blessing – Page 3 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

Birthday Questionnaire

So, the bestie and her family are some of the best birthday do-ers I’ve ever met! Their family has taught us so much about honor and they always do unique and meaningful things for each others’ birthdays.

Here lately, they’ve been putting the birthday person in the center of the room and letting each person ask them a thought provoking (usually) question. On my birthday, I got an e-mail doing just that so I’m going to take the time to attempt to answer them here!

1.) If you could give yourself a birthday gift, something you could have forever that would enable you to fulfill your greatest potential, what would it be?

Oh, geez. This one is hard for me…maybe because I have to be a bit vulnerable to answer it. I guess I would have to say a spirit of confidence. I’ve alluded to the fact that I’m a bit fearful and that rears it’s head into lots of areas of my life. I fear failure. I fear coming off as a know-it-all (because those people drive me bananas). I fear looking silly or missing the mark…so a spirit of confidence – an honest assessment and belief in what I was putting my mind to, would be a good start for me.

2.) What’s your favorite family tradition?

Growing up, I always loved everything about Christmas. My parents and grandparents always made it fun and exciting. We would make homemade decorations and put the tree up together…my mom always recruited me to wrap gifts and there was always a viewing of Christmas Vacation. 🙂 While I still LOVE Christmas and love the things we’re doing with our kids (Jesse Tree, Christmas pajamas, The First Noel movie, etc.) I love our little tradition of camping out in the living room on Halloween night. That started by accident when we first moved to Holyoke. We had no furniture, as we hadn’t gotten it from Denver yet and so that first Halloween here, we all slept in the living room…which was where we were sleeping while we worked on the bedrooms. The next year, we did the same thing – but for fun – and have yet to stop!

3.) What book has influenced you most (besides the Bible)?

Hands down, “Walking With God” by John Eldredge. I’m sure it was a combination of where I was in life and who was leading the study and what the Lord had for me at that specific time in my life, but I learned so much from this book that I still recall and recant to this day! The title seems to leave a lot to be desired but TRUST ME when I say IT. WILL. CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE!

4.) If you could pick up and move your family somewhere for a year, and then come back (and not have to worry about work the entire time) where would it be?

The selfish side of me would say Alaska. I have dreams of visiting there one day… Seeing it on television or in photos it is just breathtakingly gorgeous and I’d love to just camp around and explore all it has to offer! The missions-minded side of me would say our church’s care point for orphans in Kayango, Uganda. The trip I took to Venezuela shaped me and molded me and changed me in a way few other things ever have and I’d love to have the opportunity to dote on and serve the least of these again…

5.) What is one thing you will never do again?

Drink until I get drunk. Not worth it. Not appealing. Not wise. Not an option.

6.) If you could eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A really good cheeseburger with lots of extras (read – jalapenos!) and some good, salty fries!

7.) How would your best friends describe you?

Probably like this:

What I’ve come to understand about you in the 7-8 years that we’ve been friends is that you are a wise woman beyond your years, loyal to the end, passionate about those you love. You are creative, resourceful, an excellent gift-giver and a skilled event planner. Generous to the bone and loving beyond measure. You’re an incredible mother and a deeply devoted and encouraging wife. You have always been the very definition of a hospitable and wonderful/competent homemaker. You are a chef and an artist. You are beautiful and always fashionable. You are organized and thoughtful. When you set your mind to something, you carry it through all the way, in excellence. We, your friends and family, are so very lucky to have you!

(That was written by the bestie and posted on my Facebook wall for my birthday). That may or may not be cheating to answer that question. 😉

8.) What’s the most interesting thing you see out your kitchen window?

Currently, a little red wagon that Sawyer planted wheat and marigolds in all by herself. How cute is that?!

9.) If you had the ability to time travel, would you travel to the past or to the future and why?

