I’m not the biggest fan of summer. I don’t really care to sweat unless I’m doing manual labor in a ball cap and cruddy clothes…pumpkin bread doesn’t taste near as good when it’s 98 degrees out…there is no football and baseball just doesn’t do it for me…I can’t stand sunscreen on soooo many levels (feel, smell, chemicals, etc.) but don’t want my kiddos to burn on prolonged outdoor days…flip flops aren’t good for my horribly flat feet but confining them in real shoes just doesn’t feel good or right…I could continue, but that almost seems hateful. 😉
Today, though…when it’s barely 75 and breezy and the sky is a rich blue and there isn’t hardly a cloud in the atmosphere…when it feels like fall…I dig it. So do these two…
Sweet sibs
I wrote on Facebook earlier, “how you hardly make a kid nap on a day like today??” It’s just too nice out to worry with a few extra winks, right?
Slidin’ Sawyer
Days like today…with play clothes and muddy shoes and dirty faces and pigtails…my heart holds close.
Love
No hurry to be anywhere…no reason to be perfectly cleaned…no place I’d rather be…
She takes such good care of him
“Are you gonna lawnmower, momma?”
“Not right now…I just wanna play with you guys.”
“Oh, goodie!”
Peek-a-booWhhheeeeee!This boy loves to “drive”Shoes? Who needs ’em…
But then fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous a** as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you. – Stephen King
I don’t want to rush the time I have with these two cuties, but I have no qualms about rushing the weather or the changing of the seasons. Today though, I shall marvel in this “summer” while my soul whispers “come on fall…”
It’s overcast and cool out; my soul is begging for fall! This has been such a mild summer and I have very little tan left on my arms and legs…might as well call it and hide them under sweaters and jeans, right?! Come on, fall…
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Wryder’s namesake and great-grandpa is turning 85 this year and I have the distinct honor of providing decor for the grand event! I’ve got about 10 projects half done and quite a few *ahem* that I have yet to embark upon. For some reason, this overcast weather makes me uber-productive, so I’m hoping to take advantage of that today. I’ve already got these bad boys in the dishwasher…
A few spoons
Stay tuned for a DIY this week! Maybe that will REALLY make me get it done this week…
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Our church cleaned out their library and had tables of free books for us to peruse this past Sunday. For bibliophiles, it was hard not to take them all, but we decided upon these:
Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories
These are the sweetest little stories that discuss character and wise choices and how the Lord would prefer us to live. They’ve been a fun edition to our daily readings and we highly recommend them if you can get your hands on a set!
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I missed my kiddos terribly while I was at jury duty last week so we’ve tried to make up for lost play time with LOTS of playtime. I must say, I have the cutest playmates of anyone around.
My little party planner
This girl throws quite the party and this little guest sure makes them fun!
Cheeeeeese
It warms my heart how well they get along. I’m sure those feelings for each other might change and evolve as the years go on but I hope they only intensify amorously. It’s so cute to see them interact together and greet each other in the morning and give random hugs and pull each other close to sit…
Awwwwww
I wish I could say this attentive shot was during our family devotions…but I was letting them watch “Let it Go.” *ahem* Maybe I should start theatrically singing all of our Bible lessons…
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I don’t know about your kids, but Sawyer is a lover of rocks! Every parking lot/driveway/restaurant/farm/house/business/ we visit, she finds at least one to add to her “collection.” Wrex was cleaning out his pickup last night and found a stash under her seat. He brought them in and she put them in a little baggie and showed them to us and said, “These are so I can remember all the places I’ve been.”
It was completely cute and completely heart melting. We talked to her about how incredibly Biblical that was. Over and over in the Old Testament, stones are placed at significant places of significant happenings so that when people saw them, they would remember what transpired there…they would remember the faithfulness of God and what He did.
That’s sort of what this blog is; a giant rock of remembrance for me and my family. He has done so much for us and I don’t want them to forget where all of this good comes from.
