A Ridiculously Rad Night

Our church turned 30 years old yesterday!  Their very first church service was on March 2, 1986 so we celebrated with an 80s theme party – totally rad!

Wrex and I got to come up with a photo booth for the event and since we had a 3 piece backdrop system, we decided to do three different backdrops for people to choose from.

Didn't they turn out cute?!
Didn’t they turn out cute?!

We, of course, had to do a splatter paint background.  I didn’t know how easy it would be to do but let me tell ya – it was easy.  We didn’t even end up using brushes, we just kinda dabbled our paint containers and it worked out so well!

Cutest little 80's girl I know!
Cutest little 80’s girl I know!

The other easier one we did was the one with bright colored lines.  We just used neon duct tape and went to town laying down strips of color. I really liked how it turned out, especially for the photo booth.

Simple and fun!
Simple and fun!

The favorite of the night was the PacMan backdrop!  It is pretty cool, isn’t it?!  I dyed the sheet black (and got it grey -ha!) and then my mathematician husband took the photo I found online and scaled it and we got to work.  We used duct tape for the game board and then I just used cardstock for all of the characters and circles.  It really turned out great for not a lot of cost, just time.

Pacman!
Pacman!

We wanted a few bigger props so we made a giant rubix cube using a cardboard box, poster board and a LOT of black tape…

Awesomeness...
Awesomeness…

a giant Etch-a-Sketch out of an old red frame we had…

Oh man, he's cute!
Oh man, he’s cute!

and no 80’s party is complete without a boombox, courtesy of a Pampers box, some duct tape and some cardstock!

Boom.
Boom.

We blew up some pictures at Staples and did our faux canvas work and hung those up for everyone to giggle at…

Back in the day...
Back in the day…

A fellow church goer decorated the fellowship hall and turned it into a totally bodacious space!

Fun!
Fun!

There was cake and live music – just a lot of fun!

Yum!
Yum!

It was just a REALLY fun night!  It was easy and laid back and people totally got into the 80s spirit…it was just a really nice night to fellowship and be thankful for such a wonderful church family.

My crew got all dressed up for the event, of course.

It's 80s night!
It’s 80s night!

Sawyer looked so cute, she could be in style no matter what the decade…

So cute!
So cute!

Same for Sayble…

:)
🙂

and Wryder, too!  His outfit was hard for me to come up with…but then I remembered that I had some of Wrex’s clothes FROM 1986ish and so Wryder wore Wrex’s old shirt and jacket and looked CUTE.AS.A.BUTTON!

Oh man, he's cute!
Oh man, he’s cute!

I was the last to get dressed of course and did the best I could!  I’m pretty sure the 80s color palette is not my favorite, but I worked it!

One of every color...
One of every color…

The winner…hands down…was Wrex!

He's all mine, ladies....
He’s all mine, ladies….

I found this windsuit at the local thrift for $3!!!  The tag said it had been there since September.  THANKFULLY, I snatched it just in time!

His beard had been bothering him for a while now but we all really like it.  He decided last night was a good night to shave it off…and leave mutton chops. *ahem*

Yeeeeaaaahhh...
Yeeeeaaaahhh…

I’m pretty sure some people will never be the same after seeing all that…

Oh.  My.  Goodness.
Oh. My. Goodness.

It was a ton of fun, despite the facial hair madness that he STILL hasn’t fixed yet.

Yesterday was also a special guy’s birthday!  One of our favorite friends and pastors had a birthday yesterday and Sawyer wanted to make him a cake, so we did!  She did 98% of the work herself!  He wanted chocolate cake so we turned Grandma’s delicious chocolate sheet cake into a layer cake…

Making the batter...
Making the batter…
Letting them cool...
Letting them cool…

She REALLY to do sprinkles and candy hearts so we tried to limit them to just a few 🙂 and then she made a birthday banner for the birthday boy and delivered it with balloons, to boot!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bill!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Bill!

Today, we’re all recuperating.  I did the math and Sayble’s about 6 hours of sleep behind schedule – ha!  Don’t call us between 1-4…we’ll all be napping!

I Heart Heart Day

I know I’ve mentioned it before – I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day!  Hate all you want; I think setting aside a day to really go out of our way to show someone we love them is a fine way to spend our time.  Who doesn’t love that?!

For Fun Friday, the kids helped make cupcakes!