Definitely the past. Mainly, I would talk to the old me and tell me that I’m not fat or as fat as I thought I was…I would tell myself that I was worthy of love…I would tell myself that I didn’t have to vie for the attention of certain people…I would tell myself to prepare for the attacks of satan that I knew would be coming and I would bolster myself with the truth to combat those…I would redo my wedding and make it as magical as I always hoped it would be – I got my prince so that’s really all that matters…

10.) Three sentences looking ahead to when you’re twice the age you’re turning now, describing who you are as a woman and what you’ve accomplished by then so far…

I would be 66… I see myself still as bat-crazy in love with my handsome husband as I am today if not more so. I’m assuming I’ll be a grandma – hopefully to lots of little grandcuties that I can spoil rotten! I’m hoping that all of my mothering and parenting and falling on my knees begging for wisdom will result in children who are all walking closely with the Lord and teaching their families to follow Him, all while living within 15 miles of me. That’d be a pretty great life…

Birthday Bonanza 2015 – Part 1

So, I’ve had just a few things on my plate here lately, the biggest of which (so far) culminated this weekend in Kansas. Wrex’s Grandma Rusk turned 80 years old on Sunday and her only request was to have all of her family in one place…to spend time with them and make new memories and to share with them her love for the Lord and her desire for them to know and love Him, too. Why in the world would ya not show up for that?!

Granny is a ranchy thing, but you’d never know it just by looking at her. She’s always put together – never a hair out of place – yet tough as boot leather. I went with a vintage cowgirl/shabby chic theme for her invitations and party decor. Maybe I say this every time, but HONESTLY, this was my favorite party that I have thrown. It’s probably because the woman for whom I threw it is just out of this world lovely… I can’t say enough good things about her here, so you’ll just have to watch the video I made regarding her life. It sums it up to the best of my abilities. (It’s not perfect but after 36 attempts – not even kidding – to read it without crying, that was the best I could do).

I found the kids some little plastic spurs from Party City that they wore the first night. They. were. ADORABLE! Wryder had already lost his rowel at this point but still cute!

Leading up to the event, our family committed to covering it and everyone invited (Grandma, her 5 kids and spouses, grandkids and great-grandkids) in prayer. It’s hard to get 30+ people in one place at one time and we know that satan hates family and does everything in his power to attempt to divide them and we refused to let him.

That alone was such a rewarding time for our little family…something we plan to continue.

Grandma was so excited the day of the event, she woke up at 5:30am, got around and left even sooner than she needed to – she just couldn’t contain herself!

We gave her the grand tour, as we had all kinds of little surprises planned for her.

The only thing missing was the guest book because a certain 2 year old decided to sign the cover himself. *ahem* Thank goodness Granny thought that made it even cuter…

We bought a bundle of cheap cedar shingles and I painted them all to use as signage as the weekend. We had each person’s name on their respective doors and used them for directions and welcomes, etc.

We wanted to make the birthday girl’s room a little extra special so we had a few little things up our sleeve to do so.

When we sent out the invitations, we also included cards for each family member to fill out regarding their favorite thing about and favorite memory with Granny and asked them to send them back with their RSVP cards. We collected all of those and then tied them to the ends of balloons so when she walked in, she had a room full of love waiting to greet her!

Checking out her room.... — Checking out her room….

In everyone’s room, we left them a little goodie bag with fresh fruit, water, an itinerary of weekend events, the jelly belly bean-boozled game for late night fun and a name collage of our entire family. The family hadn’t been all together in a quite some time and we just wanted to make everyone feel as welcome as possible – we were so excited to be together again!

Friday night, Grandma wanted to have a pitch tourney and we couldn’t say no to that! This is quite the competitive group and there was quite a bit of whooping and hollering! 🙂

We had the idea to make Grandma the star of the show for this event and we made her the queen of the cards. I printed some pictures of her and photoshopped some crowns on her head and then mounted them on foam board. We loved the way they turned out!

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

The queen in the flesh... — The queen in the flesh…

Some serious card playing - see the shuffler?! — Some serious card playing – see the shuffler?!

