siblings – Page 2 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

Random Rambles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She had a photo booth and games for the kids…

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

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

The kids LOVED Emily and her family!

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

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

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

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

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Someone has joined the thumb-sucker ranks around here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

Our kids crack me up! I often wonder what we did for entertainment before their joy knocked us off of our feet with belly laughs. Enjoy a few quotable moments from the past few weeks…

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I walk into the mudroom and I could tell by the smell that the cat had just finished it’s business in the litter box.

Me: “Oh my word! Oh my gosh! It stinks awful out here! Oh, sick…” (There may or may not have been some dry heaving…)

Sawyer: “What? Is Wryder out there?”

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In discussing our neighbors pregnancy, Sawyer and I were attempting to guess whether we thought she was having a boy or a girl.

Sawyer: “If it’s a girl, she’s in luck. If it’s a boy……she better watch out!”

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After I had gone to the doctor last week, we ran to Ogallala to grab my prescription and get some lunch. I wasn’t feeling well and we sat in the Wendy’s drive-thru for what felt like forever. Apparently, Sawyer thought so, too…

Sawyer: “For such a small car, they’re sure ordering a lot of food!”

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After we pray with the kids before bed, we always let them choose a little song for us to sing to them. Silent Night was a pretty popular one around Christmas (still is!) and we would often sing more than one verse.

Wrex: “What song do you want to sing tonight?”

Wryder: “The diaper one! The diaper one!”

Wrex: wracking his brain to figure out which one it is, going over lyrics in his head…

Wryder: “Daddy, you know how it goes. Jesus, Lord of diaper…

Or ‘Lord of THY BIRTH…either one…

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Apparently, truly understanding lyrics for a two year old can be quite difficult. He loves “Springsteen” by Eric Church because he loves the “whoa, whoa, whoa–o–o–” part.

Wryder: “Mom, what’s bong-a-rong mean?”

Me, puzzled: “Bong-a-rong…where did you hear it at?”

Wryder: “On the whoa-whoa song. ‘I’m on fire and bong-a-rong’…”

Or, born to run…again, either one.

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Little Wryder does keep us on our toes! After one of his shenanigans the other day…

Sawyer: “Good job having that kid! He’s hilarious!”

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Eating Cherrios one morning for breakfast…which he’s done at least once a week since he was 18 months old…

Wryder, whining: “I can’t eaaaaaat these!”

Me: “Why???”

Wryder: “Because they have HOLES in them!”

Oh, the agony…

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While watching part of the NFL honors…

Sawyer: “What was that guy’s name again? John Noodle?”

It was either Cam Newton or Anquan Boldin – still not sure who she meant! You can only guess what her new nickname is around here….

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Eating lunch in Subway and this cute, middle-aged blonde lady comes in wearing a little, white Bronco’s jacket. Sawyer and I were talking about how cute it was and she must’ve heard Sawyer going on and on about it, so she came over to chat with the kids after she got her food.

I could tell pretty quickly that Wryder thought she was about right so he started pulling out all the stops, flirting with her.

Wryder: “Hi! I’m Wryder…WD, that’s me! I’m 2 and I have spikey hair.”

Sweet/cute blonde lady: “Well, hi Wryder. I like your spikey hair.”

Wryder: “Hey, do you wanna hear a Bible verse? For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline. I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me. They shall call him Immanuel which means, God with us. Depart from evil and do good. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hey, do you wanna hear a Broncos cheer? B-R-O-N-C-O-S, Broncos are the best!”

I think she was smitten. 😉 Wrex and I often worry about his way with the ladies, but we’re hoping that if his pick-up lines continue to be Bible verses, we might be ok…

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Seriously, they are funny, right?!

Friday Funnies

My little family has had me grinning all day today. They’re pretty funny…or I’m tired…you can decide. 🙂

This morning, I had Wryder set the table for breakfast and he put the plates on like this…

Putting a plate THROUGH the slats in a chair is WAY more fun.

I serve everyone, sit down to eat and find he had given me this fork…

The serving fork. It’s huge. Made me feel good about myself. *ahem*

I started to send these pictures to Wrex and when I picked up my phone, this is what I saw…

It’s started already. Lord, help us.

Sayble woke up a little while later and I opened her jammies up to find this…

Daddy got creative at 6:00 this morning. 🙂

We went to town to run a few errands and grab some Subway. On the way home, I wanted to run the car through the car wash, much to the disdain of Wryder.

Poor kid is TERRIFIED of the car wash and cried and hid his eyes for a good 11 minutes. Wait, maybe that’s not funny…just a little ridiculous.

