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…”
This girl LOVES the farmer’s market!“That’ll be $65, please.”He liked the tractor at the farmer’s market!AND the mechanical horse!Operation!Singing and playing…Couldn’t get enough of those drums…Lego letters!Making friends…Pancakes for birthday lunch!
Sawyer has been asking for a superhero birthday party for quite some time and while we didn’t make plans for a big, invite-the-entire-population-of-the-eastern-plains party, she wanted to hang out with the “Kruegers and they” so that’s exactly what we did!
A friend of mine had bought this CUTE cape-included shirt for her daughter and when I saw it, I knew Sawyer had to have it for her party; it served as the inspiration for everything else we did.
Super Sawyer!
We made her wrist bands out of felt and foam and attached them with velcro…
We made a little mask, but she mainly wore it as a headband (which I thought looked cuter anyways).
As I was taking pics of her, a special guest was getting ready in the mudroom…
She had NO idea and her face was priceless!
She loves her super daddy!
For the background of the party, we made a foam city scape, sprayed it black and then glued on foam squares to act as windows.
We had the big ‘S’ from a previous project so we added a cape and called it cute!
I hung some star adorned poms from the light fixture and did my best 5 minute free hand of the logo from her shirt…
threw some cute bunting and balloons on the stairs…
and added super Sawyer to the backdoor and called it good!
Sawyer doesn’t really get into cake I made an ice cream sandwich cake…which she also ate none of. She did think it looked cute – that’s half the battle right?!
We made some picks out of paper and foam and stuck them to the whipped cream topping on the cake and I must say I really, really like how it turned out!
We made a few cake pops, adorned with capes, obviously…
and had her favorite pink punch!I was really happy with how everything turned out for as quickly and cheaply as we put it all together. Most importantly, the birthday girl was stoked!
*****As I was thinking about birthday week, I felt the need to amend this post. I was talking to Sawyer about the happenings of this week, I got to thinking about my birthdays in years past and I feel the need to give credit where credit is {most certainly} due. My parents were incredibly good about making us kids feel more than special on our big day.
They gave thoughtful gifts and always had a fun party for us and our friends, even as that morphed and changed over the years. There was always decor and a fun cake and beautiful cards and fun meals and hugs and kisses and “I’m proud of yous.”
They both worked so hard my entire life to make sure that my brother and I were taken care of. In fact, I can’t remember too many times in my life that one or both of them didn’t have a part time job besides their primary career; neither of them were too prideful to work.
I remember driving around town with my dad, lawn mower in the back of his truck, mowing yards for extra income. They’ve cleaned out flower beds, worked at the local landfill, started their own businesses – whatever it took to make sure that we were provided for.
Their work ethic and their love for us kids (especially on our birthdays) is a beautiful legacy in my book of life and one I pray I pass on to my kids.
In case I’ve never said it before,thank you both for all that you’ve done to provide for me. It hasn’t gone unnoticed and is much appreciated. Love you both.*****
Original post:
I love my kids and I love birthdays! The days that they were born were definitely days of celebration; the Lord’s handiwork came to full fruition as they made their way out of the womb and that is something to revere.
Celebrating their birthdays, for us, is a way that we make sure our kids know that they are loved, blessed, cherished and honored. (I don’t want to hear all of the “Valentine’s crap” of – shouldn’t you do that everyday?! Uh, absolutely…but especially as you celebrate the very day they joined your family outside of the womb.)
It’s not all about the gifts or the cake or even the experiences (though we attempt to make those fun and meaningful as well); we use it as a time to lay our hands on them and bless them and make sure they understand that we are so glad that they were born…and this world is better for it.
I saw this on Instagram last night and I loved it.
Indeed…
I have yet to see a kid made rotten in a day…
This week, we did some things that we know would be special to sweet Sawyer; things that are big in her world right now.
Booey got to spend the night in her room…
See her there under the paint cans?
She got to get a root beer in town one day…which brother promptly stole the minute she sat it on the table…
Naughty! 😉
We went to the parade in Imperial…
Making friends…How Wryder kept watching the parade…
We checked out the fair on Friday night and got to ride a few rides and eat a giant pickle!
Taking care of brother…She LOVES the boats!Cute girl!YUM!
She got to watch the Daniel Tiger baby special! She was soooooo looking forward to this. She saw the commercial on PBS and we normally don’t watch DT (because he’s a little whiny for our taste) but we made an exception and she was THRILLED!