Wrex’s sister gathered prizes for the top two highest scores, one of which was Wrexy – no surprise there – and we used some old acrylic plates we had from a display case that we took apart and made plaques to go with them…

The losers got a little something, too. When we hosted pitch parties in Denver, we always tried to make the loser trophy completely ridiculous. I was at the dollar store before our trip and set out to find the most ridiculous looking thing I could find and I happened upon a glittery pirate owl. What the heck?! So I consulted the bestie on what to call the trophy and she came up with “Aye didn’t play my carrrrrds right!” Yes, she’s a genius.

Ashley took home one and Waco the other…he with a little less excitement than she. 😉

Saturday morning, we took professional family photos and then we all gathered to sit at the feet of 80 years of love and wisdom. Grandma shared her heart and her deep and abiding love with us and we got to tell stories and laugh and cry and reflect upon 80 incredible years… It was a really, really good time.

We had some lunch and then we reconvened for a little Minute to Win It showdown. This was so much more fun than I even hoped it would be!

M&M Elevator - good watchin'! — M&M Elevator – good watchin’!

Seriously, that was SO much fun! The Phipps’ are hosting a Minute to Win It night SOON – get ready!

That afternoon, we had an official birthday party for the birthday girl…but I’ll save those for tomorrow… You’re not gonna wanna miss it – trust me!

Sawyer’s Birth(day) Week

My first born is officially FIVE! Five has always been a big birthday number for her. She made a list about a year or so ago of all the things she felt like she could do once she was five…use a knife to cut her food, climb a tree, go underwater, etc. (Now that one has been moved to when she’s 10. Darn that bad swimming lesson…)

She had a really fun birth-week (and we did, too!) She got to get a pedicure…

and have heart pancakes for breakfast…

She got sang to at the sale barn and someone gave her a dollar and her special friend Mr. Rod gave her some roller skates! She was THRILLED! She picked A&W for her birthday lunch (girl loves her some root beer floats) and then we headed home to open presents. But first, a little birthday park play…

And yes, she wore that silly little birthday crown all day. 🙂

That night, we surprised her with a birthday slumber party! She’s been dying for one of us to sleep in her room with her in her new trundle bed so that’s what we did…for part of the night anyways. Bum feet and babies make an all nighter a little hard but we did our best! She’s been telling people we stayed up “alllllllll night.” It was 9:00, but good enough for me!

We fixed each other’s hair and did each other’s makeup – daddy, too!

(Yes, he IS the best dad on the planet!) We played flashlight tag and restaurant, read stories and played with sister…it really was a fun night. One on one times with her have gotten fewer with the addition of our other little blessings so it was fun for us to be immersed in her world for a little while.

We spent the rest of the week finishing up the details for her official birthday party. Little Wryder has been all about trailers lately…

So when Wrexy loaded up our little fair booths on Thursday evening, Wryder pulled his little car over and was ready to go. It was the cutest thing….EVER.

She wanted a county fair so on Saturday, a county fair we had! Here’s a little sneak peak…more to come later! 🙂

She had a ball and our hearts were so full. THANK YOU to everyone who came and showered her with love… We are so thankful for our spiritual family who fill in the gaps…you all have our hearts.

Sunday, we had brunch and (not enough) great grandma/PaPa/RaRa/auntie/uncle/cousin play time.

The kids are still recuperating – heck, I am, too! – but it was worth every late night, paper cut and sore foot. She felt so loved…

She is.

Random Rambles

Today was one of those tough mom days where I didn’t really enjoy my job. Wryder is in a definite boundary testing phase…again. My apologies ahead of time to the wonderful sitter I have lined up for tomorrow. *ahem*

There just seemed to be an overload of disobedience and nasty tones (some of them mine, unfortunately)…unkind gestures and more housework than I could juggle. I just felt defeated come nap time.

We made it through the afternoon – praise the Lord for short sales and daddy’s who come home quick – and the evening ended decently well.