Lining the pan
Lining the pan
Getting hers done, too!
Getting hers done, too!
My mixer
My mixer

Decorating them is obviously the best part…and I always feel like SUCH a good mom afterwards because it really pushes me outside of my comfort zone.  I’m not the biggest fan of messes or 501 little, round sprinkles all over the place but I do it because I love them.  And it’s fun.

Intensity
Intensity
Yep, those are the ones...
Yep, those are the ones…
They turned out REALLY cute!
They turned out REALLY cute!

And, of course, Wryder had to be rewarded for his efforts…

YUM!
YUM!

Our sweet friend/mail lady, Pam, brought goodies to the house in the form of chocolate bars (which Wryder inhaled!) and mail from friends.  We sent her home with a cupcake, too!

On Saturday, I woke up to this gorgeousness…

Swoon.
Swoon.

I LOVE getting flowers!  I vow not to be the woman who thinks they’re a waste of money because all they do is die.  They are life and they bring life – I’m a big fan.  🙂

I loved the balloon, too!  I remember when I was growing up that I always, always wanted a helium, mylar balloon, though I don’t know that I ever asked for one.  It was either my tenth or twelfth birthday, my parents got me several and I was over the moon!  I kept them deflated and pinned to my bulletin board until I left for college.  I kinda wish I still had them… 

Wrexy knew my love for them and surprised me with a huge one!  Wryder and Sawyer though we should practice letting the cat jump through the center.  I vetoed that.  *ahem*

We were saving our steak dinner for Valentine’s day so I decided to make heart hamburgers (with bacon, of course) for lunch.

Nothing says love like beef...
Nothing says love like beef…
and bacon!
and bacon!

The kids LOVED this!  Especially the bacon part – a treat around here!

YUM!
YUM!

Sawyer, of course, dressed for the occasion – heels and all!

Oh, this girl...
Oh, this girl…

Sunday, we went to church and ate a little chinese food for lunch…

Those sweet smiles!!!
Those sweet smiles!!!
Handsome!
Handsome!

We found out Sayble REALLY likes ice cream like her PaPa!

Get that spoon over here!
Get that spoon over here!
Oh yeah...that's more like it!
Oh yeah…that’s more like it!

Then we came home to check on the gentlemen working on our shop and barn.  The shabby chic will soon be no more as we’re getting tin put on.  The shop is almost done and then they’ll throw the sides of the barn on.

The shop, minus the trim and doors
The shop, minus the trim and doors
I'm afraid I may miss this guy's worn, weathered look...
I’m afraid I may miss this guy’s worn, weathered look…

We have scrimped and saved and my hubby has worked his tail off so we could do this little project; we are so excited that it’s getting closer to done!  It’s gonna look pretty fancy around here…or at least a little less shabby.

It was a good weekend!  I posted this on Facebook but I’ll post it here, too.

In the midst of all of our Valentine shenanigans, Sawyer made a crown and hung it on the wall at our dinner table.

King of Kings
King of Kings

She said it was so we would remember that Jesus loves us.

My heart delights that she knows this already and I pray she takes Him at His word. He LOVES us…without condition or premise…and despite our past (or even our present) situations!

He IS the lover of our souls; the lead role in the greatest love story ever told. We can’t outrun His love, friends – it will always find us…  Let him…

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…

It's everywhere!
It’s everywhere!

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.

Thankful for such wonderful neighbors!
Thankful for such wonderful neighbors!

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!

King and queen of the mountain!
King and queen of the mountain!

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!

YUM!
YUM!
Making memories
Making memories
She LOVED it!
She LOVED it!

****************

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…

CUTIES!
CUTIES!
Wryder giving it a try...
Wryder giving it a try…
Sawyer's turn!
Sawyer’s turn!

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

Be still my sweet tooth
Be still my sweet tooth

The kids LOVED Emily and her family!

Two of the sweetest girls I know!
Two of the sweetest girls I know!

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

SO sweet!
SO sweet!

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…
But this guy did!
But this guy did!
As did this little fan!
As did this little fan!

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…

****************

Someone has joined the thumb-sucker ranks around here.

EEP!
EEP!

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?!

****************

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!

IMG_7221IMG_7220IMG_7219IMG_7218****************

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!

****************

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.

Hmmmmm
Hmmmmm

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….

****************

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?!

