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…
Friends, today I write to you with a spirit of gratitude… I’ve been absent a bit but with good reason.
The week before Christmas, I was sitting in the kitchen talking to Wrex after he had gotten home one night and I was telling him that my neck looked fatter than normal lately. (I’ve always had a poofier neck and was diagnosed with a goiter when I was in high school. I have my thyroid tested twice a year and it’s always normal so it’s never been a huge cause for concern…other than me hating how it looks. Vain, I know.)
As I was talking to him about my neck, I reached up to touch it and I got the shock of my life; I felt a huge lump on the right side of my thyroid. Huge. Like golf ball huge. As soon as I said something, he could immediately see it, too. I called the clinic the next morning (a Friday) and they saw me that afternoon…and didn’t like what they saw.
I had a CT scan on Tuesday and Tuesday afternoon they called me with the results. I had cystic masses on both sides of my thyroid and the one on the right (the one I felt that night) had a nodule or hard tissue/tumor on it. I needed to go to an ENT and get a biopsy…and between the holidays that were approaching, it was going to be February. Not really the amount of time I wanted to wait….but wait we did…for a few days. The clinic called back and the doc had showed my scans to a retired ENT and he thought we needed to speed up the process. Good….and scary.
I got an appointment for the 15th of January in Fort Collins and in the meantime, we were waiting it out. We didn’t feel there was a reason to alarm the masses but we wanted to tell a few close friends who we KNEW would be praying for us…who would really pray…and obviously, we wanted to tell Wrex’s family. I did NOT want to tell everyone at Christmas and have all eyes on me or kill the mood or whatever but Wrex didn’t really want to call everyone individually.
We kept waiting for a good time to bring that up in conversation – it just doesn’t fit too well anywhere, ya know?! The day before we all gathered up to go home, Wrex’s dad wanted us to have some time as a family to tell each other what big things were going on in our lives that we could all be praying for each other about. Hello, open door….we shall enter.
Two days after we got home from Christmas in Nebraska, Wrex’s mom called to ask our opinion or encourage us to go to the Mayo Clinic. I could hear him talking to her and I just sat in the chair, quietly. Prior to this, my “adopted-mom” suggested the same thing. I had received it somewhat flippantly because when I think of Mayos, I think of someone on their last leg of survival and I didn’t feel like I was that far gone. After Wrex’s mom suggested it though, I told him about the prior recommendation and we both felt like it was confirmation that we should at least look into it, knowing that the odds of us getting seen (and getting seen soon) were probably slim to none.
So, I nosed around online while he was out doing chores and I found a “request an appointment” link. I filled out the forms, hit send and it notified me that someone would get back to us in 3-5 business days. That was 10:30pm. At 8:30 the next morning, my phone rang…and it was the Mayo Clinic…and they could see me on the 11th of January. We were just beside ourselves at how quick THAT whole process happened. We felt assured that this was the way the Lord was leading.
I, of course, was worried about money and did NOT want to leave my babies. We had NO idea how long we’d be gone or what they would find or what they would need to do to fix the situation… We were praying that it was benign and that we’d be home in a few short days!
We decided to take Sayble with us to ease the load of work for RaRa (Wrex’s mom) who was going to stay with the kids. We built this up as an exciting time for them to spend a few days with her while I got my neck looked at so we wanted them to truly get to play and make memories without a lot of work.
Wrex’s boss called during the week before we left reassuring Wrex that the company wasn’t going anywhere without him and to take as much time as he needed. He instructed us that we better be taking the company pickup and that he was buying the fuel. Wrex told him that he couldn’t allow him to do that and his (sweet ole) boss said he wasn’t asking, he was telling…and that was that.
We left Sunday morning at 5am and Sayble was a stinkin’ ROCKSTAR. She slept all the way to Kearney where we stopped and fed her and ourselves, was quite content all the way to Iowa where we ate lunch and then slept again the last 2 hours of the trip. She. Did. AWESOME.
Just so you know, it’s COLD in Minnesota. Colorado is not cold. Nebraska is not cold. Texas is DEFINITELY not cold. Minnesota? Is cold. When we rolled into town, it was 10 degrees below zero. Yeah.
Rochester is chocked full of hotels, mainly due to the Mayo Clinic. A lot of them are older so we weren’t sure what to totally expect. We found a Quality Inn online that had been remodeled on the inside and was more than willing to work with us regarding adding more days to our stay or cancelling some that we didn’t need. It was $75/night so that for sure appealed to Wrex. 🙂
When we opened the door to our room, we got a HUGE surprise and blessing! We had a suite! With 3 beds and a kitchenette and two TVs and two dressing areas – it was PERFECT! I had been so worried about how well Sayble would sleep not being in her own bed and with us in the room and we didn’t have to worry about that all. She slept like a rock in one room and we slept soundly in the other. He cares for our every need.