Really, she was excited…she just didn’t want to stop watching just so I could snap a pic. 🙂
We surprised her on Sunday after church and went to North Platte for lunch and Cody Park fun. The biggest surprise was…
RaRa and PaPa!
They were sooooo excited!
When they saw them coming…Swinging with RaRaWryder was a little tired, can ya tell?!Waiting for their turn on the carousel…Pretty girls!Feeding the llama…and the little donkeys…Opening presents from PaPa and RaRaGiving thanks…
Yesterday we went to work with daddy and checked out the Children’s Museum. It was WD’s first time and he loved it as much as sister. Pics to come…
Tonight, the neighbors are coming over for cake and some super Sawyer fun…
We love you, sweet girl, and are sooooo glad you were born!
My phone just dinged reminding me it was your birthday…as if I needed a reminder. You are in my heart and on my mind every minute of every day. At age four, I see you in your princess dress and cowboy boots waving your little hand off to the truck drivers as they pass…I smell the scent of my body spray (that you helped yourself to the last time you were in the bathroom) mixed with your coconut Barbie detangler…I feel your sweet, soft hands on my arms or around my neck and the matted fuzz of pink teddy since he’s always near by…I hear your voice singing “Let it Go” and praise and worship without skipping a beat…
You’re the neatest kid I know! You’re a little bit of an introvert like your momma, but when you’re with someone you love and trust – you are on! I feel so blessed to be able to know you the way I do…
I do believe you have the sweetest, most sensitive spirit on the planet! The way you care for me and daddy absolutely melts my heart. I love the way you leave water by my bed when you get up in the mornings and you sneak out, so I can have “a little more sleep.”
You care for my heart just as good as your daddy does. So many nights I have prayed with you before bed and begged the Lord to forgive me where I’ve fallen short and to help make me a better mother and you are always so quick to tell me I’m “the bestest mom in the world.”
You’re so forgiving – you get that from your daddy. You don’t have a grudging or vengeful bone in your body. I can recall several occasions where you’ve gone to bed and hours later called us back upstairs because you felt bad about something or were afraid you hurt our feelings somehow or felt the need to apologize about something.
You care for and protect your baby like his second momma. And? He adores you, sweet one. He wants to be just like you, I know it! Daddy and I love to see you hold his hand and help him down stairs and feed him his snacks. He’s a lucky boy to have a sister as wonderful as you.
I love your creative mind! You absolutely blow me away when it comes to imagination and resourcefulness! I love to watch you sort through the trash in daddy’s pickup to find something to block the sun or gather his old pop cups to make a vending machine in your play kitchen or the way you tape a box to the back of your pedal car to make a trailer to haul trash in. Seriously, who does that?!
Your memory astounds me; it is truly a gift! You remember names and places and things we’ve done better than I do. When you tell a story, it’s specific and succinct and accurate. I love that you can get us to Denver (or get us home) almost better than I can!
I love the way the world is drawn to you. You’re like this cute, curly-haired magnet that just sucks people in! I’m sure I’m a bit biased, but I’m also a keen observer and I don’t see this with other people as much as I see it with you; everywhere we go, people want to come make conversation with you or say hi to you or give you gifts. You have the ability to affect the world for Christ just by being YOU…people see Jesus radiating out of your sweet little face, it’s true.
You have the heart of a worshiper; a little David. Some of my favorite times with you are when we just sing to the Lord as long and as loud as we can. I love when I hear you singing in the other room, expressing your love to Him the way you know best. Sugar, He loves to hear you sing…
I love that you love all things girlie; the bigger the bow, the fluffier the ruffles and the sparklier the shoes, the better! But you also know how to work and you definitely aren’t afraid to get dirty. That will serve you well…
You have made the past four years the best four years of my life, no doubt. On your fourth birthday, I bless you in the name of Jesus! I bless you in your coming in and going out; your lying down and your waking. I speak to your future and I pronounce it blessed! I bless you with rich relationships with people who point you to Christ. I bless you with good health and a long life. I bless you with humility and forgiveness and grace and mercy that is as endless as you give it now. I bless you with obedience, that you would follow the Lord all the days of your life. I bless the work of your hands, that all you would set them to would prosper and bring glory to the Lord. I bless you with a continued love for the word of God and I bless you with His abiding presence in every way, in every day.
