blessing – Page 2 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

PAW Patrol Party

Little Wryder Roo turned 3 last week – a monumental occasion for him! He has been SO excited about his birthday (because birthdays are AWESOME) and has been asking for a Paw Patrol party since last year sometime. We had a busy weekend (that got attacked by every child having the nasty cold/upper respiratory infection we’ve all been passing back and forth) so we didn’t plan him a big party, but we still pulled out all of the Paw Patrol garb I got on sale at Party City.

We set it all up on Thursday evening so that when he came downstairs on Friday, he’d have a good start to his day. Sweet boy was so excited!

We made a quick trip to the clinic on Friday and then went to birthday lunch. Originally, I had told him he could choose anywhere he wanted for lunch and, lo and behold, he chose McDonalds. Now, I’m not one of those haters that just absolutely can’t stand the place because it’s non-ogranic or they serve GMOs or whatever…I just don’t like it because I don’t think it’s very good. Except their fries. Enough salt and grease makes ANYTHING good.

Thankfully, our sweet friend Traci got to talking about Mexican food and he decided he’d rather go there instead – hallelujah!

He made a good choice!

On the way to town, he opened the birthday card he got from GooGoo and inside was a ten dollar bill! He was so excited and so we went shopping after lunch and he bought the one pup he was missing – Rocky!

Look at that face... — Look at that face…

He was so excited to pay for it and get his bag, all by himself!

He had a few dollars left and he used it to buy a root beer float! Can you have too much sugar on your birthday?! Nah. Not when you’re three. 🙂

Fridays are usually long days so we waited until Saturday to open presents. He is SO much fun to buy things for 1) because he has certain things he just REALLY, REALLY like and 2) he’s so expressive, it’s just flat fun to see how excited he gets!

The pickup and trailer he's been wanting! — The pickup and trailer he’s been wanting!

He loved the Air Patroller too but he was blurry with excitement so the pictures wouldn’t mean much to anyone but his parents. 🙂

PaPa and RaRa sent him one of his other favorite presents…

He used it all day today. Pretty sure we’re gonna have dirt EVERYWHERE around this place…

Sayble was quite fond of the wrapping paper.

Pretty sure her first birthday is gonna be a ball, too!

We had his “party” Saturday at lunch. I always let the kids make their menus and he went back and forth between steak and hot dogs (quite the spectrum, I know) but finally settled on hot dogs, which worked well for the dog theme. 😉

PAW Patrol on a roll - get it?! — PAW Patrol on a roll – get it?!

He also wanted french fries, fruit (very specific about what berries), punch and pumpkin bread. I turned the pumpkin bread into dog chow, so it worked out.

and decided to eat his pupcake like a dog...of course. — and decided to eat his pupcake like a dog…of course.

I think he had a really good couple of days. As he was eating one last cupcake on Saturday night, he said, “Mom? Thank you so much for my party!” Melt my heart. Anytime, kiddo. You are why I do what I do….

Later that afternoon, our sweet neighbor got married. Despite the icky colds, we couldn’t say no to watching such a Godly couple vow their forevers to each other. It’s so nice to attend a wedding where the couple really gets it, ya know?

The rain was relentless that afternoon and Sawyer didn’t want to mess up her cute hair so we did this:

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... — A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…

And yes, I need to do laundry. 😉 I’m working on it, ok!?!

Wrexy had a pretty cute wedding date!

We came home and called it an early night.

I keep saying that I think three is his year! Just today, he’s put on socks and pants by himself AND pooped somewhere other than his pants! (It was outside on the sidewalk but it WASN’T in his pants!) Seriously, I think it’s gonna be a good one…

WD is Three!

Wryder Douglas is THREE today!

As I logged on, I was thinking that it took my sweet boy to get me back on the blog (we’ve had a litttttttttle bit going on lately)…but as I had that thought, it was exactly right. THEY are why I do this. They are my legacy and my reward and why I keep this written history of His goodness in our lives. And Wry Wry? He IS good.

You came bounding into the world a little past 5 in the morning – momma’s quickest labor by a landslide – and you’ve been running circles around the rest of us since!