Our appointment was at 1:00pm and prior to it, my phone was going nuts with some of my favorite people encouraging me. I didn’t text anyone or remind anyone that Monday was a big day…they just remembered…and had been praying…and reached out to me in a monumental way…
Wowed…
We got there in plenty of time so as not to get lost. That place is HUGE. HUGE. We can talk about that later but really. HUGE. In it’s enormity, it’s very easy to find your way around. We walked straight to our waiting room, checked in and saw the doctor within five minutes. No, I’m not even kidding.
She assessed my reports, took me to an ultrasound room and ultrasounded my neck herself, remeasured everything, agreed we needed a biopsy and blood work. She ordered everything on the computer and sent me on my merry way!
After you leave the exam room, you check out with the nurses desk where they look at what she ordered and work to get you scheduled. We explained that we were from out of state and that while we didn’t want to wait another week, we understood that today might not work to get everything done. Not this trip. She scheduled my lab work for 15 minutes later and my biopsy for 3:00pm! Seriously, you guys…that place….
I had been working at hydrating myself the week and a half prior because blood draws and IVs don’t get along with my veins. Before my CT scan, it took 3 pokes for a blood draw and 9 for an IV. Not. Even. Kidding.
We walked down to the lab, checked in, sat down, watched them call about 15 other people in 5-10minutes times and then it was my turn. I sat down, she touched around on my arm while making small talk about my day and where I was from, gave me a small roll of gauze to squeeze, poked me with one poke, got what she needed, took the gauze from my hand, wrapped it around my arm, chatted about our kids for a minute or to and sent me on my merry way! I don’t think I was there 3 minutes. They. Are. Amazing. No wasted motions… From the little cubicle type area I was in, you could see a conveyor belt of sorts behind the panels in the wall making it’s way…somewhere…with all of those blood draws.
We ate a snack in the not remotely over-priced cafeteria. That was the other thing I was expecting…to be gouged…to be leaking like a sieve from our pocketbooks as we paid for little things (like snacks, especially with my blood sugar issues). Water? $1. Muffin? $1.49. Yogurt? $1.19. Chicken Caesar salad? $3.99. It was completely reasonable, thankfully.
At 3, I went back up for my biopsy and that crew was just as kind, professional, joyful and efficient as the rest. They used an ultrasound to find the cyst and tumor and used it guide their needles as they took sample cells to test. They also tried to aspirate, or drain, the cyst as much as possible to relieve some of the pressure it was putting on my neck and tongue. They were able to get about 3-4cc or what he considered to about half. The cyst fluid itself is a lot like Karo syrup in consistency so that was the best they could do, even with their biggest needles. The procedure didn’t really hurt at all but was a little sore later on that night.
Just a little band-aid…
We were all done by 4:00 pm and we just couldn’t help but take a deep breath and smile. We had had SUCH a good day. We had NO IDEA what the results would say but we knew we were in the right place no matter what. We celebrated with some Texas Roadhouse and the College National Championship Football game. Our follow up appointment was scheduled for 4:00pm the next day so we were just taking it easy…
We ate a leisurely breakfast the next morning and were slowly getting around when the endocrinologist from Mayo’s called asking us to come in earlier. We had NO idea what that meant but hurried up there. She saw us right away and gave us the good news that the tumor was BENIGN! Praise the LORD! We were (and are!) so thankful! All of my blood work came back normal so their recommendation was no surgery unless it began to impede swallowing, talking or breathing. If they did surgery, they would have to take out that lobe of the thyroid and since it was functioning properly, that is not something they wanted to do right now because it would just create a whole new host of symptoms and problems that we’d have to sort out.
After looking over the rest of my chart notes and complaints I brought along, she wanted me to see the neurologist for my sinus/migraines and to see the nutritionist and dietician in the endocrinology department to see if they could help with my blood sugar issues. She warned us that neurology was about 6 months out and nutrition was about 3-6 weeks out but she thought we should just order them and see what we could find. Wanna guess what happened?!
Yep. Neuro appointment that afternoon and nutrition/dietician appointments for the next day.
The neurologist was an older gentleman that has written at least seven books regarding Parkinson’s disease and was so sweet and fun to visit with. We did some visiting and he did a small exam and gave me a prescription for a drug that the Mayo Clinic themselves compounds that is his favorite when it comes to migraines. Sounds good to me!
The next day, I got to meet with the nutritionist and while getting news that my thyroid was benign was INCREDIBLE, my meeting with this lady might just save my life. After talking with her regarding my blood sugar issues, she diagnosed me with reactive hypoglycemia. I’ve struggled with low blood sugar ever since I was pregnant with Wryder three years ago and NOTHING I have done has been working.
I was told to stay away from sugar, eat lots of protein and very few carbs…which is almost the opposite of what I should be doing. I was eating a heavy protein diet and not NEAR enough complex carbohydrates and my body was just blowing through that protein as fast as it would a piece of candy.