Sawyer is learning to read and doing a fantastic job! Our plan is to home school (for multiple reasons) and there are days when I wonder if that will ever work. Sawyer is an incredible student but we have a few little distractions running around…and I’ve never taught school before…and I don’t remember how to teach someone to read…and I’m not the most patient soul on the planet…and days like today, where it feels like we barely survive the normal daily activities, I wonder how I can add one more thing…and the thought of trying to teach Wryder to read…well…that’s just scary.

Some days I just wonder if I’m gonna be able to finish this mom thing and finish it well…

And then…Sawyer read new words she struggled with just this morning…and I came across a blog that was saying exactly what I was saying…and I learned of families fighting far bigger battles than ours…and my world got a little broader and my self-pity a little smaller.

I have no doubt that HE wants me to finish this mom thing and finish it well and thus He will encourage me and refresh me and renew me and strengthen me and grace me and give me the wisdom I need to do such a thing.

Bring it, Friday…

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The last two nights, Wrex and I have grabbed a blanket, killed the power to the mercury light and laid out on the trampoline to watch the meteor shower. The sky has been cloudless and our prairie view has allowed for an awesome window in which to watch.

I was thinking of how majestic the Lord truly is and how He blessed us through His creativity. I mean what if He chose not to make stars? What if the night sky was just black? What if instead of a blue sky during the day, He chose olive green instead? What if there were no such thing as animals or what if every human looked exactly the same? What if birds didn’t make sounds or what if food had no taste? What if…

His creation speaks of His wonder and goodness and glory…

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The other day, the kids had gone out to play and I had to change Sayble’s diaper before I went out with them. I got that done, grabbed my shoes and headed over towards the tree, right where they were playing when out of the corner of my eye, I saw an orange streak slither quickly in their direction.

It was a long, nasty garter snake and he was headed right towards them. I told them to move and then cornered him while Sawyer got me a shovel. (The only good snake is a dead snake around these parts)…

I chopped him up and threw him in the ditch…and then had the willies the rest of the day… But it was a good reminder of how the enemy is doing just that – heading for my kids. He’s on the prowl, folks. He’s real and he’s looking for someone to devour.

Pray for your kids! Cover them and intercede for them and demand satan to flee in the name of Jesus. You’ve got no authority here, you creep.

The snake. I know it doesn't look that big, but it was. *ahem* — The snake. I know it doesn’t look that big, but it was. *ahem*

Sawyer holding Sayble so I could do my thing... — Sawyer holding Sayble so I could do my thing…

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On a brighter note, I saw this the other day in Sterling…

It made me feel so at home. Only a few more days until the start of football season and I’m sure hoping for a mildly successful one to say the least. Now, to get Wrex agree to cable for the winter…

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I’m headed to a consult with the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. I hurt my foot/ankle/leg back in February and it’s gotten increasingly worse. I’m sure they’ll want to do an MRI and all of that (expensive) jazz. If you would join me in prayer that it could be healed without surgery, I’d much appreciate it.

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Praying your Friday is fun and that the presence of the Lord is thick with you this weekend. Praying that for me, too…

Camera Dump

I plugged my phone into my computer to charge last night and I realized I have a lot of pictures that haven’t made it anywhere, so I thought I’d post some of my favorites! We’ve had such a great summer…can you believe it’s August?!

We took a little trip up to the sandhills of Nebraska to see the elder Phipps’…always a good time and good food!

We had supper with some friends and the kids got to check out the volunteer fire department!

Checkin' out the fire truck in Wages — Checkin’ out the fire truck in Wages

Wryder lost his pants and I'm not completely sure what Sawyer is doing. Hilarious picture though... — Wryder lost his pants and I’m not completely sure what Sawyer is doing. Hilarious picture though…

The Stukas family came for a visit and we had more fun than we knew what to do with!

Reading with Tanner. Wryder loved having a brother around!

Daddy brought home some new barn kitties. Wryder is officially in love. Poor cats.

Good gravy he's cute... — Good gravy he’s cute…

Wrex made this arrow for me for a wedding gift. I loved how it turned out so he’s cranked out a few more since!