You are still in love with dirt and rocks and sticks and tractors and cannot be outside without coming in absolutely filthy. (Today, you got into spray paint and painted your face and hands!) You are constantly showing mom and dad where our attempts at safety have fallen short. 😉

You love all things PAW Patrol and Marshall is your favorite! Colors are no longer just green or blue…it’s Rocky green and Chase blue, etc. You’ve been dreaming of an Air Patroller for weeks and I can’t wait to see your face tomorrow when you get your very own.

You have grown SO MUCH this winter! You’re no longer a toddler, but a little boy – or so it seems. I am constantly having to remind myself that you’re just 2…because sometimes you seem much older.

You are still highly emotional – in good ways and bad. 😉 Your face is so expressive and I love when you ask questions that you’ve really been thinking about or stretch your mouth into an O when you’re excited. I never have to wonder what kind of mood you’re in because it’s written all over your face.

You have stretched me and tested me and pushed my buttons and made me cling to Jesus more than just about anything in my life. I really thought I had this parenting thing figured out until you came and walloped me. I feel like I’m still learning how to navigate our lives – please don’t give up on me!

More than anything this birthday, I want you to know that you are oh so loved. Truly. All of our lives are better because you are in them. And? Jesus loves you, kiddo. Unconditionally. No matter how many times you go to time out or how many times you have to be corrected or how many times you take your shoes and socks off outside, He still loves you. Perfectly. Better than we ever could.

You are a gift to us on your birthday (kind of backwards, isn’t it?!) and as much I don’t want you to grow up, I’m excited to see the man you become. I’m proud of ya, kiddo. I truly believe three just might be your best year yet…

Here’s to PAW Patrol cupcakes, wedding dancing and miles on your knees with your new birthday surprises!

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The Ones I Hold Dear

You know those friends you have in your life that are always, ALWAYS there when you need them? I feel blessed to have quite a few of those and the past several weeks, there are few that have just captured my heart all over again…

One, is this girl.

Most days, I feel like I was a better mom when it was just her. Parents of more than one, please don’t tell me I’m the only one that feels this way. I just feel like so much of my day is spent picking up after people or taking care of Sayble who eats/sleeps/poops and needs something almost constantly or disciplining Wryder and it feels like my patience and tolerance run out quicker than I’d like…and that’s not fair to her.

I know we live in community and it’s part of being a family and it’s part of having siblings, I just want so badly to do it well…because she deserves that.

The more time goes on, the more I feel like she’s one of those once in a lifetime kind of kids; she’s mature beyond her years, she strives for obedience, she doesn’t push boundaries, she’s quick to forgive, she’s quick to do the right thing, she’s got the heart of a servant, administrator and worshiper, she’s a doer and a fixer and a creator, and one of my best friends on the planet.

Today, she talked to me about how we can choose things for ourselves, but we can’t choose things for others. See what I mean?

She constantly chooses to strive for obedience when Wryder doesn’t and she constantly chooses to love me even when I don’t feel lovable. Lord, help me honor her by giving her more of my best…more of You and less of me.

I love you, sweet girl. I know I’m not the perfect momma…but I wish I was. Thank you for thinking I am and for encouraging me to try even harder.

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And this pretty, pregnant thing with a banging bedroom.

She’s probably gonna kill me for this, but I *might* be able to (or at least attempt to) outrun her in her baby-will-be-here-in-3-days state. 😉

She is one of the busiest, most efficient, creative people I know…but I have yet to call upon her for ANYTHING and she not answer, and answer quickly. Scared about some weird health thing? She talks me off a ledge. And prays for me. Confess some horrible parenting ordeal or poor choice? She’s points me back to Jesus. And makes me feel better with some story of her own. Call her with a million website/design/Adobe/computer/color/Apple/blog questions? She answers. Every time. And encourages me and compliments and fills in the gaps when I can’t. And never makes me feel bad about it.

She is one of those sisters of the heart that the Lord just plopped in my life…and another one of those, “Why in the world would He make us live so far apart??” kind of friends.

I love you, KJ! You rock at life. So glad I get to be a part of yours…

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And these people.

Marrying Wrex was one of the best decisions of my life and besides making a life WITH him, the next best thing I got out of the deal, were these wonderful siblings. We all got to be together (sans Warner) over Easter and it was so. much. fun. I rarely laugh more than what I do when I’m with them!

