Birthday Week: Amended

Amended:

*****As I was thinking about birthday week, I felt the need to amend this post.  I was talking to Sawyer about the happenings of this week, I got to thinking about my birthdays in years past and I feel the need to give credit where credit is {most certainly} due.  My parents were incredibly good about making us kids feel more than special on our big day.

They gave thoughtful gifts and always had a fun party for us and our friends, even as that morphed and changed over the years.  There was always decor and a fun cake and beautiful cards and fun meals and hugs and kisses and “I’m proud of yous.”

They both worked so hard my entire life to make sure that my brother and I were taken care of.  In fact, I can’t remember too many times in my life that one or both of them didn’t have a part time job besides their primary career; neither of them were too prideful to work.

I remember driving around town with my dad, lawn mower in the back of his truck, mowing yards for extra income.  They’ve cleaned out flower beds, worked at the local landfill, started their own businesses – whatever it took to make sure that we were provided for.

Their work ethic and their love for us kids (especially on our birthdays) is a beautiful legacy in my book of life and one I pray I pass on to my kids.

In case I’ve never said it before, thank you both for all that you’ve done to provide for me. It hasn’t gone unnoticed and is much appreciated.  Love you both.*****

Original post:

I love my kids and I love birthdays!  The days that they were born were definitely days of celebration; the Lord’s handiwork came to full fruition as they made their way out of the womb and that is something to revere.

Celebrating their birthdays, for us, is a way that we make sure our kids know that they are loved, blessed, cherished and honored.  (I don’t want to hear all of the “Valentine’s crap” of – shouldn’t you do that everyday?!  Uh, absolutely…but especially as you celebrate the very day they joined your family outside of the womb.)

It’s not all about the gifts or the cake or even the experiences (though we attempt to make those fun and meaningful as well); we use it as a time to lay our hands on them and bless them and make sure they understand that we are so glad that they were born…and this world is better for it.

I saw this on Instagram last night and I loved it.

Indeed...
Indeed…

I have yet to see a kid made rotten in a day…

This week, we did some things that we know would be special to sweet Sawyer; things that are big in her world right now.

Booey got to spend the night in her room…

See her there under the paint cans?
See her there under the paint cans?

She got to get a root beer in town one day…which brother promptly stole the minute she sat it on the table…

Naughty!  ;)
Naughty! 😉

We went to the parade in Imperial…

Making friends...
Making friends…
How Wryder kept watching the parade...
How Wryder kept watching the parade…

We checked out the fair on Friday night and got to ride a few rides and eat a giant pickle!

Taking care of brother...
Taking care of brother…
She LOVES the boats!
She LOVES the boats!
Cute girl!
Cute girl!
YUM!
YUM!

She got to watch the Daniel Tiger baby special!  She was soooooo looking forward to this.  She saw the commercial on PBS and we normally don’t watch DT (because he’s a little whiny for our taste) but we made an exception and she was THRILLED!

Really, she was excited...she just didn't want to stop watching just so I could snap a pic.  :)
Really, she was excited…she just didn’t want to stop watching just so I could snap a pic. 🙂

We surprised her on Sunday after church and went to North Platte for lunch and Cody Park fun.  The biggest surprise was…

RaRa and PaPa!
RaRa and PaPa!

They were sooooo excited!

When they saw them coming...
When they saw them coming…
Swinging with RaRa
Swinging with RaRa
Wryder was a little tired, can ya tell?!
Wryder was a little tired, can ya tell?!
Waiting for their turn on the carousel...
Waiting for their turn on the carousel…
Pretty girls!
Pretty girls!
Feeding the llama...
Feeding the llama…
and the little donkeys...
and the little donkeys…
Opening presents from PaPa and RaRa
Opening presents from PaPa and RaRa
Giving thanks...
Giving thanks…

Yesterday we went to work with daddy and checked out the Children’s Museum.  It was WD’s first time and he loved it as much as sister.  Pics to come…

Tonight, the neighbors are coming over for cake and some super Sawyer fun…

Super Sawyer

We love you, sweet girl, and are sooooo glad you were born!

Happy 4th Birthday, Sawyer

Happy birthday, sweet Sawyer!!