For whatever reason (that’s the part I wish I knew!) my body breaks down food really fast after eating so I get a woosh of glucose which triggers a woosh of insulin (too much) which sends my blood glucose too low and I get symptomatic (shaky, sweaty, weak, nauseous, irritable, unable to make a decision, dizzy, anxious, etc.) and on a cellular level I’m just as much of a wreck…
For the past three years, I’ve either just constantly been chasing that roller coaster of a glucose curve trying to make the symptoms go away as quick as they came OR I’ve been completely over-eating so that I could try not to feel any of those symptoms. When I would feel symptomatic, I would grab a cheese stick or a handful of nuts or a spoonful of peanut butter – trying to stay away from carbs. WRONG!
She laid out an eating plan for me that has me eating 6 meals a day, each about 300 calories with 2-4 complex carb choices during meals 1, 3 and 5 and 1-3 complex carb choices at meals 2, 4 and 6. I’ve eaten this way for the past 6 days now and man alive……..I already feel like a completely different person.
It’s been a lot to chart and balance…I had to put it all in an Excel spreadsheet and tape it to my fridge, yall! I know it will be something I have to be diligent about despite all of the other irons I have in the fire. My wonderful husband helped me on Sunday (and we’ll do the same today) to portion out all of my proteins and naturally occurring sugars and carbs. I have a fridge full of tupperware with portioned snacks/meals ready to go because I know that life WILL happen and I’ll think I’m superwoman and that I can just go a little while longer before I eat…..and then I’ll regret it and send myself right back into that awful cycle of chasing my glucose…
I know I’m not out of the woods yet and that I have a long way to go to maintain that eating plan but I feel SO VERY HOPEFUL. Hopeful.
In readying myself for the trip to Minnesota, I did some talking to my brain and prepared myself to see some people who were a lot worse off than I was…and while we saw a few, we mainly just saw HOPE.
During my last appointment, Wrex and Sayble were walking all the halls and underground tunnels and when I called to tell him I was done, he told me to meet him at the little museum on the subway level. I’m seriously fascinated with the place so I thought that was a great idea. Here’s what you see right when you walk in….
HOPE
The Lord heard our cries and He answered us, friends. I will never forget this trip or this experience and the ways He has been so faithful to us over and over and over and over again.
I know this was a really long post and I know I probably left out a million details and examples of His faithfulness… I didn’t know if I really wanted to share ALL of this with the world but I just felt so passionately hopeful and grateful that I just couldn’t help but do so…
More later on the Mayo Clinic in general but for now, it’s snack time!
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!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…
Sweet little feet
celebrated with Sawyer as she finally earned that Barbie Pop-Up Camper! We are so proud of her!
With her completed chore chart!They had one in stock!Taking it to the truck
We had concerts…
They’re gonna be famous…
checked out the nativity scene in the neighboring town…
So excited!I love my babies…and baby Jesus
took selfies where mom’s arm didn’t quite reach…
Help!
played Paw Patrol, farm version…
This made me laugh!
ridden horses…
He’s really gentle…
crawled around with this cutie…
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.
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…
We got to see Santa and a couple of real live reindeer…
Petting the reindeerAnd again….Telling Santa he wants a Paw PatrollerHoping for a Barbie Pop-Up Camper
We ate a few chicken nuggets, went to the doctor for the FIFTH TIME IN 2 WEEKS and then came on home.
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Sweet Sayble is finally feeling a bit better. She got croup just like brother but had two infected ears on top of it and now has a cold. We did a lot of this around here…and I haven’t minded a bit to be honest…
Sweetest little (bald) thing…
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One of my FAVORITE things to bake is pumpkin bread and banana bread. I’m not a fan of thick, dense, heavy bread and these two are moist and light and heavenly, if I do say so myself.
Since we had a little downtime with all the sickies, I cooked up 22 loaves for some of our sweet friends…
YUM-MO
We ate two and took two the Phipps family Christmas and the kids were asking for some this morning. Guess I shoulda made more…
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We always get the kids Christmas jammies as an early gift. They got to open them before we went Christmas light looking and hot cocoa drinking last week.
We get to open a present?!
They got changed immediately and looked ADORABLE!
SistersHe looks so protective in this one…
We cruised around Holyoke and then came home for some popcorn and a little Apple Dumpling Gang watching! This was one of Wrexy’s FAVORITE movies as a kid and our kids have fallen in love with it as well.
Popcorn!
It was a REALLY good day…
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Sigh…
My home is truly a place of refuge for me. The other evening we had the lights off and the Christmas tree was glowing and the candles were filling the air with sweet scents…the kids were playing joyfully in the other room and Sayble was cooing at an angel from the nativity scene…daddy was on his way home and supper was in the oven and I was just so at ease. There is truly no place I’d rather be than HOME.
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Our sweet neighbors invited us over to have supper and have a little Christmas celebration. The kids had a ball (per usual) and were bouncing off the walls in excitement. (Pretty sure the Krueger house was a LOT quieter after we left!)
Mr. Rick built the kids a barn for all of their farm animals and toys and it. is. gorgeous! The hay mow flips open and the barn doors slide; there’s glass in the windows and ‘Phipps’ is engraved in the side. Seriously, you guys, it’s one of the kindest, most thoughtful gifts we’ve ever received. The kids have played with it CONSTANTLY since then!