They are fun, funny, ambitious, family-oriented, life-giving, encouraging people and honestly, my life wouldn’t be near as fulfilling if they weren’t in it. I truly consider them some of my best friends…

My sisters are the best – I can tell them anything and they are never anything but encouraging! My brothers are the best – they make me laugh like no other and I get a good dose of sarcasm, general immaturity, sports talk, cow talk, blue-collar talk, good-natured teasing and all-around fun when I’m in their midst.

And? They all love my kids so. stinking. well. As a parent, what’s better than that?!

Seriously, you guys… My heart beats for family and these people make family worth fighting for. You five have my heart.

Random Rambles

The chicks are alive and well and getting lots of attention. Sawyer named hers Dot and Penguin Cindi. Wryder named his Corny and Wheater. If that boy doesn’t farm or sell tractors one day, I’ll be shocked.

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Sayble has mastered pulling herself up – watch out world!

How we found her this morning in her crib

She has been pulling up on the dishwasher, the coffee table, any chair she kind find, the back of my legs – honestly, anything! She got herself into quite a pickle the other day when she did this:

She was so proud of herself but then had no idea how to get down! That’s been the biggest problem lately. After she went to bed tonight, she started screeching 20 minutes later. I went in to check on her and she was standing up in her bed but didn’t know how to let herself back down. This could be fun for a while…

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We talked a lot about Palm Sunday yesterday and what exactly this week means for us as followers of Christ. During supper, we were reviewing with dad all we learned and Wryder excitedly exclaimed, “Saywer! Jesus is our King!” I melt.

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It was such a lovely day on Sunday that the kids just had to ride horses. Sawyer has gotten really good at riding and understanding general horsemanship and, of course, Wryder thinks he has. 🙂

He really likes to say, “Ho” or “Whoa.” The only problem is that he likes to say it all the time. That makes going anywhere a little difficult. Regardless? He looked darn cute.

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Today was one of those days where we didn’t do anything really over the top – we were just together – but it was one of those days I’d do 100 times over. We played Barbie Pop-Up Camper and learned more about Easter and read stories and did school and explored the back pasture and searched for pine cones and played with chickens and did chores and sang songs…

We have some friends – several friends – who are in the trenches…fighting for answers and fighting for life. We are so thankful and humbly grateful for our whole, healthy family.

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Sawyer wanted to color and create this morning so she got busy with her crayons and made this beauty.

In case you can’t tell…that’s Jesus riding on a donkey while someone waves their palm branches. Be still my heart…

Today I Learned…

Sawyer went to the sale barn with daddy today so I got some good one-on-one time with Wryder. (Well, as one-on-one as you can get around these parts). Sayble is pretty easy going and doesn’t have too much to say in conversations so it was nice to be able to give him a lot of undivided attention.

The weather was so nice here today – until about one o’clock when the wind rolled in AGAIN – so we set off for the back pasture to explore a bit.

Poop examinations... — Poop examinations…

Today, I learned…

Life is better if you run…

Daddy can fix anything…

Fences can “hot wire” you…

Doritos taste better when dipped in apple sauce…

Jumping really high on the trampoline makes you giggle uncontrollably…

Jumping on the trampoline with bricks is unwise…

Badgers should be trapped and caught and fed corn…

Toy chainsaws can be used to cut anything and everything, including baby sisters…

Woofy momma cows don’t really scare two year old boys standing outside the pen…

Everything should be touched and examined, even poop…

Even the wildest of boys have soft spots for their mommies…

I seriously had a really great day with my little buddy. Let’s do it again soon, shall we?

Sawyer had fun with daddy, too. She was already awake when I went to rouse her up at 6:45 this morning. She hung out with all her sale barn buddies, helped daddy load some calves and sweet-talked her way into mexican food for lunch – a girl after my own heart.

Have a little salsa, babe... — Have a little salsa, babe…

I think we’re all a little tired tonight after a busy Monday and a busy weekend. We got our fence put back up that the last major wind storm blew over.

Blew it flat over... — Blew it flat over…

We reset 8 posts and reattached the boards and the kids helped clean up all the old wood.