YOU are who I want to be like when I grow up…and you? You can stop growing up any time you’d like…
Four years ago right now, I was a nervous wreck. Literally, a wreck; ugly crying…snot streaming out the nose…inconsolable… I was (very) pregnant with Sawyer and was scheduled to be induced at 6:00 p.m. and I was scared to death.
Her due date was August 9th so she was already nine days overdue at this point. I knew she needed to come out and I was sooooo very ready to meet her, but I’m not a big fan of the unknown.
Being induced wasn’t part of “THE PLAN.” Oh goodness, how often is that true? THE PLAN was to go into labor naturally (and let me tell you, I tried…all of it…spicy mexican food…a bumpy trip across the pasture checking cows…extensive walking…all of it. Except castor oil…that didn’t sound fun). THE PLAN was to start having contractions and then get up and get ready and go get a pedicure with momma Jeanie and Tredessa. THE PLAN was to eat a leisurely lunch and then head to the hospital and welcome my sweet girl to the world. THE PLAN did NOT include an induction.
My sweet momma Jeanie came over about this time and talked me off the ledge I was perched upon so clumsily. I made it through the morning, had lunch with my honey and then cried some more. (It was the hormones!!) *ahem*
We met momma Jeanie at the hospital and checked in at 6:00 on the nose. We got settled in, began the induction and then Wrex fell in love with the contraction tracker. He’d sit there and say, “Did you feel that one? That was a big one! Here comes another!” It was so cute…and not annoying at this point. 🙂
Love this girl…
Poppa Dave showed up and brought Chick-fil-A and Mt. Dew and we partied with Tredessa and my sweet “sister” Tara until midnight.
The best labor team on the planet!
I was not in active labor at this point, but it was fun to pretend! So glad my feet were clean…
Honestly, it was one of my favorites nights EVER! There was so much excitement and encouragement and love; it was the perfect way to welcome our sweet Sawyer.
Dave and the girls left around midnight and Jeanie stayed with me as I tried to sleep. That’s always such a joke to me. Sleep…during contractions…yeah, ok. I was in for a natural labor so sleeping through contractions wasn’t gonna happen…
Everybody reconvened the next morning and I kept them waiting. I was progressing, just pretty slowly. I contracted and walked and hugged toilets and got into all kinds of weird positions that I’m still so sad that Jeanie and Tredessa had to witness – ha!
Wrexy broke down about 4:30 that afternoon; he was so worried about his girls and he hated seeing me in pain. It was a sweet moment that actually kind of re-energized us. At about 6:00 pm, it was time to push! I was absolutely exhausted at this point…
I was so hot (surprise, surprise) and there wasn’t a fan in the room so Wrex was fanning me with an instrument packet. I remember that he kept hitting me in the face because he was in deep conversation with our doctor about the differences and similarities between a human birth and that of a cow. *ahem* Farm wives, you know exactly what I’m talking about…
This part of her birth was quite supernatural for me. I don’t remember just a ton during this time; the Lord was my strength, no doubt. We had gone through three or four shift changes of nurses, ten other babies being born, codes over the loud speaker…and I remember hearing this cry and I asked, “Was that Sawyer?” I was so delirious I didn’t know if some other lucky duck had their baby or if it was actually my turn…
Three and a half hours of pushing later, she was here! 24 hours of hard labor later, my angel was here!
Just a few minutes old…
They put her on my tummy and I got to gaze upon her sweetness in exhaustion. Jeanie spoke the name of Jesus over her and then handed her off to daddy. Those brave souls that lasted long into the night joined us in our room and sweet Sawyer had quite the welcoming party! She deserved it!
We slept about four hours that night…
It’s exhausting being so cute…
and partied some more the next day; we had a ton of sweet visitors – LIFE is worth celebrating, you know?
Aunt Dessa, after a little rest…Nonna and Poppa with sweet Sawyer
Let it be known, that this woman is a saint! There is no way I could’ve made it through this labor without her by my side!
Our friend/neighbor/co-worker, KiethUncle Jerad and Aunt KristieUncle Craig and Aunt CateOur neighbor and friend, Elsie
It was a sweet, sweet few days – some of my favorites, no doubt. It just sure doesn’t feel like it’s been four years since I birthed this sweet baby girl…
Look at those skinny legs!
They say the days are long but the years are short. Tis true…
So, I started out by browsing through my latest pins so I could link them here. I found some cute stuff…like this:
Perfection!