Twins – Mr. Rick and SaybleTHE barnWith his Charolais bullSawyer posing and Wryder over-smiling…you know, the norm!
Wryder didn’t fully understand that the barn was ours to take home. When it was time to go, he immediately started melting down and said, “Can I please come back and play with it sometime?” Ms. Kristi jumped in and saved the day and helped him realize he got to take it home. He stopped, dried his eyes and started jumping up and down with joy! It was pretty cute.
Mr. Logan and sweet Sara got the kids an EQUALLY awesome gift – a membership to Adventures in Odyssey! For the year, we can listen to any and every episode that we can! With our living in the boonies and driving 30 miles+ to get anywhere, this is a GREAT gift! The kids (and us!) love it!
With Logan and sweet Sara
We are blessed with some of the best friends, I tell ya…
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On Christmas Eve, we spent the day getting ready to head to Nebraska. We still had laundry to do and suitcases to pack and a few last minute gifts to wrap.
We ate a yummy lunch of steak and potatoes – everybody’s favorite – and took communion as a family. We are so thankful that Jesus was born! We took time to thank Him for the ultimate sacrifice He made for us with His death and took time to remember the faithfulness He’s shown us in 2015. We are a blessed people….
We went to Christmas Eve services at church and the kids got to get fancy!
Gorgeous!My heart
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Sawyer and Wryder left Santa some cookies and milk and they left carrots for the reindeer. 🙂 Santa showed up and the kids didn’t even get up until 8:00 to check out their goods!
For Santa and friends
Barbie car for SawyerMicrophone for WD and a push toy for Sayble
Wrexy snacked on the carrots and then threw them in the yard as if the reindeer ate them. The kids found them this morning and were SO excited!
Ick.
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They have been so kind and gracious and grateful this year…makes a momma’s heart happy. They’ve wrapped “gifts” they’ve taken from their rooms and made gifts and then wrapped them all with whatever they could find.
Wrex was looking for his shoes to go to the barn the other day and Wryder had taken those, too! We found them wrapped in tissues under the tree. Their generosity and desire to bless blesses us…
Earrings Sawyer made me…her creativity is ASTOUNDING!
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We headed to Nebraska on Christmas day to be with the Phipps family. We had a WONDERFUL time being together. The kids had so much fun playing with all of their cousins and we had fun with their cousins’ parents. 🙂
With RaRa and PaPa
The boys got pajama pants and we took the mandatory modeling picture. If you don’t hear from me for a while, it means one of these guys has killed me for posting this. 😉
A handsome crew!Urkel style, just for fun
All of us grandkids got to give Grandma Rusk a very special gift this year. We wanted to make it the grand finale – the last gift to be opened – but we were all so excited we did it pretty much first thing!
A merry Christmas for a special lady…
It worked out well because the kids were all quiet and there weren’t a lot of other distractions. This lady is something else and so deserving of every good thing.
We took time for everyone tell the family a big thing they felt like the Lord was doing or something they really needed prayer about in the new year. During that time, Granny said that she’s gotten the same word two different times that the Lord has a mission for her in Stillwater. She was saying she didn’t really have a clue as to what it might be or have any preconceived notion what it was but she was ready to get there and get going! Lord I hope to be here and be that ready to serve the Kingdom at 80 years old…
We love this lady
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We finished up Christmas here today. This year has been especially fun with the kids older and fully able to soak up the joy of the season.
Wryder with the Paw Patroller and LookoutSawyer with her new doll
We are so fortunate to have daddy home with us the rest of the week for Christmas vacation. We plan to soak him up and watch fun shows and eat fun food and play games and enjoy being together…our favorite thing!
Since we finally got the new carpet in, we finally got the tree up…the latest we’ve ever done so. I didn’t want to put it up just to take it down or drag it around…
Our tree is covered in memories…special ornaments from when Wrex and I were little kids…ornaments from Grandma’s…ornaments our kids have made…ornaments we’ve given them each year…ornaments from our lean years and our years of plenty… It has no rhyme or reason or theme and I LOVE it!
The tree…For real though…Wreathery…
The kiddos get a special ornament from us each year that they’ll get to have for their own grown-up trees one day. This year, Wryder got a golf cart to commemorate the cart from the elder WD. He LOVED it and just wanted to drive it instead of hang it on the tree.
The cart…
Sawyer got a very outlandish chihuahua decked out in a bow, necklace, tutu…much like my pretty princess dresses day to day.
See what I mean?
Sayble got a sparkly gold boot…mainly because I just really liked it…but it’s kind of like a baby shoe…right? Right. She just wanted to eat it anyways….
Cute toot with a bootGlitter is ok for babies, right?
We pulled out the cookie cutters and made gingerbread men and women and candy canes and stockings and pumpkins. Yes, pumpkins. Thank you, Wryder.
They had so much fun getting frosting up to their eyebrows…and sprinkles all over the floor.
