots of pink and colorful things that we love and cherish.

Shelf with things she's made or things people made for her... — Shelf with things she’s made or things people made for her…

These books were two of my mom's favorites when she was growing up which she then gifted to Sawyer... — These books were two of my mom’s favorites when she was growing up which she then gifted to Sawyer…

Artwork from her Aunt Dessa; an interpretation of one of her 3 month old baby pictures... — Artwork from her Aunt Dessa; an interpretation of one of her 3 month old baby pictures…

I love this sweet little rug... — I love this sweet little rug…

Glider and friends...how cute is that bear pillow I thrifted?! — Glider and friends…how cute is that bear pillow I thrifted?!

My mom's baby blanket...another treasure. — My mom’s baby blanket…another treasure.

This little rocker was my mom's, then mine, now Sawyer's... — This little rocker was my mom’s, then mine, now Sawyer’s…

I bought this baby quilt at an auction. I LOVE all the colorful, vintage fabrics!

The ceilings upstairs are really pitched so I knew I needed a really shallow light fixture. I had Wrex shape me one out of wire and then I took strips of scrap fabric and ribbon and started tying it on.

Once Wryder moved in, we didn’t want the poor boy to have to live in a totally pink room, so I painted his half white!

I made these from some thrifted frames, spray paint and some scrapbook paper.

Love my little WD... — Love my little WD…

We used these old grain elevator cups as storage... — We used these old grain elevator cups as storage…

These little guys were in Wrex’s nursery when we was a little guy – awwww!

If you haven't read the Little Blue Truck you NEED to! — If you haven’t read the Little Blue Truck you NEED to!

There are soooooo many fun things in this room (to me) that it was hard to know where to stop and start for this post! Sawyer told me her favorite part of her room is her bed and Wryder, well, he replied in Cantonese and I’m not sure exactly what it meant.

What’s your favorite part of their room?!

Wryder Douglas is ONE!

Oh, my sweet little Wryder Roo – I really, really, really can not believe that you are one! Where, oh where, did that year go?? Too fast, my love…

I loved you the minute I laid eyes on you. You looked just like your sweet sister, which didn’t hurt anything, but despite even that, you already had my heart.

Isn't the the cutest?! He was about 5 hours old here... — Isn’t he the cutest?! He was about 5 hours old here…

From your first minutes out of the womb, you’ve been giving your momma grey hairs…or at least increased adrenal fatigue. 😉 You had low blood sugar and had to keep getting bottle fed to bring that number up, you cried A LOT our very first night at home and “schedule” was not in your vocabulary.

After a few months, we got it all figured out and life got easier. You LOVED to eat (still do) and the only times you cried were when you were starving (or so you thought) or overly tired. I am so thankful that you have always been a good little eater and sleeper!

You are a ball of energy, constantly on the go! You’ve got lots to explore in your little world and you do it with gusto! You keep momma on her toes, that’s for sure. Seven o’clock comes and I am beat…but it is time well spent.

You and sister have a sweet, sweet relationship. Anywhere she is is exactly where you want to be. I pray you two will always be the best of friends..

You have always been a happy, smiley, outgoing guy. (You’re a lot like your dad like that). You know nine real words and a LOT of (currently) unintelligible ones. You melt my heart every time you say ‘momma’ or smile at me across the room, and when you race towards daddy when he walks in the door it delights us all!

You are all boy and I love that about you! Granted, it’s taken some getting used to, but it’s a good thing. You hate wearing clothes, you hate having your face washed, you hate having to slow down for anything, you eat everything in sight (good or bad), you bang on everything in sight and the higher/faster/scarier things are, the better!

You’re a big guy! You weigh 26.9 pounds and are 30.5 inches long. My arms and back can attest to this… You have eight teeth and if your behavior tonight is any indication, you have more on the way.

I love you, my sweets! This has been one of the best years of my life all because you were in it. It’s amazing how the Lord multiplies a momma’s love as more kiddos come along and He has done just that with me. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to love you as much as I did Sawyer and boy-oh-boy, there is no question that I do.