IMG_2902My phone just dinged reminding me it was your birthday…as if I needed a reminder.  You are in my heart and on my mind every minute of every day.  At age four, I see you in your princess dress and cowboy boots waving your little hand off to the truck drivers as they pass…I smell the scent of my body spray (that you helped yourself to the last time you were in the bathroom) mixed with your coconut Barbie detangler…I feel your sweet, soft hands on my arms or around my neck and the matted fuzz of pink teddy since he’s always near by…I hear your voice singing “Let it Go” and praise and worship without skipping a beat…

You’re the neatest kid I know!  You’re a little bit of an introvert like your momma, but when you’re with someone you love and trust – you are on!  I feel so blessed to be able to know you the way I do…

IMG_4596I do believe you have the sweetest, most sensitive spirit on the planet!  The way you care for me and daddy absolutely melts my heart.  I love the way you leave water by my bed when you get up in the mornings and you sneak out, so I can have “a little more sleep.”

10565224_10154449353145335_6472306294791740240_n

You care for my heart just as good as your daddy does.  So many nights I have prayed with you before bed and begged the Lord to forgive me where I’ve fallen short and to help make me a better mother and you are always so quick to tell me I’m “the bestest mom in the world.”

You’re so forgiving – you get that from your daddy.  You don’t have a grudging or vengeful bone in your body.  I can recall several occasions where you’ve gone to bed and hours later called us back upstairs because you felt bad about something or were afraid you hurt our feelings somehow or felt the need to apologize about something.

You care for and protect your baby like his second momma.  And?  He adores you, sweet one.  He wants to be just like you, I know it!  Daddy and I love to see you hold his hand and help him down stairs and feed him his snacks.  He’s a lucky boy to have a sister as wonderful as you.

IMG_4565I love your creative mind!  You absolutely blow me away when it comes to imagination and resourcefulness!  I love to watch you sort through the trash in daddy’s pickup to find something to block the sun or gather his old pop cups to make a vending machine in your play kitchen or the way you tape a box to the back of your pedal car to make a trailer to haul trash in.  Seriously, who does that?!

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Your memory astounds me; it is truly a gift!  You remember names and places and things we’ve done better than I do.  When you tell a story, it’s specific and succinct and accurate.  I love that you can get us to Denver (or get us home) almost better than I can!

I love the way the world is drawn to you.  You’re like this cute, curly-haired magnet that just sucks people in!  I’m sure I’m a bit biased, but I’m also a keen observer and I don’t see this with other people as much as I see it with you; everywhere we go, people want to come make conversation with you or say hi to you or give you gifts.  You have the ability to affect the world for Christ just by being YOU…people see Jesus radiating out of your sweet little face, it’s true.

You have the heart of a worshiper; a little David.  Some of my favorite times with you are when we just sing to the Lord as long and as loud as we can.  I love when I hear you singing in the other room, expressing your love to Him the way you know best.  Sugar, He loves to hear you sing…

I love that you love all things girlie; the bigger the bow, the fluffier the ruffles and the sparklier the shoes, the better!  But you also know how to work and you definitely aren’t afraid to get dirty.  That will serve you well…

You have made the past four years the best four years of my life, no doubt.  On your fourth birthday, I bless you in the name of Jesus!  I bless you in your coming in and going out; your lying down and your waking.  I speak to your future and I pronounce it blessed!  I bless you with rich relationships with people who point you to Christ.  I bless you with good health and a long life.  I bless you with humility and forgiveness and grace and mercy that is as endless as you give it now.  I bless you with obedience, that you would follow the Lord all the days of your life.  I bless the work of your hands, that all you would set them to would prosper and bring glory to the Lord.  I bless you with a continued love for the word of God and I bless you with His abiding presence in every way, in every day.

YOU are who I want to be like when I grow up…and you? You can stop growing up any time you’d like…

Happy Birthday, Sexy Wrexy!

You are the most handsome of all.

wwGracious words stream from your lips.   God himself has blessed you forever.
IMG_4700Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!

9523_305261375334_374581_nYou are so glorious, so majestic!

481422_10152367365195335_2039080868_nIn your majesty, ride out to victory,
defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!

228497_7419745334_5339_nYour arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts.
The nations fall beneath your feet.