My little caker-baker. (Ignore the ugly electrical box. I blew the breaker earlier in the day and never replaced the mirror you see in the corner. Old farmhouse = subpar wiring.)Makin’ messes…Prim and proper…Wryder giving it a go on his own…He’s awfully cute, isn’t he?! And that apron. Swoon.The REALLY fun part!The finished products! (Note the pumpkin – ha!)My personal favorites of the night…
A dear (and beautiful) friend checked in on me yesterday. She had noticed my lack of blogging and wanted to make sure all was well in Phippsville. Indeed, it is. We’ve just been in a season of feeling like we were just keeping our heads above water with all we’ve had going on. It’s been GOOD stuff, just lots of it!
Today’s blog is an attempt to catch you up on the past 6 weeks of our life…most likely in no particular order because oh, my brain….
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Sayble turned 7 months old and went in for her 6 month old check up. *ahem* (Re-read the first paragraph…we’ve been a little busy). She weighed in at 19 pounds and was 29 inches long! She was terribly fussy yesterday – not usually her style – and lo and behold there was a sharp little nugget of a tooth pushing it’s way up!
Cute as a button…and bald as a cue ball!
She started eating baby food and LOVES it. Kid is eating about 16 ounces a day and would eat more if I’d let her. She’s still just as sweet and smiley and bald as ever. It’s gonna grow. Really it will. Soon, sweetie…soon.
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We got new carpet! YAY! That’s what happens when your adorable 6 month old starts the barrel-rolling/crawling phase and she’s wrapped around daddy’s finger and he thinks the old carpet that was here when we moved in needs to go. Hey, whatever it takes! 😉
It. Is. So. Soft.
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One of Wrex’s dreams came true and he got a pony…with a cart. His name is Ernie and he’s about as wide as he is tall. He’s 12 years old and is actually quite broke and talented. The kids ADORE him and they can’t wait to ride him in a local parade. Keep your eyes out for us!
Ernie and crewTaking Wryder for a ride
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I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for one of the sweetest girls I know! She is expecting a baby girl named Mesa Rae (isn’t that gorgeous?!) in January so we showered her with lots of love and gifts and (soup and cupcakes)! It was a fun afternoon of celebrating mommy and baby to be. There’s just something about a first-born girl…
Ali and CliffGifts!The guest bookCenterpiecesAdvice for momma
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Sawyer has been DYING to have a Barbie Pop-Up Camper. I mean, they are pretty cool. I had the Barbie RV AND the Barbie Dream House when I was growing up so I get where she’s coming from. 😉
Wrex and I had pretty much finished her Christmas shopping and had gone back and forth on whether to take something we’d already gotten for her back to get this but that just didn’t set well with us. She has a dollhouse that she plays with and we felt like the Pop-Up Camper would be similar and that she’d enjoy some of the other things we had already purchased a little better.
Pop-Up Camper was ALL we had heard about for quite a while and we just asked the Lord for wisdom on what to do. She doesn’t have to have EVERYTHING she wants…this is the just the first thing she’s ever REALLY asked for by name. People always ask her what she wants for Christmas or her birthday and she has no clue, so this was definitely different…we just didn’t know how to navigate it. He answered.
She woke up last week and said she had an idea for us. She wanted to know if she could cash in her piggy bank and then do chores to work and earn money to pay for the rest; we were definitely behind this plan!
The chore chart
Girl had $64 in her bank! Thanks, sale barn buddies! We created a chore chart and she’s been working outside and moving chickens and picking up trash and doing laundry and dishes to beat the band! We saw it in Wal-Mart today and that added to the excitement. I’m so proud of her for having a goal and working for it! That will serve you well, sweet pea…
Checkin’ it out…
She did say she wasn’t going to buy it until AFTER Santa came because if he wanted to buy her one, she’d save her money for something else. She’s a smart one, that one…
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Speaking of Santa, we went and saw him Monday evening in town. He left a little to be desired in the santa looks department (no offense, sir!) and Sawyer was a little skeptical. She told us afterwards, “He doesn’t talk like the santa we saw last year. I’m pretty sure one of this is just some guy dressed up as santa…” She’s a smart one, that one…
Skeptical about SantaReady to watch the paradeSayble snuggling daddyShopping with Sayble. I’m sure this is safe, don’t worry…
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We met up with the Phipps side of the family for Thanksgiving and the three youngest cousins got to meet each other for the first time! These cuties were all born within about a month of each other. We took somewhere between 50 and 100 pictures and I’m thinking this is one of the best ones we got! Three babies plus a house full of people trying to get them all to smile equal chaos…
Sawyer sold her first show heifer this past month with some help of daddy and her good friend John Tucker. She got her check in the mail and opened her first checking/livestock account this past week. My baby is growing up, it seems.
She picked out checks with horses on them and is so generous, she wanted Wryder’s name on them, too.
Signing her paperwork with our sweet friend, KatieSawyer and Corn Cob
Even cooler than the checking account, she tithed off of her income to a ministry our church runs and supports called CARE Uganda. I helped host a fundraiser for them this fall and she’s as bought in as the rest of our family is. So proud of my girl…
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In the midst of all of the busyness, we have had so much to be thankful for. We have entered this Christmas season at a slower pace and a purposeful turning of our hearts towards Jesus. We’ve spent our mornings with our hearts and noses in our advent readings and have worshiped through song before bed every night. He is so worthy of it, friends…
It can’t freeze fast enough. I am so over the flies and bees and wasps…seriously. I’ve contemplated moving more than once over the past two weeks.
