We have been flat out having fun this summer! Daddy’s sales have been short and we’ve been enjoying the days of our youth…
Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to!
We’ve done a little swimming…
and a little playing at the Children’s Museum…
We rode some rides at Cody Park…
and rode a dinosaur!
We’ve hung out with the neighbors…
and mowed around the house…
and snuggled cute sisters…and had lunch with cute dates…Tomorrow, we’re headed to see the Oklahoma cousins for a few days and then head back home to start our “summer vacation” when we get daddy to ourselves for two weeks! YAY!
Several years ago, I did a study on covenant. To say it changed my life and the way I understood the Lord and His word is a COMPLETE understatement. It. was. AMAZING and completely fascinating. (It’s honestly, one of my favorite things to talk about EVER so if you have questions, let’s chat!)
Back in Biblical times, people would “cut a covenant” as a way of making a binding, holy, irrevocable contract. To cut a covenant, they would perform a covenant ceremony which you can read about (in the most succinct version I could find) here.
The closest thing we have in our day is marriage and the wedding ceremony. When we choose to marry our mate, we are choosing to create a blood covenant with them…an irrevocable, holy and binding agreement. We now share such a close relationship with each other that all we have or possess in this life is available to each upon demand.
Everything that is good that I have, you now have. You will benefit from my organization and my efficiency…my cooking and cleaning abilities…my heart for the widow and the orphan…my bold loyalty to those that I love and my fierce protectiveness of my family.
Everything that is good that you have, I now have. I will benefit from your patience and grace…your spirit of servant leadership…your easy exhortations and your adventurous nature.
Everything that is not so good – every weakness and every hardship – that I have, you now have. You and I will have to work through my spirit of abandonment and my ability to withdraw for fear of being hurt…my constant state of worry…my temper that can flare and my inability to understand (or work) anything that requires an engineer’s mind – yes, even the stinkin’ waterhose.
Everything that is not so good – every weakness and every hardship that you have, I now have. You and I will have to work through your inability to keep track of time and the way you can never effectively end a casual conversation so we (or whoever you’re talking to) can move on to something different….your wanton workaholic tendencies…your inability to put things away or keep the garage clean.
Every tool or ability I possess, you now possess. You are now an administrative whiz! You can juggle a plethora of tasks simultaneously and write, give and critique the spoken word with pleasure and authority. You can poof hair and change diapers and decorate on a dime.
Every tool or ability you possess, I now possess. I can now fix anything and everything…no really, anything and everything. I am proficient in plumbing, electricity, carpentry, welding. I can break horses and fit a steer and use the grill. I have incredible marksmanship and am as strong as an ox!
When we walk down the street, people should wonder if they’re seeing you or me. There should be no division in our beliefs or thoughts or ideas or desires or possessions or the way we view the world. We should be a solid unit of ONE because of the Lord’s ability to supernaturally commingle our lives. I’m identified as you and you are identified as me.
I am now a Phipps. I carry your name as a sign that I am in a covenant relationship with you. I no longer operate under my own authority, but yours. I take into account your opinion and your desires and I make every decision as this new unit of one. I am now you, and you are now me. I take on your personality and character and reputation and essence and authority. I care for you just as I care for myself because of our unity.
Comanche, Texas 2015
Ten years ago today we stood in this very spot, under that old pecan tree, and declared our undying love and commitment to each other. You have less hair, I have more body mass and together, we have three outlandishly beautiful children to show for it.
As much as I’d like to say that I did, I didn’t truly understand the weight and the beautiful severity of the vows I took on that day 10 years ago. I’m still learning what it truly means to be a wife and covenant partner. I’m still learning to die to myself and to live for the Lord and for our marriage and for our children – who, by the way, are the most perfect product of our love I could ever imagine.
But I’m getting it…and I’m vowing to make the next 10 years even better than the first…is that even possible?!
I am so thankful that you chose me. Our dating days weren’t perfect and our story could’ve ended in several different ways on several different days…praise HIM that this was the “ending” He had in mind and that we were obedient to that.
In all my days or wildest dreams, I couldn’t have dreamt up a better husband or partner or lover or teammate. You are the best man I know. I still can’t believe I get to wake up next to you every morning…
Loving you has been the easiest, most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Thanks for making my life, Wrex Phipps. Being your wife and the mother of your kids is an honor and a privilege; my soul is satisfied.