PhippsDec2013 (20)BESTEDITPsalm 45…a word the Lord gave me regarding you many years ago.  I pray it over you still, especially on your birthday.

You are a tremendous man of God and the fact that I get to spend my life with you humbles me daily.  I don’t know of anyone more loyal, gentle, loving, kind, forgiving, selfless, gracious, merciful, hard-working, even tempered, servant-hearted, encouraging or capable than you.  You are the glue that holds our family together.  You keep us grounded and rooted in the Lord and lead us in the ways of righteousness.

I’ve known you for 13 of your 32 years and am so proud of the man that you were, are and are becoming.  On this birthday, I bless you with health and vigor – 32’s not that old!  I bless you with boldness to shine the light of Jesus in dark places; boldness to be ok with being so different than the rest of the world (it’s a great thing).  I bless you with obedience, that you would continue fulfilling the Lord’s call for you and I pray that you will see the fulfillment of His promises regarding you.  I bless you with a sound mind and strong hands to do the work of the Lord.  I bless our marriage, that it would fulfill you and honor you and bless you right back.  I bless your coming in and going out…with the presence of Jesus in all that you do.

I love you, sweet husband of mine.  Happiest of birthdays to you!

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??

How in the World Did We Get Here: Epilogue

As much as we love our cute little farmhouse, leaving Denver wasn’t necessarily easy.  We have so many incredible friends (who we consider family) that we had to leave behind and that part was heartbreaking.  We’re still in Colorado and we’re only three hours away, but we knew things wouldn’t be the same anymore; we can’t just run down the road for every birthday part or baby dedication or weekend get together.

We grew up a lot while we were in Denver…in a lot of different ways…

We worked hard, got out of debt and discovered the freedom that brought…

We found a church home that we loved and the Lord used it to grow us and challenge in so many ways…

I went on my first missions trip and that changed my worldview forever…

We went on our first missions trip together and learned that poor doesn’t just involve your bank account, but your spirit and mindset, too…

I left the working world to become a stay-at-home wife and mom…

We got to be involved with a huge Christian music festival that sought to make Jesus the headliner.  We got to see it through from conception to actualization and we learned more than could be put into words…

We had our first baby…

I was involved in several Bible studies with some amazing women whose knowledge and fervor for the Lord forever changed my life…

We just got to do life with people who walked with us, and allowed us to walk with them, through the nasty storms of life – death, divorce, infertility, debt, unemployment, illness, infidelity…and the beauties, too – restoration, redemption, birth, life, success, marriage, freedom.  Our bonds with these people were developed and strengthened and intensified and leaving them was hard.  Still is…

Some days, my heart still longs to be there instead of here.  There are days when the road is muddy and I need milk and I don’t want to load up two kids and drive 20 miles just to pay $5 for a gallon and then pay $4/gallon for fuel to get back home and then get stuck in the driveway and have to haul two kids and two gallons of milk through muck and mire to get to the front door.  Yeah, those days, I wish I were in the city.

Or the days where I just wish I could call up a few friends, whose hearts I know and trust because they’re more like sisters, and we could meet at Starbucks or someone’s home and our kiddies could play while we talk about what the Lord is doing and how we need to adjust our lives accordingly and we don’t have to preface anything or explain anything, they just know and get it and understand.  Yeah, those days, I miss Denver.

It’s hard moving somewhere new- especially to a small town, where most people are already established, and have been since birth.  While we’ve met some incredible people who’ve been more than good to us out here on the plains, it doesn’t always feel the same.  And maybe it won’t…ever.

The days when I start questioning or feeling frustrated or lonely or nostalgic, I have to go back to the summer of 2011 and remember His oh-so evident hand in this and it’s there that I find peace that this IS where we’re supposed to be.  That’s one of the beauties of obedience…I have the pleasure of understanding that we know that we know that we know that this IS where the Lord called us to…this IS His doing.  We were obedient to His urging and calling so we can stand on that.  We did what He asked us to do… 

When we obey God, we can trust that He will display His goodness and love to us.  And He has.  Oh, He has…and will.

Luckily, the Denverites still call and come visit and invite us out and our new friends do the same.  One of His blessings, indeed.

How in the World Did We Get Here: Part 4

To catch you up to speed…Wrex stepped out in faith and quit his job and got a new one that required a move and the search for a new home and community.   That lands us outside of Holyoke, Colorado…….