Our 100 year old farm house has plenty of nooks and crannies for them to find their way in and I have constantly been on the lookout for rogue wasps that have made their way inside. I’m not deathly allergic to the things, but allergic enough the doctor thinks I need an epi-pen…not something I just really want to take a chance on, ya know?
As I walked out to the mudroom the other day, there was another wasp on the inside of the backdoor…whom I promptly hit so quick and hard with the flyswatter that I broke it. (I’m on number three, mind you. *ahem*) We’ve found them circling the light in the kitchen and a couple in the living room. I’ve found myself asking the Lord for eyes to see (them) because I don’t want to risk me or my babies getting stung by those nasty things.
As I killed that one on the backdoor, I found myself thanking Him that He had, indeed, given me eyes to see. Every time I’ve seen one in the house, I’ve been able to kill out and none have gotten away or sprung up and surprised us at any point – that is something to be thankful for in my book.
BUT – just as He’s given me all I need to rid our home of those flying devils, He’s done the same with every other evil – He has conquered them all! He defeated death and through the power of His Holy Spirit, we have His authority and the power to defeat the ugly that comes our way.
Ask Him for it and receive it in Jesus’ name! Don’t lay down and wait for the attacks to subside, stand up and fight, soldier! Fight for your freedoms…fight for your spouse…fight for your kids…fight for your family…fight for your communities…fight for your country…fight for the voiceless…fight for truth…fight for good…fight for eternity…
We made sure and had an actual birthday party during the birthday weekend…
We found the majority of the fabric for $1/yard and scooped it up immediately! We just made some simple bunting and table runners and Wrexy sewed the backdrop. God bless him…
Grandma LOVES her family and LOVES pictures, so I made bingo cards with family faces and we played that during her party.
That project, honestly, was one of the more time consuming. Each card had to be different and random…glad that one’s over. 🙂
I covered some tin cans with cute paper and scrap fabric, attached a few horses and filled them with flowers for centerpieces…
Wrex made a barnwood plaque and we shaped an M out of a rope (for Maxine) and hung it on the backdrop…this was probably my favorite part of the whole thing.
Seeing it all for the first time…
My fabulous friend Stephanie (who also made Wryder’s tractor cake) made me some flower cupcakes and they turned out sooooooooo cute!
Delish!
Since we couldn’t fit 80 candles on a cupcake (or even a larger cake) we made a cake plate full of candles for her to blow out. Apparently, the fire/smoke detector is INCREDIBLY sensitive at this place and before we even had them lit, the fire alarm went off! THAT was something we’d never forget! Thankfully they got it shut off, the building was still standing and she got them blown out in 3 tries!
It does look like quite the blaze…Big breath!Got ’em!
We ate and drank and played games and then watched the video I talked about yesterday. I didn’t intend to make everyone cry but there were a few wet faces in the crowd…it’s been a life well-lived for sure…
The other thing Grandma really wanted to do was to have a talent show. She thinks she has one of the grandest, most impressive families on the planet and she wanted to see us do our thang!
There was ribbon dancing…
Vocal performances…
Skits…
Bedtime stories…
and a lot of smiles and laughter!
We played a little more pitch and then went to bed far too late, yet again. 🙂
We worshiped together on Sunday morning and Clint shared a message with us about family…a good word! We took communion together and remembered what the Lord has done for us….oh. so. much…
We ate one last meal together, packed up, cleaned up and went our separate ways… We sent the troops off with some trail mix and a hand stamped keychain.
I found all of these vintage boots and guns on Etsy…
and then we bought some metal blanks and memorialized them. I LOVED how these turned out!
Our prayer has been for Granny to feel so loved…to honor her…for her ideas and imaginations about her birthday weekend to be met or exceeded…and for this to be a catalyst for future and more frequent get togethers.
We pray we have countless more years together with our sweet Granny but none of us are guaranteed our next breath. We get ONE family; one crazy, imperfect family that most likely loves the stuffing out of us. Carve some time out of your schedule for them. We all make time for what’s important to us – it can’t be disproved – what does your schedule say is important to you?
All-in-all, it was a magnificent weekend! We had so much fun with the family and we had so much fun working together. There is no one I’d rather do all these crazy projects with than this handsome man of mine… There’s been lots of talk of doing this whole reunion thing again and these Phipps are on board! 🙂
Grandma, we love you. This was just one tiny little way we could bless you back for all of the countless ways you’ve poured out your love for us. Happiest of birthdays, sweet lady!
Oh! And one other memorable moment from the weekend (besides the fire alarm scaring the heck out of everyone in a 100 yard radius?!)…Sawyer lost her first tooth! She was so excited and the tooth fairy found her even though she wasn’t in her normal bed!