Our trip to Texas was, plain and simple, a lot of fun! Prepare yourself for picture overload……
The kids LOVE this place in Perryton. Travis and Kasey took us last time we were in town and the kids have been dying to go back! Pizza and bounce castles – how do ya beat that??
The big kid liked it, too!
Sayble got (conveniently) hungry in the town of Wichita Falls, Texas so while I fed her, daddy took the kids to explore the falls.
Beautiful!Cuties on the bridgeGorgeous!Love this one
Flush faced and sweaty
Traveling with a baby calls for a few *ahem* more stops than normal, so the kids got to get a lot of good park play in…which was good for them, too!
Not sure if this is a beaver or chipmunk or prairie dog but that girl is sure cute!Driving the John Deere, of courseLove that face!Slide time!SO cute!She liked the purple one, of course!WEEEEEEEEEBig stuffGo faster!
We got to see quite a bit of family while we were gone – always a plus!
The kids and their great great aunt Sandy…Sneaking some snugglesWith their great grandma CherrySweet momentCousin Camryn and baby SaybleSweet Iraydi getting in on the action!A few of the cousins together…Playing with Aunt MalainaSweet TylerThe boys hugging goodbyeLook at these cuties!Nehemiah and Wryder taming dinosaursToo much cuteThe kids with Uncle NateAmber getting some snuggles inWith Gramps
And then, of course, there was wedding fun!
With the bride and groom…Dancing with Uncle DustinSwoonLate night dancing with the bride and friends
Wryder’s already ready to again! Our conversation at breakfast the other morning went like this:
WD: Sissy at sale barn with daddy.
Me: She is! She’s gonna have fun today…what should we do fun?
WD: Go (to) Texas!
Sawyer, Wryder and Sayble are the three most fortunate children I know. One could say so for many reasons, but especially because they have this guy for a daddy:
Handsome to the bone!
He is gentle, yet firm. He disciplines in love and is incredibly slow to anger. He doesn’t lose his temper or raise his voice, much less a hand, in angst. He is kind and gentle and loves unabashedly.
He seeks adventure and is definitely the more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants of the two of us…which is a good balance for our home. He’s quick to take the kids to try something new or something on a whim or press the activities leading up to bedtime to the very last second – something they will remember far more than being well rested.
He is quick to ask for forgiveness and even quicker to grant it. I’m not sure that he holds a grudge (or ever has) with anyone about anything…which is good, because I tend to hold enough for the both of us. 😉 He keeps short records and has a tendency to see the best, and only the best, in most people.
He is strong and capable and wildly courageous. He protects us and provides for us unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We have never lacked any good thing with him at the head of our household.
He provides a stable, static home by never being afraid to show the kids how much he loves them or their mommy. He is always up for a hug or a kiss or a snuggle from me or any of the three of them. He is a lover and he’s not afraid to show it.
He is incredibly generous with his time and his resources. It’s a rare day that we feel second best or a lower priority than anything else he has going on in his world. He treats us like we ARE his world…and I believe it.
His knowledge of the Word is deep and abundant and he guides us in the ways of truth on a daily basis. Our kids will know how to love the Lord (and how the Lord loves us) just by watching him be their daddy…
🙂
Wrexy, every child the world over should be so fortunate as to have a daddy like you. Bless you, my love, for loving us so well. We honor you this Father’s Day, and every day, and pray we bring you honor right back.
Thank you for rising up to the plate and being a man of God in a day and age where that isn’t always the easy or popular thing to be.
Thank you for making us a priority in all that you do and for never making us feel like a burden – 15 bags, baby carrier and all.
Thank you for making today an easy one to celebrate…we love you!
During a 2,000 mile road trip, funny stuff is bound to happen! (Especially if you have two adorable kiddos who are observant of their surroundings and have stories and ideas they want to share). Here are a few of my favorites…
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EVERY time Wryder saw a deer crossing sign (and there were a few in that part of the country), he would excitedly scream, “John Deere!” and look around for the green machines. Thankfully, he only woke the baby a couple of times…
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On the tractor note… We were talking about Sawyer’s show cow named Cindy. When Sawyer turned four, we bought Cindy as a starter project and investment. All of the income would be hers, as well as the debt and when she was old enough, the work.