Yes, Wryder is pantless. At least he has on shoes, right?!

Sawyer is so strong for her age. She carried posts like it was no big deal.

There’s a lot going on this picture and I belly laugh every time I see it…

Little worker bee... — Little worker bee…

Wrex needs new jeans, Sawyer is doing all the work, Wryder is playing with a milk carton, pantless (what the what?!) and they’re loading posts on the pony cart. Yeah, that’s life at the Phippses!

Sayble enjoyed the afternoon from Wrex and I’s backs.

Look at that smile... — Look at that smile…

We toted her around in this thing for quite a while and she thought it was fantastic!

Pretty sure I might have a small bald spot from all the fun she had with my hair…

I’m thinking we’re all gonna sleep good tonight…

A Ridiculously Rad Night

Our church turned 30 years old yesterday! Their very first church service was on March 2, 1986 so we celebrated with an 80s theme party – totally rad!

Wrex and I got to come up with a photo booth for the event and since we had a 3 piece backdrop system, we decided to do three different backdrops for people to choose from.

Didn't they turn out cute?! — Didn’t they turn out cute?!

We, of course, had to do a splatter paint background. I didn’t know how easy it would be to do but let me tell ya – it was easy. We didn’t even end up using brushes, we just kinda dabbled our paint containers and it worked out so well!

Cutest little 80's girl I know! — Cutest little 80’s girl I know!

The other easier one we did was the one with bright colored lines. We just used neon duct tape and went to town laying down strips of color. I really liked how it turned out, especially for the photo booth.

The favorite of the night was the PacMan backdrop! It is pretty cool, isn’t it?! I dyed the sheet black (and got it grey -ha!) and then my mathematician husband took the photo I found online and scaled it and we got to work. We used duct tape for the game board and then I just used cardstock for all of the characters and circles. It really turned out great for not a lot of cost, just time.

We wanted a few bigger props so we made a giant rubix cube using a cardboard box, poster board and a LOT of black tape…

a giant Etch-a-Sketch out of an old red frame we had…

and no 80’s party is complete without a boombox, courtesy of a Pampers box, some duct tape and some cardstock!

We blew up some pictures at Staples and did our faux canvas work and hung those up for everyone to giggle at…

A fellow church goer decorated the fellowship hall and turned it into a totally bodacious space!

There was cake and live music – just a lot of fun!

It was just a REALLY fun night! It was easy and laid back and people totally got into the 80s spirit…it was just a really nice night to fellowship and be thankful for such a wonderful church family.

My crew got all dressed up for the event, of course.

Sawyer looked so cute, she could be in style no matter what the decade…

Same for Sayble…

and Wryder, too! His outfit was hard for me to come up with…but then I remembered that I had some of Wrex’s clothes FROM 1986ish and so Wryder wore Wrex’s old shirt and jacket and looked CUTE.AS.A.BUTTON!

I was the last to get dressed of course and did the best I could! I’m pretty sure the 80s color palette is not my favorite, but I worked it!

One of every color... — One of every color…

The winner…hands down…was Wrex!

He's all mine, ladies.... — He’s all mine, ladies….

I found this windsuit at the local thrift for $3!!! The tag said it had been there since September. THANKFULLY, I snatched it just in time!

His beard had been bothering him for a while now but we all really like it. He decided last night was a good night to shave it off…and leave mutton chops. *ahem*

I’m pretty sure some people will never be the same after seeing all that…

It was a ton of fun, despite the facial hair madness that he STILL hasn’t fixed yet.

Yesterday was also a special guy’s birthday! One of our favorite friends and pastors had a birthday yesterday and Sawyer wanted to make him a cake, so we did! She did 98% of the work herself! He wanted chocolate cake so we turned Grandma’s delicious chocolate sheet cake into a layer cake…

Making the batter... — Making the batter…

Letting them cool... — Letting them cool…

She REALLY to do sprinkles and candy hearts so we tried to limit them to just a few 🙂 and then she made a birthday banner for the birthday boy and delivered it with balloons, to boot!

Today, we’re all recuperating. I did the math and Sayble’s about 6 hours of sleep behind schedule – ha! Don’t call us between 1-4…we’ll all be napping!