I don’t think I’ll be forgetting her and her rocks anytime soon.
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If you’re not familiar with Angie Smith, you should be! She has quite the story, the best red hair, an adorable self-deprecation and I swear she’s my sister from another mister…or something. Her latest book, Chasing God, is on sale today for $0.99 (Kindle edition) at Amazon. I haven’t read it yet but if it’s anything like her others, it will be worth the buck. Bought and downloaded!
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All right, I better hop to it! The coffee cup is empty, the play tent is set up and the natives are growing restless; time to camp and then create! Enjoy this cozy day!
The Phillips County Fair was this past week and we had high hopes of letting Sawyer enter a few open classes; with our crazy week, it just didn’t work out. She has plenty of show years ahead of her, so no one was too concerned or heartbroken.
We went into to town on Saturday to watch the parade and check out a little bit of the fair.
Always fashionable in her official parade watching chair…
This was Wryder’s first parade and since he’s a pro-waver and kiss blower, he thoroughly enjoyed himself!
Are they cute or what?!
Sawyer’s candy snatching skills have improved greatly over the past year. Instead of just sitting in her chair while sweet kids shared some with her, she went for it this time!
Get it, girl!Life is so good with these three…
After the parade, we drove down to the fair grounds and took a peak around the barns. Wryder was a HUGE fan of the hogs!
Let’s be buddies…Come here, piggy!
He did NOT want to leave to look at any other species…
I don’t want to leave…and there’s a fly on my head!
Sawyer was NOT impressed with the hogs at his age.
Not so much…
That was as close as she was willing to get and she kept saying, “Scary! Scary!” She did better this time, but still preferred the goats and chickens.
Ah, yes…much better!
The highlight of the fair was the ride in a miniature grain cart! How cute is this little train?!
I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Long time, no write, yes?! We’ve been a weeeeee bit on the go…
July is one of my favorite months because my hubby gets a little vacation thanks to the sale barns closing down for Independence Day and harvest and county fairs. YIPPEE! This year, we headed south to visit the plant in Texas and then see the fam in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Before we left, sweet Sawyer helped daddy get the car ready to go. She helped change the oil and loved laying under the car. (Safety note: the Ford is tall enough to change the oil without being jacked up so there was no risk of it falling on them. Just wanted you to know before you started sending hate mail… 😉 )
Daddy’s little helperCute cute
We went to the sale with daddy on Monday – his only one for the week – and then headed south to Texas where his plant is headquartered. We got to stay with his boss/our good friend, Travis. It was so good to see him and spend some time with his INCREDIBLY sweet girlfriend, Kasey. She is the epitome of a hospitable, Texas lady and we were greeted with hugs, a steak dinner and fun gifts for the kids – what could be better?!
Opening her giftWith Kasey and Travis – the kids almost look like they could be theirs, yes!?Sawyer and Sky
Wrex spent Tuesday meeting with folks at the plant and then we loaded up and headed to Oklahoma to spend some time with the fam and meet those precious nephews of ours.
Sawyer and Breckyn had soooooooooooo much fun together! They were both absolutely exhausted come nap and bedtime every day.
Sweet girls
There was a lot of popsicle eating…
They’re better with sweet cousins!
and porch swinging…
The girls with Goo GooRaRa and 3 of the grands
and swimming…
Matching suits from Aunt Tootsie!Swim time!What?!
and book reading…
The girls with RaRa
and dog playing…
Sweet BooeyMy turn!Booey in the cave
and cuddling…
Wryder and Goo GooBreckyn and Uncle Wrex
and tea parties…
Apple juice and mini banana breads!Let’s eat!Sweet Brecky
and car driving…
Woo hoo!Sharin’ storiesDistracted driver
and general playing/running around/kid-fun chaos! It was so fun to watch them all interact with each other…wish we all lived closer…
On Thursday, we got to meet our sweet nephews for the first time! Oh. My. GOODNESS! They are so sweet and cute and cuddly! We got to spend time holding them both and comparing their little personalities.