Before we left town, we dropped Cindy off to be AI’d and then turned out with a bull since we’d be gone during her heat cycle. Sawyer was asking if we were going to sell her calf and so Wrex and I were talking about needing to set up a livestock account just for Sawyer to keep that money separate. I then reminded him that we’d need to be on the lookout for a heifer or cow for Wryder who then piped up and said, “When I four, I want tractor. No cow.” The boy is serious about his tractors…
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When we arrived in Booker, the kids unbuckled and Wrex went around to their door to let them out. What he didn’t know was that Wryder was leaning against the door and as soon as he opened it, poor WD toppled right onto the concrete parking lot.
He skinned his arm and head and had a bit of a black eye. We finally got him calmed down and took him inside to meet some of Wrex’s co-workers.
When he met Roger, the CEO and Wrexy’s big boss, he was showing him his owies. Roger asked what happened and Wryder said, “Mommy hurt me.” WHAT?!?!?!?
We told him what happened and that if ANYBODY hurt him it was daddy and Wryder just kept saying, “Mommy hurt me.” How kind. Dad’s got him brainwashed, apparently… 😉
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The night of the rehearsal dinner, we forgot to take the kids’ cups to the wedding site and drinking out of water bottles is still a little hard for Wryder. He tends to put his entire mouth around the opening and always lets a little water back into the bottle.
By the end of supper, his water looked a little murky. I think at least an 1/8 of his dinner was floating around the bottom of the bottle. I was overly careful not to accidentally grab his by mistake and I even ended up putting a wedding favor koozie on it so I knew which one it was.
Fast forward two days later. We’re driving along in the car and Wrex is on the phone. He’d been eating trail mix and was a little parched and reached into the back seat to grab a bottle of water. He found one that was about half full (not a big surprise after that many days of traveling) and took a big ole chug…and then proceeded to spit and gag.
Yep, he found Wryder’s bottle.
Ewww
See that murky goodness?? Go ahead and enlarge the pic and really take note. You’ll dry heave before ya know it…there was a whole Cherrio in there, folks. Still gagging…
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The kids were pretty hot in Texas. Sawyer’s a little like me when it comes to heat; she much prefers 70 degrees and drier climates. There was a bit of complaining a few times but we gently reminded them that we had talked about the heat before we came and that we all agreed to tough it out.
As soon as we got home on Tuesday, we let the kids out to run around and we started carrying stuff in. As we were making our first trip into the mudroom, they both came out of the mudroom looking like this:
Cold much?
Apparently, 82 degrees in Colorado warranted sweatshirts after their quick acclimation to 95 degrees and 97% humidity in Texas. Hysterical!
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I’m sure I’m forgetting things that I’ll have to add later, but these were some of my faves. Sure do love this (funny) family of mine…
Wrexy’s boss and longtime friend, Travis, got married this past weekend in Cleburne, Texas. Wrex was the best man (awwww!) so obviously he had to be there.
The kids were desperate to go (who doesn’t love a good wedding?! Plus, they LOVE Travis and his new bride, Kasey) but I wasn’t so sure how I felt about taking care of three kids – one of which was barely a month old – by myself in triple digit heat 14 hours from home. Do ya blame me?!
We sucked it up, spent 3 days packing, 2 days driving and did the dang thing! So glad we did!
We drove to Booker, Texas the first day where the weather greeted us with a balmy 100 degrees. *ahem*
Later, we experienced a flash flood (not sure my shoes are dry yet) and the loudest thunder I’ve heard in my life – no joke!
Wrex visited at the plant a bit, showed off miss Sayble and the next morning we scurried farther east and made it (by the skin of our teeth) to the rehearsal dinner. Despite the high humidity (oh my poor hair) there was a breeze and some shade at the wedding venue. Jesus loves me…
The next morning, while Wrex and the groomsmen hung out with the groom, we ate a yummy breakfast, picked up some some snacks and glowsticks for the wedding and then hit the splash pad!