Random Rambles

The snow is finally starting to melt a bit around here. There’s no telling how long I’ll be dealing with mud instead. I’m not sure which is worse when it comes to keeping kids and shoes and floors and cars clean…

I’d say we had about a foot of snow but some of the craziest drifts we’ve ever had. In our almost five years here, we’ve never had to have the neighbors rescue us but we had to call in the big dogs this time.

The high winds have blown even more snow around and our road has blown shut at least four times. Needless to say, we finally got out today to buy groceries and run a few errands.

The kids have sure had a ball playing on the big mounds daddy made, though!

We also took time to make some snow ice cream! We made a picture scavenger hunt for the kids using our cell phones. We’d text them a picture of something in the house like this:

and they’d have to figure out where exactly it was. There, they’d find an ingredient needed to make snow ice cream!

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You know those friends who don’t feel like friends at all? The ones that feel like you’re long lost sisters or, at the very least, sisters of the heart? Yeah. Those. I’m quite fortunate to have a few of those in my life and it saddens me that none of them live close to me. My head and heart have yet to reconcile how the Lord can so lovingly plop someone in your life and then makes you live so far from each other…..

My friend Emily is one of those friends. I met her at a trade show when we were in Denver and there was just that instant connection. She is so kind and spunky, a marketing maven and an event planner extraordinaire…and she has red hair! (Just a wee bit jealous, I am!) She has the sweetest husband and parents and kids! Oh, and if you wanna build a house and have it decorated to the hilt, call this girl!

We had the privilege to attend a Super Bowl party in their new digs – SO. MUCH. FUN. Their house is BEAUTIFUL and so warm and inviting and she IS the hostess with the mostest.

She had a photo booth and games for the kids…

Wryder giving it a try... — Wryder giving it a try…

We had food out the wazoo and everything was sooooo goooood! I made a few of these guys…

The kids LOVED Emily and her family!

Wryder took a special liking to Papa. They shared bowls and bowls and bowls of caramel corn and stories on the couch.

The night only got better with that Bronco win! These guys had a ball and looked cute doing it!

Not sure she REALLY knew what was going on... — Not sure she REALLY knew what was going on…

THANK YOU, Justin and Emily for such a wonderful night! I’m voting with the kids that we just move on down to Wild Horse, too…

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Someone has joined the thumb-sucker ranks around here.

We fought the battle hard with Wryder and thankfully he just sucks his thumb as he goes to sleep; not ideal, but at least it’s not all day, every day.

Sayble has surprised us. She’s a closet thumb sucker……but it’s so. darn. cute.

Tell me that's not cute?! — Tell me that’s not cute?!

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Sawyer was looking so cute in a little outfit the other night and I wanted to snap a quick pic of her. Of course, she pulled out all of her poses…. Good grief, I love this girl!

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Wrex and I have been teaching a Financial Peace University class at the local community college on Tuesday nights and it has been SO cool! Dave Ramsey’s directives helped us get out debt and we wanted to share the wealth of knowledge we’ve amassed and give others some HOPE for their financial situations, too!

I firmly believe the Lord had us teach this so that we could further our journey to even more financial freedom, wealth building and extravagant giving. We feel so renewed and reinvigorated regarding our finances. Bring it on, 2016!

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For my “midnight” snack last night, I had some almonds and a fruit and veggie smoothie. I’ll be the first to admit that it didn’t LOOK very appetizing.

I used spinach, kale, blackberries, chia seeds and a little unsweetened almond milk. Even though it didn’t look very tasty, it really was!

Wrex humored me and took a little taste. He choked it down but swore it wasn’t as good as the frosty he had at lunch. Oh, to be able to eat 8,000 calories a day and still be at my fighting weight….

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Sawyer’s been wanting to sew lately, so we got out her little sewing machine yesterday and she went to town! She made these shorts for Wryder.

They ended up a little small but her decorative elements made up for it, don’t ya think?!

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This family of mine is just the bees knees. Days with them are the best days……

Little Plus Little Plus Little Equals Big

Guys, I don’t even know what to tell you about 2016. We’re entering the second week of February and it’s been a ride already! I’ve always heard that following the Lord is an adventure and life has proven that very thing, time and time again.