Proud Uncle with BrenhemProud Auntie with Berwick
We were so hopeful that they would come home while we were there, but they both needed a few extra days in the hospital. On July 11th, after 105 days in the NICU, they got to come home!! I know it was a sweet, sweet homecoming; truly, they are miracles.
Headed HOME!
We hung out with more family and watched fireworks for the 4th. I bought the girls some glow stick accessories to wear and they had a ball dancing around, entertaining us.
Putting on a showWe glow!
Saturday, we celebrated Breckyn’s 2nd birthday with an ice cream party! Her momma had a fun idea for balloon ice cream decor – it turned out super cute!
Ice cream!Adorable, yes?!From the doorAnxiously awaiting the partyLove this girlUncle Wrexy being squirrelyWryder didn’t much care for the hatsGorgeous girls!
On Sunday, it was time to say goodbye. 🙁
One more twin pic
We packed up and headed back north…with an extra car mate. Booey the dog is in Colorado to live out the rest of her days! Sawyer was so excited (as were we). Booey is the sweetest little dog and doesn’t mind the constant pestering of children; she is truly an answer to prayer!
Enjoying the ride
We stopped and spent some time in Kansas with Uncle Waco and Aunt Amber. Sawyer got Uncle Waco to help her make her fancy necklace from Aunt Tootsie and Uncle Blake.
Cute as a button!
Someone slept with Sawyer all night…
How precious is that?!
We spent a little time at the farm with Amber’s family and then it was time to head north again, as daddy had a sale on Tuesday. We finally got home on Tuesday evening and then headed to Denver Wednesday morning for an impromptu work day/mini vacation. We stayed at a hotel and ran a bunch of errands we can’t do anywhere around here.
The kids swam and I shopped and we checked out the local Krispy Kreme. Sawyer and Wryder had their first donuts that Tuesday so we went and saw how they were made.
Is she a doll or what?!
They rode the train with daddy through the Orchard – a big hit!
Choo Choo!
We got home Thursday night and I spent eight hours on Friday unloading the car, unpacking bags and doing laundry.
It was soooooo good to get away for a bit and spend some time with some of our favorite people on the planet. We laughed and ate and worked and talked and reminisced and enjoyed each other…give me a few more days to recoop and then I say let’s do it again!
I mentioned yesterday that we cooked up some gourmet s’mores ’round the fire pit this weekend…and they were delish! I mean, the classic s’more is pretty hard to beat, but I nosed around and found a few others that we think might take the cake.
The Nutty Buddy
graham cracker
marshmallow
peanut butter cup
The Salted Caramel
graham cracker
chocolate/caramel square (Ghirardelli or Caramello)
sea salt
marshmallow
Mexican Hot Chocolate
graham cracker
chocolate
marshmallow
cinnamon
nutmeg
The Grasshopper
graham cracker
peppermint patty
marshmallow
Two we didn’t try (but I definitely think we should have) are:
The Samoa
graham cracker
chocolate/caramel square
toasted coconut
marshmallow
The Nutella
graham cracker
chocolate
spread of Nutella
marshmallow
My favorite was the Salted Caramel – man it was good! The Nutty Buddy and the Grasshopper were popular as well…but, really, IS there a bad s’more?!
I created a little menu for our occasion and I’ll attach it here so you can download and print for your next fire feast. (Click on the image and then right click to save)
If you have a yummy s’more recipe to share, please do…there’s still lots of summer left!
Oh, friends…we had such a wonderful weekend! My girl bestie and her family came in from Denver. The last time she was here was the weekend Wryder was born and she brought a little surprise with her…she had a baby on the way! This time, sweet baby E made the trip and she did awesome!
Sawyer was in love, obviously, just like the rest of us. They played toys and hugged…
played on the playground…and just had a good ole time!