Is that room not divine?!? The light…the wallpaper…the tire swing for pete’s sake – perfection!
Or this:
Oh, Wrrrrreeeeeexxxx!
I’m thinking I need a wood beam divider…and a bigger house. *ahem*
And then I came across these cute little guys:
Easy and cute!
I’m so ready for football season I can hardly stand it! From there, my love of all things football and Texas Tech took over my brain. Enjoy!
THIS needs to be in my closet!Indeed!Would Sawyer look cute in this or what?!Well! It’s true!I think I could make this happen…Our gloves are the coolest!Hysterical!Yes we do!Gorgeous!!!Cute!I’m thinking our flower boxes could use this…
15 days! I think I can make it. 😉 Get your guns up!
Besides playhouse move-in day, yesterday was also chicken moving day!
Cutest chicken helper I know!
The 100 little hens that we ordered a while back were ready to join the big flock in the chicken house. Sawyer is an incredible helper! She carried two chickens at a time and made about 10 trips with us. They were still exploring their new digs this morning, but I’m betting they feel right at home soon enough.
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On the playhouse front, I had to laugh/grimace/shake my head yesterday. After breakfast, we went back out to play and I had a little mowing to finish up. The kids played in the little house for about 20-30 minutes and then I see them scurrying off……..to the barn………where they played for over an hour. HA! Sweet Tredessa reminded me that the barn was just like a really big playhouse…
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I was talking to a friend last night about some of the struggles life throws at us. She was saying she just felt like she was unequipped to deal with some of the trials that her family has been going through as of late; she felt like she had no strength to dig in and conquer. She felt frayed and frazzled and a little scared.
As I was chatting with her, the Lord gave me a picture of childbirth. When you get into transition phase – right before that sweet, beautiful baby that you’ve been waiting on for nine (long) months physically makes its way into the world – things get rough. The pain is intense, it feels like it’s gonna never gonna be over and you start saying/screaming/yelling/crying “I can’t do this! It’s too hard! I’m not gonna be able to do it!” – the tell-tale sign of transition. Don’t ask me how I know. *ahem*
And lo and behold, you’re able to…you’re more than able to…and out comes this sweet little life that has been knit inside your womb by the very hands of God. And? Every month and day and minute of pain and discomfort was worth it.
Isn’t that how life is sometimes, too? When you’re being held over the refining fire…when the Lord is working things out for the better for you, even if it feels like the worst…when we finally get to the other side, there is LIFE. I’m praying that for her and for you…and for me.
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Sweet Sawyer put on her swimsuit yesterday all by her lonesome!
Front is on the backBack is on the front
I didn’t tell her it was on backwards because she was so proud of herself and I was proud of her, too. Plus, she looks stinkin’ cute with her backwards suit! And in these sunglasses…
Smooch!
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Daddy took Sawyer to the sale barn today as part of “birthday week” and I stayed home with little man to have some one-on-one time with him and to catch up on some housework. I had just sat down with a notebook and pen to make a lit of things that ‘needed’ to be done when I came across this post from Ann Voskamp.
I get increasingly frustrated by moms that celebrate their kids going back to school, not for the sake of the kid, but out of their own selfishness. THAT’S another post for another day…
Ann beautifully captures the order in which things should be. She writes:
What if I want to play more games of monopoly and leave the dishes in the sink more often? What if I want to take you fishing more Saturdays and blow off cleaning up the garage? Why doesn’t someone tell all the homemakers: Cleanliness isn’t next to godliness. Love is.
Oh. My. Heart. I’m crying again just reading it. Let’s just say I haven’t done much cleaning…and I’ve loved every minute. Please, please take the time to read her post…
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I’m off to see if I can catch a nap before WD wakes up…it’ll be all over after that!
My sweet Sawyer turns four next Tuesday. Don’t even ask me how that’s possible. We’ve been so busy this summer that August (and her birthday) completely snuck on me.
We’ve been wanting to get her a real playhouse for about year now. She has a little plastic one in the barn that she plays with all the time, but we were wanting to get one that she and brother could both play in and one that would survive outside.
Growing up, my grandparents ALWAYS had a little place for us to play outside. If there was a shed or garage on the property, my sweet Mema (Alene) never used it for herself – it was for us kids! I can’t tell you how many mudpies and dirty cups of coffee we served at her house but it was a lot. I sure wish she was around to play with my kiddos. I have no doubt that she would think they hung they moon and them feel the same about her.