****************

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…

*****************

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?”

*****************

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!”

*****************

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!”

*****************

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…

*****************

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.

*****************

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!”

*****************

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…

*****************

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….

*****************

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…

*****************

Seriously, they are funny, right?!

Little Plus Little Plus Little Equals Big

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…

Hope

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…

<3
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...
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
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!

Can’t Get Enough

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!
They loved their root beer in a boot – boot beer!
Wryder kept her entertained long after her sweet potatoes were gone...
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
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!
With her completed chore chart!
They had one in stock!
They had one in stock!
Taking it to the truck
Taking it to the truck

We had concerts…

They're gonna be famous...
They’re gonna be famous…

checked out the nativity scene in the neighboring town…

So excited!
So excited!
I love my babies...and baby Jesus
I love my babies…and baby Jesus

took selfies where mom’s arm didn’t quite reach…

Help!
Help!

played Paw Patrol, farm version…

This made me laugh!
This made me laugh!

ridden horses…

He's really gentle...
He’s really gentle…

crawled around with this cutie…

She has mastered the army crawl...
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.
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…

Random {Christmas} Rambles

A little recap of our Christmas holiday…

We got to see Santa and a couple of real live reindeer…

Petting the reindeer
Petting the reindeer
And again....
And again….
Telling Santa he wants a Paw Patroller
Telling Santa he wants a Paw Patroller
Hoping for a Barbie Pop-Up Camper
Hoping 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.

****************

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...
Sweetest little (bald) thing…

****************

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
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…

****************

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?!
We get to open a present?!

They got changed immediately and looked ADORABLE!

Sisters
Sisters
He looks so protective in this one...
He 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!
Popcorn!

It was a REALLY good day…

****************

Sigh...
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.

****************

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 Sayble
Twins – Mr. Rick and Sayble
THE barn
THE barn
With his Charolais bull
With his Charolais bull
Sawyer posing and Wryder over-smiling...you know, the norm!
Sawyer 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
With Logan and sweet Sara

We are blessed with some of the best friends, I tell ya…

****************

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!
Gorgeous!
My heart
My heart

****************

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

For Santa and friends

Barbie car for Sawyer
Barbie car for Sawyer
Microphone for WD and a push toy for Sayble
Microphone 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.
Ick.

****************

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!
Earrings Sawyer made me…her creativity is ASTOUNDING!

****************

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
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!
A handsome crew!
Urkel style, just for fun
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...
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
We love this lady

****************

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 Lookout
Wryder with the Paw Patroller and Lookout
Sawyer with her new doll
Sawyer 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!

Oh, and nap.

:)
🙂

Christmas break is hard, y’all!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

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...
The tree…
For real though...
For real though…
Wreathery...
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...
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?
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 boot
Cute toot with a boot
Glitter is ok for babies, right?
Glitter 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.)
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...
Makin’ messes…
Prim and proper...
Prim and proper…
Wryder giving it a go on his own...
Wryder giving it a go on his own…
He's awfully cute, isn't he?!
He’s awfully cute, isn’t he?!  And that apron.  Swoon.
The REALLY fun part!
The REALLY fun part!
The finished products!  (Note the pumpkin - ha!)
The finished products! (Note the pumpkin – ha!)
My personal favorites of the night...
My personal favorites of the night…

They ended the night like this…

Be still my heart...
Be still my heart…

Indeed.

Random Rambles

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….

****************

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!
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.

****************

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.
It. Is. So. Soft.

****************

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 crew
Ernie and crew
Taking Wryder for a ride
Taking Wryder for a ride

****************

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 Cliff
Ali and Cliff
Gifts!
Gifts!
The guest book
The guest book
Centerpieces
Centerpieces
Advice for momma
Advice for momma

****************

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
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...
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…

****************

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 Santa
Skeptical about Santa
Ready to watch the parade
Ready to watch the parade
Sayble snuggling daddy
Sayble snuggling daddy
Shopping with Sayble.  I'm sure this is safe, don't worry...
Shopping with Sayble. I’m sure this is safe, don’t worry…

****************

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…

Saylor (8 months), Chase (7 months), Sayble (7 months)
Saylor (8 months), Chase (7 months), Sayble (7 months)

****************

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, Katie
Signing her paperwork with our sweet friend, Katie
Sawyer and Corn Cob
Sawyer 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…

****************

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…