Aunt Dessa even let Sawyer help feed her!
Wryder just held her hand…
Uncle Ryan read some Cinderella…
and Wryder fell in love with his Auntie D! From the minute he laid eyes on her, he was done for! All weekend, he’d smile and wave and blow kisses; he’d walk to HER and not me when we were practicing…it was all Dessa, all weekend.
We ventured out to do chores and to let baby E experience a little farm life.
I’m not sure she knew quite what to think of all of those stinky, noisy guys!She was a trooper, that one!
We watched a movie during naptime and then we got the kids ready for a little water fun!
We didn’t realize that our little pool blew away during the last storm (we’ve been a little busy, ok?! 😉 ) so we had to improvise with a sprinkler and a tarp.
Sawyer and Wryder were all about it…miss E? Not so much. 🙂
She chose to sunbathe with mom and then go inside for another little snooze.
Wryder had a ball crawling all over the yard and playing in the water!
By Saturday night, the kids were pooped! We put them in bed and headed out to the fire pit. It was a gorgeous evening! There was a breeze, it was a tick chilly, thunderstorms were all around us, we were amongst amazing company…we toasted some marshmallows and indulged in some gourmet s’mores – salted caramel anyone?! Oh my – they were delish! It was a good ending to a good day!
I was so sad for Sunday afternoon to roll around…I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye. Sweet Tredessa is truly one in a million; irreplaceable, in my book. She has been such an important part of my life, during the most important parts of my life. She was the friend I never thought existed; the friend I thought I would never (or could ever) have. The Lord crossed our paths in some small ways and then BIG ways and I am so glad He did.
She’s been a roommate, a leader, a mentor, a counselor, a sister…she helped me birth my sweet Sawyer (and wasn’t too traumatized to remain my friend after)…she’s been my party throwing co-host, my photographer, my invitation/Christmas card designer…she’s shared her family with me, her time with me, her life with me. This girl has more wisdom and faith than anyone else her age and I soak it up every chance I get. She’s my favorite person to solve the problems of the world with…and trust me, we get it all figured out! For years I said I wanted to be just like her when I grow up…still do.
Being farther away is hard and we each have our own families and lives but she is in my heart. Always in my heart…
We had so much fun with you guys! You are most welcome here ANY time, you easy house guests, you!
As I mentioned last week, I have some fantastic company coming in for the weekend so we all piled in and went with Wrexy to the sale barn yesterday so I could stock the pantry. Since we were in town, we decided to treat the kids to a few surprises.
We went swimming at the big pool at Cody Park, looked at all the animals and then we went to ride the rides – one of Sawyer’s favorite things, oh, EVER. We’ve been there a few times…
September 2012June 2012The kids loves their ice cream!
but she’s always up to go again!
Waiting in line for the carousel
We have been so excited to take Wryder because we thought he would just love it! He was intrigued at first…
Hmmmm
But he did NOT like the carousel…at all. He rode on the horse for about 20 seconds and then clung tightly to Wrex’s neck for the duration of the ride.
Cuties!
We were shocked! He’s our little dare devil so we were certain he’d love the rides…we were wrong.
He spend most of this ride just like this…
I can’t look
When he wasn’t hiding his face, he just looked concerned…
Can you wave?Nope
He didn’t care much for the train either.
I’m doing this for you, mom
Every time he’d come around to the section we were watching from, he’d wave his hands and talk gibberish, as if asking us to come get him.
Sister liked the train!
Sawyer rode every ride, of course. Her favorite was one that spun round and round and made her “busy.”
It was one of those days you just want to do over and over again…I’m guessing we will before summer is over. Don’t tell Wryder. 😉
He went swimming yesterday and I tried a few hundred times to get his picture without much luck; he was just too busy being a boy!
Most of my photo ops turned out like this:
or this:
or this:
or this:
or this:
See, I told you I tried.