I’ve been doing the Precept study – which you KNOW I love! – on the life of Abraham. It starts us right where the Lord calls Abram (soon to be Abraham) away from the place he and his family have known…away from every familiar and comfortable thing…to follow Him to a land that He would show Him…a land that the Lord promises to bless through the many descendants that shall come from the house of Abram.

Intriguing offer – would you do it? We’d all like to think we would, wouldn’t we? But sometimes, it’s not so easy. There are memories and relationships and impossibilities (seemingly, of course) and details to hash out and things to pack and things to mull over and think about and ideas to bounce off of our friends and confirmations to get and and and! But Abram made it look easy; the text simply says, “So Abram went…” What faith, yes?! I feel like I can definitely relate to this part of the story because it reminds me so much of how we got to where we are now… We had $5000 in a savings account, nowhere to live, nowhere to go and no job waiting for us; all we knew was we were supposed to go, so go we did.

One of the many things that I love about the story of Abram besides his faithfulness to the Lord, is the Lord’s faithfulness to Him. Even in his sin and his lies and poor decisions, the Lord still acts on His behalf and kept leading Him on in the way he already said that he would go…

It has been such a beautiful reminder for me the past couple of weeks. I so badly want to be obedient to Him – isn’t it the least that I could do? Isn’t the blessing that comes from obedience worth the discomfort of a new thing?

In that search for knowing obedience and knowing His will, Abram settles my soul that should I misstep, should I have heard wrong, should I have made the poor choice…He’s not leaving me. He’s not forsaking me. Should I willfully disobey, He will HATE my sin of disobedience but continue to love me just as He has done before my birth. That’s a beautiful thing, yes?

Sometimes waiting on the Lord is strenuous…especially for a ~~control freak~~ person who is very type A and likes to have all of their ducks in a row and have them in a row immediately. Don’t ask me how I know. *ahem*

I’m at the point that I just wanna do what He wants me to do and I don’t even care what that is. Not a bad place to be, eh?

I look at Abram’s story and it’s wrapped up in such a nice little bow that it makes the obedience part look easy. The Lord said, “do this,” so Abram did. He traveled here and built an altar…he traveled there until the Lord spoke again…he went on his merry way until the Lord gave Him some more instructions. Well, that sounds easy enough – no wonder he was faithful!

But when you look at the great distance he actually traveled (on foot, mind you) and all he must have encountered – all of the little hardships and happenings and rocks in the road and people he happened upon – he continually had to make choices for obedience that we don’t hear about in the text, even just in the daily grind. It wasn’t like he magically appeared in the next town because that’s where the text picks up; he actually had to GET there and that alone wasn’t always an easy feat.

Isn’t it the day to day choices for obedience that usually get us? I find myself begging for Him to reveal what I’m to do in the big decisions…am I good at letting Him govern the small ones, too? When Wryder poops in his pants for the thousandth time since we started potty training, do I choose grace (obedience) and talk to him levelly or do I raise my voice? When Sawyer continually guesses at words instead of sounding them out, do I teach her how to do it properly (obedience) or do I lose my cool? When Sayble is fussy do I stop everything I’m doing and comfort her (obedience) or do I act inconvenienced? When Wrex asks for my help outside and the wind is howling, so I jump up to help him with a good attitude (obedience) or complain and tell him to make it snappy? Well, that was all fun to write… *ahem*

I just can’t help but think that if it blesses His heart that we wait on Him before we make the big decisions in our life, how much MORE does it bless Him when we call on Him for EVERY decision in our life? It’s why we have to stay hooked up. It’s why we have to be in the Word. It’s why we have to have Scripture memorized and dropped in our hearts. It’s why we have to respond and not react. It’s why we have to consciously choose obedience in all the little things just as carefully as we would for the big things…because all the little things? They become the big things…

Lord, help me to have a heart that chases after you in ALL things. You are worthy of my obedience in every phase and every stage and every minute…

Can’t Get Enough

We’ve had daddy home for 10 of the past 11 days (thank you, sale barns!) and tomorrow we must give him up to the sale barn again. We have had such a good time together; no amount of days off would be “enough” for me.