The splash pad was a genius idea, if I do say so myself. It cooled us off, was highly entertaining for $0 AND served as an easy pre-wedding bath for 2 of the 3 kiddos. Oh yes, they were clean…
Everyone napped good, except for mom who was busy ironing clothes and packing diaper bags and feeding babies and attempting to make my hair do something other than frizz…and then off to the wedding we went!
Daddy almost sweated to death in his tux but he made it! The kids had a ball dancing to the Hogg Maulies and running around and making new friends and we had a good time catching up with old friends while witnessing Travis and Kasey make their covenant with one other.
The happy coupleFirst danceGetting ready for the bouquet tossSawyer’s new friend, Katie, caught the bouquet and shared some flowers with herA few of Wrex’s Clarendon College judging team members…
By 10:00, we were all hot, sweaty, TI-URD and oh so happy we made the trek.
As Wrexy said in his toast, here’s to a lifetime of marriage…and a pastel of little sheep showmen…to the bride and groom!
Love you guys!
****And for those of you at the wedding that asked for a copy of said toast, I’ve pasted it here…
Good evening. My name is Wrex Phipps and it’s my honor and privilege to be able toast the happy couple tonight. I promise not to take up too much of your time as I don’t want to embarrass Travis too much…I’d like to return to Colorado as a fully employed man this next week.
First of all, lets make sure we all know who Travis is as he seems to have quite a few different nick names: In his early years you might have know him as Floyd, then later on maybe Woodrow or Toothpick. Now, he answers to Babe or Rathead – but you’ll have to ask Kasey about that. Now, I mainly refer to him as Travis my boss and also one of my best friends.
Travis and I met in junior college 14 years ago. We were on the livestock and meats judging teams so we spent A LOT of time together. Now we work for the same company and we spend a lot of time on the phone together.
As you may know Travis is not an over communicator! Sometimes, he can even be a rather private person. Or maybe that’s just with me and I get that. Our relationship can be kind of hard to define at times. When we talk, sometimes it’s friend to friend. Sometimes it’s boss to employer and sometimes I have a tendency to over-share other people’s news. They don’t call me “Radio” back home for nothing.
So when he first started dating Kasey, I didn’t know anything about it. I had kinda suspected he might have a lady friend when he was a little more chipper and optimistic than usual on the phone.
Normally, it’s a “Hell-oh” or “Roger” or “Odie”…anybody that’s hung out with him or called him in the last 5 years knows what I’m talking about…but things had been a little different lately.
He seemed to laugh more and I didn’t seem to be getting in near as much trouble when my cows were high. Not that that happened very often……
And then one day, I got a text…and I knew for sure. I had sent him a message from the sale barn that morning saying: “About 250 head here. You thinking the same bid?” He wrote back and said yes, I wrote back and said ok….and he wrote back and said, “Love you, too” – with 2 exclamation points!
Now, for a minute there, I was a little taken aback. I thought, whoa……he just took our friendship to a whole new level. And then I realized – aha! There IS a girl!
Then “ol Radio” kicked in. I immediately took a screen shot and sent that message to my wife and about 7 of our closest college friends…and Travis’ boss… This was good stuff! On a lot of levels!
You see, my wife has known Travis as long as I have and he’s taken as good a care of her as he has of me. She’s always been a big fan of Trav’s and she repeatedly said that one day Travis would have the best, sweetest and cutest wife out of our little group of friends. So we had been praying that he would find just that. While I’m incredibly fond of my wife, I can equally say – “Well done, Rathead.”
Here’s to a lifetime of marriage…and a pastel of little sheep showmen… To the bride and groom!
Nothing horrid. Nothing to cry about. Nothing to shake your fist at the Lord about. Nothing remotely as bad as the majority of the world probably deals with. Just one of those weeks were some things have just felt off and we’ve had a lot going on and Wryder’s in another “testing the boundaries phase” and we’ve been at the mercy of a couple of people who weren’t people of their word and that?! Oh, that’s a tough pill to swallow for me.
Despite all of that, these little guys make my world SO worthwhile. They bring us such joy…unimaginable joy! Watching them play or seeing their smiles or hearing their sweet voices just ignite my heart with such love…
These are just a few of my favorite pics of our week!