I bought groceries one night ALL BY MYSELF. It was a little quiet but quite nice. The kids were incredibly tired and thus distraught when I left. I had to document the fact that they were crying because I was leaving. That never happens…either thing – me leaving or them crying because I do. 🙂

Sawyer has gotten her craft on lately.

We busted out the puff paint! Flashback 1991!

She’s also been drawing a lot. Here’s a picture of a fish…

And just a couple of my faves…

Four Little Words

My husband has the privilege to work for a really neat company. (Neat doesn’t really do them justice, but if you could hear the warmth in my voice when I say that, you’d better understand.) They do a lot of things exceptionally well in my book, including the ways they use their time and resources.

They’ve always been big supporters of the local and regional homeless shelters and supply them with meat every week. Two weeks ago, under the organization of their fabrication floor manager, they took their efforts up a notch in order to connect with this community of people in a more personal way.

The employees at the plant teamed up with the regional homeless shelter and safe house and hosted a family fun day. They cooked out and fed everyone, as well as rented out the zoo and mini-golf park for a day of fun. How cool is that?!

The employees served in every capacity and got to just hang out and love on these people for an afternoon. It was one of those events where they came back (perhaps) more impacted than those they went to serve.

Packing plants can be dark places. It’s an industry with no “easy” jobs, a decent amount of turnover and the employee base can be made up of a rougher crowd of folks. This place is different; these people are doing their best to shine the light of Jesus inside the plant and out.

Wrex was telling me about a manager there named Roy. Roy holds Bible studies AT the plant and is really invested in the company, but especially his employees. In the past year, he’s led 10 people into a personal relationship with the Lord. He’s a mover and a shaker and he inspires people to be better and love harder and live more righteously and to change the world around them for His glory.

As Wrex was telling me about the event and about him, my heart was overcome with emotion. Through tears, I said, “I’ve always wanted to be one of THOSE people…” Haven’t you? What joy there is in doing the work of the Lord and making an impact on this generation and generations to come!

Before I could even finish my sentence proclaiming that I wasn’t, Sawyer immediately interjected with, “But you are, momma.”

As a doer myself, I often wonder if I’m doing enough. I have dreams and desires regarding the Kingdom of God and issues that pull at every ounce of my being. I see and hear of needs that I so desperately want to be a part of finding a solution for.

Sometimes it feels like needs are so much more pronounced and visible in bigger cities so it makes it easier to meet them there. That’s not always the case in small town America…though I know some of those same needs exist here, too.

And it’s not just responding to need. A Bible teacher once talked to us about responding to need vs. responding to the Holy Spirit. We could exhaust ourselves financially, emotionally, physically, etc. if we simply set out to meet every need we ever encountered; need knows no end! But when we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit (give where He says to give, go where He says to go, etc,) we can better impact the world in His name, for His glory.

Sawyer’s sweet little interjection caught me completely off guard and in that moment, the Lord used her to get my attention. He spoke directly to my heart and told me there was always more room for good done in His name in this ole world…but He showed me that the person I was saying I wanted to be…I AM to my husband and kids.

And isn’t that where it has to start? In your heart and then your own home?? If I don’t love my husband or children well, how on earth can I love a friend, much less a stranger? If I don’t have a marriage that emulates what the word says a marriage should look like, how on earth can anyone take any other ministry I have seriously? If I can’t teach my children about the Father heart of God and the righteousness He desires from them, how on earth can I be effective elsewhere?

It was a good reminder that right now, this IS my primary ministry. Yes, there are things we’re called to do regardless of our position in life…care for the orphan, widow and alien…share the Good News…be kind and loving and joyful and gracious and merciful, etc. It’s great to dream big, Kingdom sized dreams…but don’t grow weary of doing good in your own home. You are impacting more people than you realize – for better or for worse – I guarantee it. Make sure it’s for the better.

It was so nice to be “seen” tonight by someone I love and trust and adore.