Being a wife to my handsome hubby and a mom to my three cuties is better than I ever imagined it would be…better than I ever could have dreamt it… Are there hard days? Of course. Are there days when I need to run to town just for a little bit of quiet? Sure. Are there times when Wrexy and I need to recharge and get back to the basics of our marriage? Absolutely…but being a wife and mom are the best jobs I’ve ever had. My soul is satisfied with this calling…

While daddy was home, we…

went on a family date…

They loved their root beer in a boot - boot beer! — They loved their root beer in a boot – boot beer!

Wryder kept her entertained long after her sweet potatoes were gone... — Wryder kept her entertained long after her sweet potatoes were gone…

had family fun day where Sawyer and I got pedicures while the boys (and Sayble) had ice cream and went to Menards…

celebrated with Sawyer as she finally earned that Barbie Pop-Up Camper! We are so proud of her!

We had concerts…

They're gonna be famous... — They’re gonna be famous…

checked out the nativity scene in the neighboring town…

I love my babies...and baby Jesus — I love my babies…and baby Jesus

took selfies where mom’s arm didn’t quite reach…

played Paw Patrol, farm version…

ridden horses…

He's really gentle... — He’s really gentle…

crawled around with this cutie…

She has mastered the army crawl... — She has mastered the army crawl…

worked on trailers, took down Christmas decorations, played a mound of games, listened to at least 15 episodes of Adventure in Odyssey, watched a ton of football and just enjoyed being together!

I remember my parents telling (and re-telling) the story of me opening gifts at my grandparents’ house one Christmas. They always did things BIG and I had opened gifts for a bit and I laid back in a pile of wrinkled wrapping paper and said, “Oh, the more I get the more I want!” I’ve come a long way since then. *ahem*

I feel this way about my family, though; the more time I get with them, the more I desire! They are my best friends, my closest confidants, the ones I get to minister to and the ones who minister to me. They know me better and love me more than anyone on the planet and for that alone, I am so grateful.

My hearts....minus the baby who was sleeping. — My hearts….minus the baby who was sleeping.

We will send daddy off with smiles tomorrow and eagerly await his return home. I’m so thankful that while he’s off buying cows and providing for our fam, that I get to stay home and hang with these babies all day.

Sawyer and I have a date to play Barbie Pop-Up Camper WITH water in the pool and Wryder wants help making a card for Goo Goo and I have no doubt Sayble will want me to make funny noises and kiss her cheeks and snuggle her in the chair. I love these guys…I just can’t get enough…

Howloween

We don’t get to watch a ton of TV around these parts, but when we do, the kids’ FAVORITE show is Paw Patrol. (It’s actually quite cute…and they don’t talk ugly to each other or whine…and the boy’s name is Ryder!!)

We had never heard of it until we had Wryder and someone at the clinic asked us if we named him after the Ryder on Paw Patrol. We looked it up, Wrex and I checked it out and the rest is history!

I’m a sucker for a good, homemade costume so for $28, all five of us were, indeed, the Paw Patrol! Wrex sewed the vests (come on, you know I can’t sew!!) and I made all the ears and hat details and collars… They looked ADORABLE!

Skye...who tried so hard to eat that badge — Skye…who tried so hard to eat that badge

We carbo-loaded with some spooky spaghetti! (I dyed the noodles with icing dye!)…

We went trick-or-treating downtown on Friday and then we met our sweet neighbors in town and took Wrex out for his first time trick-or-treating EVER (the kids’, too). They had a ball!

We came home, ate some candy (duh!), a few other fun snacks and had our annual camp in!

Witch's brooms (cheese sticks and pretzels) — Witch’s brooms (cheese sticks and pretzels)

A little something to offset all the sweets... — A little something to offset all the sweets…

The kids got to go to the pumpkin patch earlier in the week with the Christian school group in Grant. They had a BALL there, too!

Gosh, she's gorgeous! — Gosh, she’s gorgeous!

With all of that partying, everyone was a little under the weather and VERY tired come Sunday. No thanks to the time change, mind you…

We’re still adapting around here. The 6:10 bedtime we’ll have tonight will be fun…the 6:40 (most likely) wake up call from upstairs in the morning? Not so much…