As we drove into town, there was the cute little vet clinic sitting off to the south, so Wrex went in to get the needle. While he was in there, he visited with the staff and asked them about houses for sale/rent in town.  The vet tech told him about a house outside of town that sat on seven acres and had a few outbuildings.  Well, obviously that piqued our attention, though we weren’t sure we’d even be able to afford it (or want to), but we got the guy’s number, called him and he agreed to meet us that evening, after we met with the realtor in town to look at a few house inside the city limits.

The town of Holyoke itself had nothing we were interested in and we had mentioned that we were going to look at this place outside of town.  The realtor seemed pretty skeptical of the whole situation, because she thought that something out in the country with acreage for the price he was asking would 1.) already be gone or 2.) must have some major problems.

We were kinda bummed and cautious but went to check the place out for ourselves.  The minute we got there, I was already sort of in love, as was Sawyer.  The gentleman selling the house was incredibly kind and Sawyer immediately wanted him to tote her around, which he willingly did.

The house was a cute, typical old farm house.  It had four bedrooms and one bathroom with  a lot of improvements – new stucco, windows, water well, pressure tank, septic system and furnace.  There was a mudroom (a necessity for rural living), small basement (have I mentioned I hate tornadoes??), a detached garage, two barns and a chicken house (that might’ve sealed the deal).  Nothing incredibly fancy but it had all of the things we were looking for:

1.) it was far from civilization.  We didn’t really live IN town when we were in Brighton, but close enough for our taste.  We had both grown up seeing the value of rural life and had always hoped to raise our family in that setting.  Wrex and his family had lived in town for a while growing up and they all so desperately wanted to be back in the country.  After six years of saving and scouting and waiting on the Lord, they finally got the opportunity to build a home outside of town.  When they moved in, they heard coyotes howling in the night and he and his sister proclaimed, “We’re finally home!”  (How cute is that?!)

2.) it had room to roam.  We wanted a place where the kids could go out and play uninhibited; a place where they could learn about nature and crops and animals while eating dirt and not worrying about HOA’s and road traffic and high crime.

3.) it had buildings and pens for livestock.  We have huge hearts for production agriculture and regardless of what the mainstream public believes, it is the backbone of this nation.  There are many valuable lessons to be learned in caring for a creature and we wanted our kids to be able to experience that firsthand.

4.) it was well within our price range.  We didn’t have plans to buy a house for fear of living under the slavery of debt.  Maybe that’s why we hadn’t even really considered anything on an acreage, as they’re often not affordable for a one-income family.  This one was.

It was everything our little hearts desired, but that we had never even asked the Lord for during this process.  He just knew…and He likes to give good gifts to His kids…should we jump?!  The guy had several people that had already looked and several more coming, so felt a sense of urgency (on several different levels) but we couldn’t make a decision just then.

We left the property feeling more confused than ever.  We really liked the place but were so unprepared to buy anything, so we left; we just packed up and went back to Texas with our heads spinning.  We spent a week in prayer and on the phone and seeking counsel and getting pre-approved for a loan.  I remember sitting in bed one night just holding onto the details of this situation (have I mentioned I struggle with control and wanting solutions to problems quick-quick-quick?!) and feeling so tired and stressed and I just said, “Lord, you are gonna have to do this; it is beyond my capacity.  If this is the place, you want us to live, then you’re gonna have to take care of it.”

After continuously thinking that this place just seemed to good to be true, the Lord firmly showed us that HE is good and true and that He loved us and that He chose this place for us.  What else did we need?!

That sealed the deal for us.  We called the home owner and asked if we could come look one last time.  We drove up and looked again and we signed a contract over a home-cooked lunch with our new neighbor and his wife!  They even allowed us to move in earlier than the official signing date so that we could begin painting and making improvements.

Our home is nothing fancy but we love it!  It’s comfy and peaceful…

We love that we can raise our kids out in the middle of nowhere and teach them about livestock and farming and a slower pace of life.

We love that we have totally made the home ours, in every little fun, innovative and quirky way possible.

We love that we have made such good friends with the sellers.  They are our most trusted friends and neighbors in the area, hands down, and our lives have interwoven in beautiful ways.