It was nice to have the lies of the enemy squelched just as they passed my ears, before they fully wreaked havoc on my head and my heart.

It was nice to be able to receive such awesome revelation in a moment when I needed it most.

It was nice to be ministered to from my own ministry.

“But you are, momma…”

Four simple words that have inspired me to keep fighting the good fight. She saw those things in me, because she’s been on the receiving end of what I’ve given away. She’s been inspired. She’s been encouraged to do better. She’s been the recipient of an unconditional love.

I’m thankful for the hubby’s job and company and even more grateful to have my job and ministry be one and the same. The ministry that is Wrex and Sawyer and Wryder and Sayble will, indeed, transform generations to come. Lord, help me to do this and do it well.

Road Trip Funnies

During a 2,000 mile road trip, funny stuff is bound to happen! (Especially if you have two adorable kiddos who are observant of their surroundings and have stories and ideas they want to share). Here are a few of my favorites…

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EVERY time Wryder saw a deer crossing sign (and there were a few in that part of the country), he would excitedly scream, “John Deere!” and look around for the green machines. Thankfully, he only woke the baby a couple of times…

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On the tractor note… We were talking about Sawyer’s show cow named Cindy. When Sawyer turned four, we bought Cindy as a starter project and investment. All of the income would be hers, as well as the debt and when she was old enough, the work.

Before we left town, we dropped Cindy off to be AI’d and then turned out with a bull since we’d be gone during her heat cycle. Sawyer was asking if we were going to sell her calf and so Wrex and I were talking about needing to set up a livestock account just for Sawyer to keep that money separate. I then reminded him that we’d need to be on the lookout for a heifer or cow for Wryder who then piped up and said, “When I four, I want tractor. No cow.” The boy is serious about his tractors…

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When we arrived in Booker, the kids unbuckled and Wrex went around to their door to let them out. What he didn’t know was that Wryder was leaning against the door and as soon as he opened it, poor WD toppled right onto the concrete parking lot.

He skinned his arm and head and had a bit of a black eye. We finally got him calmed down and took him inside to meet some of Wrex’s co-workers.

When he met Roger, the CEO and Wrexy’s big boss, he was showing him his owies. Roger asked what happened and Wryder said, “Mommy hurt me.” WHAT?!?!?!?

We told him what happened and that if ANYBODY hurt him it was daddy and Wryder just kept saying, “Mommy hurt me.” How kind. Dad’s got him brainwashed, apparently… 😉

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The night of the rehearsal dinner, we forgot to take the kids’ cups to the wedding site and drinking out of water bottles is still a little hard for Wryder. He tends to put his entire mouth around the opening and always lets a little water back into the bottle.

By the end of supper, his water looked a little murky. I think at least an 1/8 of his dinner was floating around the bottom of the bottle. I was overly careful not to accidentally grab his by mistake and I even ended up putting a wedding favor koozie on it so I knew which one it was.

Fast forward two days later. We’re driving along in the car and Wrex is on the phone. He’d been eating trail mix and was a little parched and reached into the back seat to grab a bottle of water. He found one that was about half full (not a big surprise after that many days of traveling) and took a big ole chug…and then proceeded to spit and gag.

Yep, he found Wryder’s bottle.

See that murky goodness?? Go ahead and enlarge the pic and really take note. You’ll dry heave before ya know it…there was a whole Cherrio in there, folks. Still gagging…

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The kids were pretty hot in Texas. Sawyer’s a little like me when it comes to heat; she much prefers 70 degrees and drier climates. There was a bit of complaining a few times but we gently reminded them that we had talked about the heat before we came and that we all agreed to tough it out.

As soon as we got home on Tuesday, we let the kids out to run around and we started carrying stuff in. As we were making our first trip into the mudroom, they both came out of the mudroom looking like this:

Apparently, 82 degrees in Colorado warranted sweatshirts after their quick acclimation to 95 degrees and 97% humidity in Texas. Hysterical!