We knew we could build one, but our time is kind of precious right now. By the time Wrexy gets home from work, spends some time with the kids, eats supper and helps with bedtime, that doesn’t leave a lot of build-a-miniature-house time. We’ve been keeping an eye on Craigslist, this one popped up, we liked it, drove to Denver and hauled it home!
1630 See Saw Lane
It’s in really good shape and I love the siding and how everything’s trimmed out. All of the windows have screens, we just need to put in windows before winter. The inside was unfinished, so Wrexy hooked up our spray gun and painted it all an antique white. Then, we went to town making it homey.
The only things we bought new for this project was the rug (it’s completely vinyl/plastic so it can be washed with a water hose), some hooks to hang utensils and the flower on the door; everything else we just repurposed.
I covered these cans in cute paper and then affixed them to the wall for her to store utensils and things in.
We’ve had this old bank sorter for a while and I had originally wanted it to organize homeschool worksheets, but it just wasn’t the right size. We turned it on it’s end and made into a little shelf for dishes.
For curtains, I wanted something that wasn’t going to get absolutely filthy and have to be washed a lot. I decided to use some vinyl tablecloth fabric I had, that way we could just wipe them down if needed. We made faux cornices by wrapping a board with said fabric and voila!
And how cute are those mustached dog prints?! They’re my favorite!
Wrex mad a drop down table so that when she wasn’t serving a meal ;), she could fold it up and have a little more room on this side of the house. (It’s deceivingly small).
We wanted to put a little chandelier over the dining table. I used embroidery hoops and wire to make a form (well, actually, Wrex did) and then I hung these old marquee letters from each hoop. I think it’s adorable!
We got some little records hot with an iron and folded them up to make little pocket shelves that she could store her linens in. We hung bunting on the east and west windows because it seemed too cluttered to add another “curtain.”
All in all, I was completely pleased with how it turned out, I just keep reminding myself that 1) it’s a PLAYhouse 2) it’s outside 3) it IS gonna get dirty!
Sawyer got to see the finished product this morning and her response made my day! She loved it!It wasn’t even 8:00 and she was already cooking breakfast for visitors!I have a feeling that there will be lots of memories made at 1630 See Saw Lane…Happy birthday week, sweet girl!
Wrex and I were working downstairs yesterday afternoon and Sawyer was up playing in her room. We looked at each and smiled every few minutes as we heard her worshiping at the top of her lungs. “I’m running to your arms. I’m running to your arms. Nothing compares to your embrace. Light of the world forever reign.”
We got to talk to her later about what was happening in Iraq and that was the perfect way to initiate the conversation.
The images coming out of that country are absolutely heartbreaking. I’ve come across a few on Facebook and I can hardly bare to look. I try to scroll right past them as quickly as possible…and then have to remind myself that not looking is not going to solve the problem.
I can’t help but see the face of baby Wryder in this photo, instead…
I get so comfortable in my corner of the world. While we’re out going to family reunions and renovating playhouses and worshiping the Lord in our homes, people are being forced from theirs. They’re running for their lives, just hoping to survive. Children and adults are dying of dehydration, are being thrown off of mountains, beheaded and executed. Our people are dying en masse because they proclaim the name of Jesus.
Join me in praying for our people. We are praying that the Lord shows off in the grandest of forms. We’re praying that the shield of protection around these people is impenetrable and that because of that, ISIS members will have their eyes opened to the glory of the Lord. We’re praying for revival, for shifts, for change, for life.
The homes of Christian (and other non-Muslim) families in Iraq are being marked as such.
It’s a symbol used 1) as a mark of shame and 2) to give permission to ISIS members to kill anyone left in the residence and to pillage their belongings. That symbol is nun, 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet. It’s equivalent to the Roman letter ‘n’ and is the first symbol in words like Nazarene…as in Jesus the Nazarene, as in ‘can anything good come from Nazareth?’…it’s a common Arabic term for Christians.
Some Iraqis around the city of Mosul are standing in solidarity and have began to use this symbol (on social media and in their city) as one of hope instead of shame.
“We are all Christians”“Yes I am and I am proud.”
We will do the same.
Pray for the persecuted Christian all over the world.
Pray that the Lord will show off and protect His people for His glory.
Pray that the genocide stops, in the name of Jesus.