Sweet boy, on this first birthday, I bless you in the name of Jesus. I bless your strong will and head strong personality and I pray that you use them to further the Kingdom of God. I bless your hands and your feet and I pray that they serve the widow, orphan and alien and that they only take you down paths of righteousness. I speak to your future and I pronounce it blessed; that your days would be easy and that you would never stray from Jesus. I bless you with safety and protection and good health. I bless you with rich relationships that will encourage you and exhort you and push you towards the Lover of your soul. I bless you with endless stores of love, kindness, self-discipline, forgiveness, humility and generosity. I bless you with the presence of Jesus in all that you do.

Happiest of birthdays, my handsome little man!

Now, let’s eat some cake!

They Have Arrived

I am an auntie again!!

Remember when I told you about this? Well, last Friday my sister {in law} delivered those sweet baby boys! May I just tell you, they. are. precious!

Brenhem Rusk and Berwick Ray were born March 28, 2014 weighing in at 1.1 and 1.4 pounds, respectively, at 25 weeks gestation. They are currently spending time in the NICU and are doing really well given their size and age.

We are so blessed that they are here and we are praying the favor of the Lord on their little bodies. Their parents are some of the toughest, go-getters we know and these little guys are proving to be cut of the same cloth.

Their family has a lot going on right now (healing, decisions, logistics, fatigue) and it would honor me if you would pray for them as the Spirit leads.

And pray for those two, darling miracle boys! We know the plans He has for them…and they are good! We know that He knit them in her womb and that they are fearfully and wonderfully made! He has ordained all of their days and we declare each of them blessed. We remain confident that they will see the goodness of the Lord!

We are so in love with our nephews (and their parents and sister, too) and can’t wait to gaze upon them in person. Oh, how we wish Oklahoma wasn’t so far away…

Show their family some love and encouragement would you??

Full Weekend, Full Heart

What a fun weekend we’ve had! I know it’s only Sunday, but Friday and Saturday were full full full…

On Friday evening, Sawyer and I got to attend Anley’s Royal Tea Party to celebrate her (Anley’s ) 5th birthday!

Sawyer and Anley, the birthday princess!

She picked out a fancy dress and we dolled her up with a little pink eye shadow and some barrel curls. She looked ADORABLE, if I do say so myself.

Isn't she a beauty?! — Isn’t she a beauty?!

We had real, hot tea with cream and sugar and dined on sweet and savory little treats.

These girls had so much fun and looked fabulous, to boot!

We got home late that night and then Saturday, we braved the snow to head to Denver for a quick little trip. We had a few errands to run and a few people we wanted to love on – it was lovely!

We ate a yummy lunch and then headed to the thrift store to grab some pants for WD. He was down to one pair of jeans that fit his growing self, so we snagged four more…and a couple pairs of shoes…and a sweet little dress for Sawyer…and a few more things. Ahem.

Then, we dropped into Target to grab some baby snacks for Wryder and stumbled upon a diaper sale…be still my heart. They had eight of the mega boxes of Pampers Swaddlers, size 5 diapers on sale for $26. The boxes with 60 diapers were $25. These with 104 are normally $41. So, we did what any thrifty parent would do…we bought every box. SCORE!

We got to see our sweet Stukas friends for a few fleeting minutes. When we were eating lunch, we asked Sawyer what one thing she’d really like to do while we were in town and she said, “Play with Vaeh and they.” (Vaeh is the youngest Stukas girl). How sweet is that?! Of all the things she could pick…adorable.

Then, we headed to the adopted fam’s house for a family birthday party for two of their main men. It was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo good to see all of them! There is just something about being there that I just love; it’s “home” in a sense. To be in a place where you are loved unconditionally and cared for and encouraged and hugged on…and a place where you can trust your kids with everyone in the house because they all truly do have their best interests at heart (and common sense)…is just a comforting, lovely thing. Makes me not want to leave……and to cry when I do…

Sawyer go to love on sweet baby Eva, the other highlight of our trip! She offered to trade Aunt Dessa straight across the board – Wryder for Eva – but it didn’t work. 🙂

She spent the rest of the evening play with the big girls, who were so incredibly kind to her. Wryder did so well for getting no naps for the day. He was beyond tired but just kept clapping and squealing – he liked being there, too.

We walked in the door about midnight last night so we’re taking it pretty easy today. Laundry, coffee and snuggling are on the agenda and not much else…besides stacking up all of those diapers…