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I’m sure I’m forgetting things that I’ll have to add later, but these were some of my faves. Sure do love this (funny) family of mine…

Worth 1,000 Words: 33

I put Sawyer in charge of Wrex turning 33 and the girl came out swinging!! She decided we needed to throw him an orange birthday party since orange is his favorite color. 🙂 I sat down with her last week and she made a menu and helped me shop for orange everything!

Orange pop, orange slices, Reese’s, orange plates and cups and napkins and straws and silverware and flowers – girl covered it all!

We even found a bright orange cupcake mix!

That's a lot of orange... — That’s a lot of orange…

For his birthday supper, she created the menu all by herself! Steaks with sweet potato fries, cantaloupe, cheese and carrots!

This weekend, we let him decide everything on the agenda so it turned into Phipps Family work day(s)! We washed and detailed the car and got it ready to sell…

We mowed and mowed and mowed some more… We got air conditioners running and closets full of summer clothes and winter ones put away… We got daddy’s trailer door fixed and the battery charged in the Power Wheels… We even had time for a midday cookout!

Both kids were a tick under the weather all weekend so we tried our hardest to sleep in on Sunday. I snapped this pic before I got up…melt my heart.

We went out for Mexican food on Sunday night and the lovely staff just insisted on singing to daddy…in a sombrero…

Then, after they were done singing, they whopped him in the face with whipped cream! WHAT THE HECK!?! All in good fun, but we were all a little shocked!

All in all, I think it was a pretty good birthday weekend!

I’m so proud of this curly haired beauty and how much thought and effort she put into blessing her daddy.

We love this man!

33 looks good on you!

I Got the Gift

Well, well…fancy meeting you here again. 😉 I’ve been a little m-i-a since the wee one was born. Do ya blame me?! I mean, look at that sweet face…

I rejoin the blogging world for a very special occasion…this handsome fella’s 33rd birthday!

I always feel like I’m the one getting the gift on his birthday.

As a little girl and young woman, when I was dreaming up my ideal husband, I couldn’t have put together someone more perfect than my Wrexy. He’s all things good and kind and gentle and sweet and loving and right and joyful…and watching him (especially) the past 3 weeks has made me fall in love with him all over again.

He was a champ – a dream – in the delivery room. Having a natural labor requires a LOT of teamwork and he was the best teammate I could’ve asked for (much like the other parts of my life). He encouraged me and let me squeeze his hand until I thought it might fall off…he held me up when I couldn’t hardly hold myself up and kept me on track when I wanted to cave to pain killers…he supplied me with cold rags and words of affirmation…he counted and encouraged and encouraged some more and encouraged even more…he was a constant ray of sunshine and excitement… I mean this to the fullest extent – there is NO WAY I could’ve birthed that baby without him.

When Dr. Kohl came in the next day, she checked me over and then she said something to the effect of, “I just have to tell you something. Yesterday, during labor, I was so impressed with you and Wrex. My favorite part was that during transition, he was calling you ‘Fox’.”

Ah, yes…transition. That point in labor where the pain is almost unbearable and you start thinking you can’t do it (and don’t want to) and you say that this is your last baby and you are writhing in pain… And in the middle of all of that…when I (most likely) wasn’t looking my best or acting my best or even coherent enough be fully aware of all that was going on around me, he was treating me like I was the foxiest thing he’d seen all day. See what I mean when I say I feel like I’m the one getting the gift?!

Watching him with this sweet, new babe is equally swoon worthy. He’s so gentle with her and talks about how cute she is and dotes on her constantly. He’ll hold her and she’ll fall asleep and he’ll say, “You should come take our picture.” Uh, ask me for anything and you can have it this very moment.

He’s my best friend and lover and teammate extraordinaire and I am SO VERY GLAD that he was born!

Sexy Wrexy, I pray that 33 is your best year yet! On this, the best day in June, I bless you in the name of Jesus!

I bless the work of your hands…that the Lord would honor your fortitude and entrepreneurial spirit and that you would continue to operate for His glory.