I finally got a few decent shots…
I mean, at least you can see his face? Right?!
And I got this cute one of sweet sister – she was ready for the camera!
This morning, we went out to jump on the trampoline and do a little yard work. As we were picking up sticks, Wryder became incredibly enthusiastic so I let him have one to keep him busy.
He really enjoyed waving it around and banging it on, well, anything and especially…
I remember my little brother was a stick fanatic as well. My poor mom was always searching for the broom handle, as he’d borrow it to bust out his latest ninja moves. Some friends from Denver came down last fall and their boys had amassed a whole pile of sticks to take back home to the city – how cute is that?!
We love how boyish he is and how much energy he has and how he’s just always on the go… Wonder WHERE in the world he gets that from?! 😉
Oh, friends…I think we’ve recovered for the most part. We’re still nursing sunburns and a few scabbed over blisters but other than that, we feel human again.
When we moved into our home three years ago there was no yard. The “front yard” was basically just packed down dirt, which we then used as a driveway for a few years.
See? No grass…
We had planned to lay sod the first year we were here but we got busy doing all sorts of other things outside like cutting down dead trees, building fence, removing old fence, etc. and it never got done. The next summer, a handsome newborn slowed us down but this past weekend we made it a priority!
We started by leveling a place for a sidewalk that would lead from the driveway to the front door, as there never was one. I wanted a cute, curvy sidewalk, but it was a little faster and easier to just make a straight one…and I’m all about fast and easy!
A long way to go…
Thankfully, the ground was soft thanks to the inch of rain we’d had during the week so it made the weeding and leveling a little easier.
Concrete going in!
Our neighbor and his grandad came and helped us float and level the sidewalk and we were so grateful that they did!
One section done!Drying…Ta-Da!
We were really pleased with how the sidewalk turned out…it just kinda makes you want to rip out all of the old concrete around the place and start over!
Next, it was time to level the yard area and it get it ready for sod. This took a while…a long while. We finally finished about 6:00 on Sunday evening and got to actually lay the sod. We’ve decided that laying sod is easy; prepping the ground for sod is not.
Cute helper with her shovel…Looking good!This man is a MACHINE!WOW!
It looks soooooo nice (sans the seams, of course) and was totally worth feeling like we did on Monday. 😉 Sawyer has already taken advantage of a few barefoot walks and some sprinkler play.
Cute!Greeeeeeeeen…
We got flowers planted and our other lovely neighbor came down and bladed our driveway! Seriously, the place is looking good…except for the rest of the acreage that needs mowed again since we were a little busy with this project…we’ll get there.
Bring on the summer…and all of the rest of the projects on our list!
I’m beat. We went to the sale barn with daddy today as we haven’t been in forever…thus I haven’t bought groceries in forever. I feel like we’ve made several random trips to the local store to grab more fresh items and milk…lot of milk…but no pantry stocking. We fixed that today.
It was HOT…and Wryder weighs a ton…and there were a LOT of cows. Sawyer stayed with daddy while Wryder and I went shopping. Once we had it all loaded, we picked up sister, went to the park, ate lunch, went to a different park and then went back to the sale barn for a bit. We’re home now, the groceries are put away, the kids are bathed and in bed and I’m worn out.
Regardless, here a few pics from the last few days around the Phipps ranch…enjoy!
This smile is killer!These crackers are DELISH!A little fun Friday costume surprise! (Thank you November clearance rack!)We almost lost it…but I got it back!We taught sweet Sawyer to play Uno…it was a hit! (Forgive my huge finger)I found this coon skin hat for $1 at a garage sale. I have BIG plans for it!I love this sweet girl curled up in her gown watching some Berenstain Bears!Our sale barn attire…Not a big fan of the grass…No really, mom, I don’t like this…Can I please get up!?SWINGS!It was a good day for a snow cone!This boy is a bathwater drinking machine…Pretty gross, yes?!Thankfully he’s cute.