Pardon her poor eyes – it was early! There’s one more that is just hanging on by a thread! I better get to the ATM….
Last week, Wrex and I attended the funeral of the patriarch of his former employer. Gene Ritchey died at the ripe old age of 86. He was, truly, one of the kindest most innovative men the world has ever known.
Grandpa Gene
Gene is credited with creating the first ear tag for cattle that allowed producers to individually identify livestock. To date, his is the only ear tag on the market that won’t fade! Wrex and I got to travel for the company the year after Sawyer was born promoting the tags across the US and it as one of my favorite years ever. It’s an incredible product and easy to back. 🙂
Gene was always thinking, always creating, always trying to make things better. He was at the shop every single day, working on templates and presses and machines; he was their very own one-man research and development department. At nights, after the staff had gone home, the phone would ring to his living room so he could assist customers across the globe so they didn’t have to talk to a machine.
We lived on the same property as he did and it wasn’t the easiest place to find. There were several occasions where the pizza delivery man went to his house by mistake and it was a rare occasion when they pizza guy showed up at our place and the bill wasn’t paid. That stinker!
He made Wrex and I’s wedding bands…turned them and engraved them all himself. Wrex’s got lost in the Poudre River and mine got lost in the last move. I’d give anything to have those back…
He always had a sweet smile and kind word for us and loved to dote on Sawyer.
Just a talkin’…
She was just a tiny thing at the time and he’d hold and rock and coo with her to beat the band. He made an incredible pancake with a homemade caramel syrup that was to die for and he was never lacking in interesting conversation or corny jokes. 🙂 He loved to watch the History Channel and the Discovery Channel and he and Wrex could talk that stuff for hours.
Gene held hundreds (if not thousands) of patents for things he’d created and invented and bettered over the years. He was always, always trying something new. Two of my favorite inventions were the energy drink he made for himself out of instant coffee and orange juice concentrate (and who knows what else!) and the contraption he made that allowed him fewer walks to the restroom which included a tube and a ziploc bag…I’ll let you use your imagination on that one! HA!
Gene loved the Lord and he loved his family and we had the privilege of being treated like one of them.
His funeral was an honor to his life and the legacy he has left behind. There were so many poignant things that were said regarding him, but one of the things that struck me the hardest last week was the subject of failure. It’s something I’ve heard time and time again – never be afraid to fail – but it’s never resonated with me like it did at his service.
Just like any inventor, Gene had some huge successes, but he also had his fair share of failures; ideas that never panned out, prototypes that never worked, products that didn’t sell…but never once do I think of those things when I think of him.
Doesn’t the same go for us? Just because we stick our neck out and try something new and aren’t wildly successful at it doesn’t make us a failure. If our speech wasn’t perfectly polished or we didn’t sell as many crafts as our neighbor or our friend had more likes on Facebook or the car we bought blew up in our face or our scale still had too many numbers after weeks of dieting or the gourmet dinner tasted like cat food or {insert a glaring failure here} doesn’t mean that we are a loser or destined for the bottom rung of the corporate ladder or unworthy of love…it just means that the thing you did wasn’t perfect. And who can claim to be perfect, anyways?
I think the black-and-white brain I have always has the tendency to separate things into two categories and only two categories. Black or white. Right or wrong. True or false. Success of failure. For some things, that theory holds true…but for others? Not so much.
I’ll be honest, I like to do things with excellence. If I’m going to spend my time and resources doing something, I want to go all out and do it to the best of my ability. Perfection would be my preference…
Just because I fail (read – wasn’t perfect at) one thing doesn’t mean that it wasn’t successful in some form. And even if it really was an all out failure, it doesn’t mean I’m any less of a person or any less worthy of love or friendship or any less loved by the Father or have any smaller chance of success in the future… Sometimes it really is those stumbling blocks that propel us forward anyway.
I’m guessing some of you reading this are like, “uh….duh…” but it really, really hit me hard last week. I’ve been holding back on sooooooooo many things out of the fear of failure or the fear of imperfection.
But it got me thinking…what IS the worst that could happen??
I remember the day I started this blog. I knew I was supposed to…the Lord had provided everything I needed…I had my content… I wrote my first post really fast, slammed the computer shut and didn’t open it for HOURS. WHO CARES if I only have 12 readers (including my parents and my husband)? It was an act of obedience and I enjoy it and it’s a written legacy for my kids to have one day. That? Is success in my book.
So, if you’re reading this and a light bulb went off in your head, I encourage you to be fearless! Imperfection does not equal failure. Start that project, write that book, make that recipe, design that product, cut that hair, sew that fabric, toil that ground, let your imagination run wild! Above all else, if the Lord has instructed you do something…by golly, do it. Do it. Get out there and do it!
So don’t give up your day dream, as they say, even if it’s looking dead. Every possible chance for it to live again is in the shriveled, dried up grain of a plan, a hope, a heart’s wish. You never know who might come along and give you another chance, or even more. The life is in the seed. *poof!
Let’s be fearless and fruitful together! Here’s to living a life unafraid of failure; a life that isn’t measured by perfection…
Thank you, Grandpa Gene, for inspiring us even in your death…you will be missed.