On the practical side, we love that we didn’t break the bank and could sell it today for more than we paid.

We love that we bought it on a 15 year note at 2.5% interest and we pay less for our mortgage than any rental around.

We love that for as old as it is (we’re talking almost 100 years, people!) that it’s incredibly energy efficient and comfortable.

We love that it still has lots of promise and possibilities for changes and growth…just like our family.

The Lord took our obedience to Him and just blew our lives wide open.  He has answered so many of the desires of our hearts through this process.  Our family needed more time together and this job has definitely given us that.  Our relationships with each other and our relationships with the Lord are stronger because we have time to learn about, and be with, Him together.  We have a home that we love that was gifted to us by Him, that we pray we use for His glory.  Now that we are on the other side, I have a husband who can speak to the sin of workaholic-ism and to the blessing of finding the right priorities and balance between family and careers.

The night we moved in, the Lord really brought me full circle in the whole process in an incredibly sweet way.  We had been in Denver getting more of our things and we pulled into our new home about 10 o’clock that night.  I had gotten Sawyer out of her car seat and we were all standing on the sidewalk stretching when we heard the howl of several coyotes in the distance.  Wrex and I just looked at each other and said, “We’re finally home!”

We are indeed….

How in the World Did We Get Here: Part 3

*****Ok, I lied – Part 4 is my favorite part!  There was too much to tell so here’s Part 3…or you can call it Part 2.5 if that makes you feel better…*****

Our time in Texas was HOT and, well, that about sums it up.  Good gravy…we’re still not convinced we could hack it down there as a permanent dwelling.

We lived with Wrex’s boss for three months while he learned the ins and outs of this plant.  He traveled to sales and watched and learned and calculated how to bid on cows and then got to follow them through the slaughter process to see if they made or lost money.

To be a cow buyer, you have to be able to evaluate livestock and, based on their weight and body condition, guesstimate how much they will yield (how many pounds of lean product the animal will produce), thus telling you how much you should buy one for, while also accounting for freight to get the animal to the plant. The cows have to fit the bid given out by the head cow buyer of the company, which he bases on several factors – how much meat is trading for, how much meat the plant has on hand, how much they need, where they could get it cheaper if your barn is high that day, etc.  You also have to know what your competitors are willing to spend and how far to push them to make them pay more so you can pay less.  It’s quite complicated really…and FAST.  They sell a cow about every 30 seconds, so you have to be on your game!

Around October of that year, they felt like he’d learned enough to be turned loose on his own.   For the last month, they had all strategized and come up with a list of sale barns that he would be responsible for buying at.  We would then need to find a place to live that would be a somewhat central location for him to travel from.

It needed to be somewhere in this general area...
It needed to be somewhere in this general area…

The company gave him a week off to travel and find the community and home in which we’d like to live, so we loaded up and headed north.   For as big of an area as this appears to be on the map, there aren’t a ton of communities in all of that off-white goodness.

Before we started looking in person, we had narrowed it down (based on distance alone) to six primary towns.  We also knew that we really wanted to rent a house.  Once we were married, we had accumulated over $100,000 in debt between the two of us (student loans, cars, credit cards, etc.)  Yeah, THAT’S a post for another day, for sure.  The Lord totally spoke to us regarding our debt, as did Dave Ramsey, and we had spent the last four years of our marriage getting out of debt and we weren’t really ready to jump in again with a big ole house payment.  Plus, we weren’t completely sure this was where we’d permanently be for more than a year, so it just seemed like renting made the most sense.  Those two things were pretty much the only qualifications we had for the Lord…rent and close to the chosen sale barns.

We started our journey in Wray, Colorado where some friends of ours lived.  They did their best to find us some places to look at but we learned there, and moreso as the week went on, that there were very few rental properties in the area and the ones that were available, were for sale at the same time.  We weren’t completely excited about that because we’d have to hit the road when they wanted to show the place and then find somewhere else to move if it did sell.

We looked in several communities in Nebraska and a couple in Kansas, none of which had much to offer.  Everything we did find that was empty was for sale, so we started shifting our thinking a bit.  Quickly, renting didn’t even seem to be an option….so….what next?