Oh, and a little throwback Thursday humor….

We were watching a little of the Bronco game, a cheerleader came on the screen and the following conversation ensued…

Sawyer (incredulously): WHO is THAT?

Wrex (while giving me the eye to turn the channel): Oh, just a cheerleader.

Sawyer: (equally incredulously in reference to her burgeoning boobage): WHY does she have her shirt like that?

Wrex (begging with his voice for no more questions to be asked): Oh, maybe she got hot.

A little while later, Sawyer was fiddlin’ with the buttons on Wrex’s shirt and then said, “Look, mom! Daddy’s a cheerleader!”

That’s all I got! Good night, folks!

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.

Five in a Flash

Sweet Sawyer…

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.

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!

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…

Soaking Up Summer

This time of year, most sale barns in this area take a week or so off for wheat harvest and such so daddy gets 10 or so days of built in vacation time. Are we blessed or what?!

Since we went to Texas last month, we’re opting for more of a stay-cation – with a few day trips thrown in for good measure. We’ve already been to Nebraska to see the grandparents and Oklahoma cousins. We got to go to Cody Park and feed animals and ride the rides…we stopped in at the Children’s Museum in Kearney with good friends and today we had really great company come to the house for lunch! The kids were stoked to have visitors and we loved every minute with them! (More on that later).

Last night, daddy took us to supper and we stopped at the fireworks stand on the way home. Tonight, Wrexy lit some up and the kids had a BLAST!

They stood on the edge of the yard, holding hands waiting for the bang and the flash of lights. Their little eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation. Wryder jumped nearly every time but then would squeal with glee and run around asking daddy for more.

I love their excitement and zeal over all kinds of things…from fireworks to new swimsuits to meeting real live missionaries to eating Mexican food to watching a DVD in the car to seeing new baby chicks to spotting the moon in the sky before it’s even dark…the world around them is new and exciting and ready for them to explore…..AND? As their parents, we get the pleasure of taking that journey with them.

Friends of wee ones, we are living in the best days of our lives, I am convinced! Wrex and I were married for 5 years before we started having babies and those 5 years were really sweet. We did that {horrible, awful, ridiculous, no good} long distance dating thing for 3 years before we were married so it was so nice to have some “us” time. It allowed us to really solidify our marriage and prepare ourselves for raising children.

As good as that time was, we love this time of our lives even more. To be able to see and feel and interact with the product of our love is such a treasure. Oh yes, there are some hours and days that may feel long but oh – the joy far outweighs the work and the blood, sweat and tears that go into this parenting thing.

There’s a chance that you’ll never be this loved, this exciting, this worthy of emulation in their eyes ever again. Revel in it.

Friends, I encourage you to soak up those kiddos of yours this summer…

Say yes a little more often…

Go swimming more than you want to and get in that swimsuit and jump in with them…

Eat at McDonalds (or Mickey Don-dalds) even if you just drink a Dr. Pepper…

Blow bubbles and jump on trampolines and go on nature walks…

Look for ways to show them grace…

Get messy and muddy and eat popsicles to beat the band…

Take lots of pictures and capture those smiles and squeals and ingrain them in your mind’s eye for days to come…

These are the best days of our lives. Soak them up.

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…

One of Those Weeks

It’s been one of those weeks.

Nothing horrid. Nothing to cry about. Nothing to shake your fist at the Lord about. Nothing remotely as bad as the majority of the world probably deals with. Just one of those weeks were some things have just felt off and we’ve had a lot going on and Wryder’s in another “testing the boundaries phase” and we’ve been at the mercy of a couple of people who weren’t people of their word and that?! Oh, that’s a tough pill to swallow for me.

Despite all of that, these little guys make my world SO worthwhile. They bring us such joy…unimaginable joy! Watching them play or seeing their smiles or hearing their sweet voices just ignite my heart with such love…

These are just a few of my favorite pics of our week!

I love momma's dish towel, apparently! — I love momma’s dish towel, apparently!

Holding daddy's hand — Holding daddy’s hand

Cowgirling it in her shorts... — Cowgirling it in her shorts…

Riding our newest gift, "Stubbs" — Riding our newest gift, “Stubbs”

Handsome boy with a tractor in his mouth... — Handsome boy with a tractor in his mouth…

Baby feet - who doesn't love baby feet?! — Baby feet – who doesn’t love baby feet?!

Watchin' a little baseball with Mr. Zach — Watchin’ a little baseball with Mr. Zach

Getting some love from Miss Jen and Miss P

These guys just have a way of redeeming all that’s wrong in the world…my world, at least…