We call you that all the time and that little name was dubbed you before you were even born. “Sweet Sawyer” was plastered all over your baby shower along with lots of real sweets, to boot. 🙂 It was if we already knew… May I just say you have fully lived up to and embraced that name.
Sweet Sawyer getting a pre-birthday pedicure
There is so much I could write about you on your birthday… I love your beautiful face and your keen eye for fashion… I love how girly you are and how you love to create outfits and change clothes, shoes and hair accessories 14 times a day… I love how you love being outside and coming in filthy after a hard day of building and digging and wrangling goats… I love how you plan parties and feasts and parades… I love how much you love people, even those that have done nothing to deserve the unconditional love you so freely share…
I have so many favorites about you but my favorite thing about you is your heart…
You have a heart for your siblings. The Lord chose you to be the first born; the big sister of the Phipps family. Daddy and I know it’s a hard job sometimes (we were firstborns, too!) but you do it oh-so well. The way you care for and protect and mother (and attempt to discipline) Wryder and Sayble is so sweet. They adore you and we couldn’t ask for a better role model and example for them to look up to.
You have a heart for obedience. Ever since you were just a tiny thing, daddy and I would set one rule and we never had to worry about you even testing that boundary. You spoiled us, kiddo. And tricked us into believing all children were that way. Not so. *ahem* You choose obedience daily and are quick to ask the Lord and us for forgiveness when you feel as if you’ve fallen short.
You have the heart of servant. This is one of my favorite things about you because it’s somewhat of a lost trait in today’s society. You are the first one to rush over and pick something up if it gets dropped or the first to rush in with a towel to clean up a spill (and we have a few of those around here). You never tire of helping with chores or cleaning your room or helping mom plan a party.
Monday night, we came home WAY past bedtime and Sayble was tired and hungry and my foot was killing me and you guys needed a snack and dad needed to run to the barn to put the cat away so you enthusiastically jumped right in and got fruit, cheese and milk for you and Bubba. That blessed me so much and you do that kind of stuff every. day.
You have the heart of a worshiper. The Lord showed me that before you were even a year old and boy is it true. There are no better days than when we just spend some time worshiping through song together. I love when you want to sing when I do your hair or when we all (attempt) to play instruments or when I hear you singing in the spirit in your room or in the car. It’s a joyful noise to His ears, no doubt.
You have a heart of generosity. You so freely share your things. I can’t count how many times you find out someone is coming over or it’s someone’s birthday and you rush up stairs and rifle through your trinket drawers and come down with something wrapped up to give them. You shower me with flowers (and a few weeds) and little notes and pictures all the time. I wouldn’t trade those for the world, you know…
🙂
And, fellow readers? If Sawyer ever bestows upon you a half-used chapstick or a too small bracelet or a chicken feather or a few coins…receive them and receive them with gusto! These are some of her most treasured possessions and she’s chosen to share them with YOU.
You have a heart that seeks Jesus. Daddy and I have been amazed at the spiritual maturity you possess for being so young. (We might be a wee bit jealous, too). You are constantly asking questions about how to hear from the Lord and how NOT to hear from satan and how to tell the difference. You are quick to share the gospel even when you get rejected. You love to “read” your Bible and you love our family devotion and prayer time. The zeal in which you seek Him is inspiring.
I think that’s what it boils down to, sweet Sawyer…you inspire me. You make me want to be a better mom and sister and friend……..you make me want to be more like you.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that these five years have gone fast. Too fast. In a flash you’re five and my heart is bursting with pride regarding you. I’m so excited about these new stages and adventures we’re encountering…but I can’t help but think of all the ways I’ve failed you as a momma. I’m so far from perfect it’s revolting….but I sure do love you.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…if I knew every kid we’d have would be just like you, I’d have 10 more in a heartbeat. Sure would. Until then, I’ll continue to bless you and bless the day you were born!
I bless you with a continued life of obedience. It will serve you well in all walks of life but I pray that that obedience is always born out of a love for the Lord, not because of a set of rules. I pray that because you love Him you so much, your heart can’t bear to bend any other way than towards righteousness.
I bless you with Godly friends and relationships. You are so kind and so giving and so merciful and so forgiving and so loving and I pray all of that is given right back to you ten-fold. I pray that as you get older that the Lord would deliver you a good friend to walk this life with who will be just as invested in the relationship as you are.
I bless you with lots of opportunities to hear from the Lord. I pray that He would continually be in your ear and in your heart and that you would be attuned to listen and obey.
I bless you with a family who models what it means to love the Lord. We fall short so often, sweet girl, but you inspire us to constantly strive to do better and strengthen our relationships with Him as well.
I bless you with the calling of the Lord on your life…that you would hear it and know it from an early age and that you would stop at nothing to a live a life that is pleasing to him.
Sweet Sawyer, you are so special to us…irreplaceable….one of the biggest blessings we’ve ever been given. It’s an honor and a privilege to be your momma. Happy birthday, beautiful! Let’s party!