I remember going back to our room that night and just being shell-shocked.  Buying a house hadn’t even been on our radar.  I thought we’d find decent enough rentals and just have to be picky on the community, sign the papers, pay some money, go get our things and move in.  Not exactly.  We just continually asked the Lord to show us the place…the town…the house…the plan.

On our third day in, we felt a little defeated.   There were no rentals out there and of the towns and houses that we had looked at that were for sale, none of them feel right.  I remember leaving this cute little place in Bird City, Kansas and thinking, I guess I just never imagined giving someone directions to my house and it being in town.  Yet, I never asked the Lord for anything different.

The only place on our list of six that we hadn’t looked was Holyoke, Colorado.  The day was drawing to a close…it was going to be a little after 4:00 pm when we pulled in, so we debated even going.  The friend we were staying with during this house-hunting expedition needed a transfer needle from the vet clinic and has asked if we could pick one up while we were out and about.  We hadn’t done that yet, so we figured we could drive into town, get a needle, take a peak around, feel confused/defeated and then head home to regroup…again…

Hogs and Kisses

It’s confession time…

I am a sucker for Valentine’s day.

I love Jesus, so Christmas and Easter are givens for me, but Valentine’s is, hands down, my next favorite.  Maybe it’s because I am head-over-heels in love with husband and that I feel so incredibly and wholly loved by him.  Whatever the reason, I am in!  I love all of the pinks and reds…I love all the girly prints and designs and patterns…I love flowers and chocolate and romantic dates and sparkly things…I love it all!

We always take Valentine goodies to our neighbors and to Sawyer’s sale barn buddies and this year, she wanted to take a little something to her friends at Cubbies – how could I say no?!  🙂

I wanted to do something a little more than just a paper valentine or a piece of candy so we came up with this:

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We found little piggy banks at the dollar store; pink for girls and blue for boys of course!

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I added a little tag that says, “Hogs and Kisses” and I pic-monkeyed that little kissable piggy…

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I am so completely happy with how they turned out, as was little miss; we can’t wait to give them to all of the cute Cubbies we know!

XOXO

I Like Baby Buns and I Cannot Lie

When it comes to good looking men, namely my husband, I’m big into arms/shoulders/hands.  Wrex has the biggest, roughest working man’s hands and I love them.  One of my favoritest (yes, that’s a word…ish) pictures is one we took when I was pregnant with Sawyer, all because of those hands…

Love this man and his hands...
Love this man and his hands…

But when it comes to my babies, I’m definitely a buns girl! I can’t get enough of their cute little rumps!  (Is that weird?  Ha!)  They’re just so squishy and wrinkly and round and adorable!  I’ve seen a picture floating around Pinterest with stuffed animals and naked baby buns and I just had to recreate it with my little man.  Here are the finished products!

How cute is that?!
How cute is that?!
I love the finger in the mouth...
I love the finger in the mouth…
Handsome fella!
Handsome fella!
Probably my favorite - ha!
Probably my favorite – ha!

This little guy is just too much fun; he’s into everything these days and anywhere his sister is, that’s where he wants to be!  Love that baby boy and love those buns!  Surely he’ll forgive me for this one day, right?  Right?!?

I’ve Been Thinking About Jesus

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but Sawyer has ministered to us on several occasions and in several different ways.  It always catches me off guard…I guess I’m not used to that quite yet…but it’s such a sweet, sweet thing.

Friday, before we left, I went to wake her up from her nap.  She was already awake and I could tell she was whispering/talking.  She said, “Mom, I’ve been thinking about Jesus!”  (Words a momma delights to hear, let me tell ya!)  And then…

She pulled me close to her and she laid her little hands on my head and just kept saying, “God is powerful and mighty.  He is always with us.  I love our God and He loves us. He is good and what He does is good.”  Just over and over.  At one point I kind of leaned up and she pulled me back down and continued speaking that over me.  It was such a blessed, anointed little moment.

I assured her that what she had heard and what she was speaking WAS indeed truth and that it blessed me…immensely.

I pray that she always lends herself to the Lord…that she listens for His voice and shares when she’s supposed to share.  I pray that she follows Him all the days of her life.  I pray that everything that she puts her hands to will prosper.  I pray that she will never feel ashamed of sharing His news, His story, His word…she can change her corner of the world by doing so.

She blesses my heart…

IMG_3404