I bless you with loyalty…that the same amount of faith and fidelity that your pour out to those around you would be given right back to you.

I bless you with with the receipt of grace and mercy…that it would envelop you as freely as you give it away.

I bless you with strength and boldness as you continue to live a life of transparency that shines the light of Jesus, even in (and especially in) those dark places.

I bless you with an increase in wisdom…that you would press into the Lord and receive His heart on how best to parent and love and discipline our growing family.

I bless you with the time and means to pursue the things that satisfy your soul and refresh your spirit.

And, as any good cow buyer’s wife would, I bless you with cheap cows and easy roads…copious amounts of Mt. Dew and highly marbled steak.

I love you, handsome! Happiest of birthdays to you! Thank you for giving me the gift of YOU all year long…

A Grace Filled Mother’s Day

Where do I even begin?

I’m a momma three times over now and I’m not sure I could be any more joyful. Never, EVER did I think my heart could hold so much love…so much adoration…for such beautiful little creations…

Our days have been full of so much grace here lately; grace for things that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else but things that spoke so richly of His love for me…

A decent night’s sleep before induction (unlike the last two births)…

My babies waking up earlier than normal so that I got to love on them before I left for the hospital (which was a good thing since that whole labor thing took a little longer than we were expecting)…

Checking into the hospital with a nursing staff full of familiar faces that were excited and ready for us to meet sweet Sayble…

Rainy, cloudy, overcast weather that kept our recently planted grass nice and moist while daddy was away taking care of mom instead of the yard…

Decisions that I was nervous about making that ended up being made for us since we had some small progress…

A nurse that encouraged us to sleep until the next round of induction drugs could be administered because labor would come if it was going to come…

A doctor who is patient and understands the desire for natural labors…pretty sure had I been in a big city, they’d have just cut me open and snagged baby so they could attend their kids’ track meet since it was taking longer than expected…

Blood sugar and blood pressure that stayed right on their respective cues from start to finish…

A baby who’s heartbeat never once showed signs of distress during that lengthy process…

A nurse and a doctor who delivered their baby’s naturally who encouraged me just as much as my sweet hubby and doula-mom…

A friend who volunteered to cover a shift so I could squeeze her hand off while she championed with me to have this baby…

Being able to allow myself to sleep through some of those first few hours of contractions…

Pitocin finally doing the trick and other than transition, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be…and pretty sure transition would be bad regardless…

Pushing out that sweet baby girl in nine little pushes…

Post-partem drugs doing what they were supposed to do to help my uterus really clamp down back into place and size…

An easier recovery (mentally and physically) than Wryder’s birth…

A (so-far) seamless transition from two to three…or four to five…

I feel like grace was the word for this pregnancy from the get-go…and I’ve experienced it so richly the past week or so that I’ve found myself not being able to help but pour it right back out.

As a type-A kinda girl, there have been plenty of opportunities (now that there are five of us in one house) that didn’t quite meet my rigid expectations and I’ve noticed that I’ve dealt with them swimmingly. I haven’t felt rattled or frustrated or disappointed…I’ve just felt a sense of nonchalance…trust me, THAT is grace.

I know that grace is an area I struggle with; I don’t have much for myself, much less for anyone else…but when I see it in action, it literally brings me to my knees. It is SUCH a breathtakingly beautiful thing. How I looooooooonnnnngggg for more…and long to give it away more…

So this Mother’s Day that is what I wish all of you mommas and mommas-to-be and mommas who’s hearts are burdened for whatever reason or season…I wish you grace…

That you would be able to see how readily it is available for you and that you would reach out and receive it…

That you would fully understand the weight of the job you do but know that it’s not all up to you…

That you would cut yourself (as well as the mom next door) some slack and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty as He works with you to fill in the gaps…

That you would give it away even when you think it is undeserved – because isn’t that really what grace is…

Happy Mother’s Day to the women of the world! Grace to you in all you do!