I love momma’s dish towel, apparently!Popsicles on the porchHolding daddy’s handPark time!Love this sweet girl!Trying to be like sissyPeek-a-boo!I see you!Get it, girl!Cowgirling it in her shorts…Riding our newest gift, “Stubbs”She is GORGEOUS!Handsome boy with a tractor in his mouth…Baby feet – who doesn’t love baby feet?!Watchin’ a little baseball with Mr. ZachShe’s got the lifeGetting some love from Miss Jen and Miss PGiving Booey a ride around the property
These guys just have a way of redeeming all that’s wrong in the world…my world, at least…
I put Sawyer in charge of Wrex turning 33 and the girl came out swinging!! She decided we needed to throw him an orange birthday party since orange is his favorite color. 🙂 I sat down with her last week and she made a menu and helped me shop for orange everything!
Orange EVERYTHING!
Orange pop, orange slices, Reese’s, orange plates and cups and napkins and straws and silverware and flowers – girl covered it all!
We even found a bright orange cupcake mix!
That’s a lot of orange…
For his birthday supper, she created the menu all by herself! Steaks with sweet potato fries, cantaloupe, cheese and carrots!
YUMMO!
This weekend, we let him decide everything on the agenda so it turned into Phipps Family work day(s)! We washed and detailed the car and got it ready to sell…
Cute helpers!They had fun!
We mowed and mowed and mowed some more… We got air conditioners running and closets full of summer clothes and winter ones put away… We got daddy’s trailer door fixed and the battery charged in the Power Wheels… We even had time for a midday cookout!
Love these guys!
Both kids were a tick under the weather all weekend so we tried our hardest to sleep in on Sunday. I snapped this pic before I got up…melt my heart.
Snoozing…
We went out for Mexican food on Sunday night and the lovely staff just insisted on singing to daddy…in a sombrero…
Thrilled.
Then, after they were done singing, they whopped him in the face with whipped cream! WHAT THE HECK!?! All in good fun, but we were all a little shocked!
What in the world?!
All in all, I think it was a pretty good birthday weekend!
I’m so proud of this curly haired beauty and how much thought and effort she put into blessing her daddy.
Well, well…fancy meeting you here again. 😉 I’ve been a little m-i-a since the wee one was born. Do ya blame me?! I mean, look at that sweet face…
Sayble Jean
I rejoin the blogging world for a very special occasion…this handsome fella’s 33rd birthday!
Sexy Wrexy
I always feel like I’m the one getting the gift on his birthday.
As a little girl and young woman, when I was dreaming up my ideal husband, I couldn’t have put together someone more perfect than my Wrexy.He’s all things good and kind and gentle and sweet and loving and right and joyful…and watching him (especially) the past 3 weeks has made me fall in love with him all over again.
He was a champ – a dream – in the delivery room. Having a natural labor requires a LOT of teamwork and he was the best teammate I could’ve asked for (much like the other parts of my life). He encouraged me and let me squeeze his hand until I thought it might fall off…he held me up when I couldn’t hardly hold myself up and kept me on track when I wanted to cave to pain killers…he supplied me with cold rags and words of affirmation…he counted and encouraged and encouraged some more and encouraged even more…he was a constant ray of sunshine and excitement… I mean this to the fullest extent – there is NO WAY I could’ve birthed that baby without him.
When Dr. Kohl came in the next day, she checked me over and then she said something to the effect of, “I just have to tell you something. Yesterday, during labor, I was so impressed with you and Wrex. My favorite part was that during transition, he was calling you ‘Fox’.”
Ah, yes…transition. That point in labor where the pain is almost unbearable and you start thinking you can’t do it (and don’t want to) and you say that this is your last baby and you are writhing in pain… And in the middle of all of that…when I (most likely) wasn’t looking my best or acting my best or even coherent enough be fully aware of all that was going on around me, he was treating me like I was the foxiest thing he’d seen all day. See what I mean when I say I feel like I’m the one getting the gift?!
Watching him with this sweet, new babe is equally swoon worthy. He’s so gentle with her and talks about how cute she is and dotes on her constantly. He’ll hold her and she’ll fall asleep and he’ll say, “You should come take our picture.” Uh, ask me for anything and you can have it this very moment.
He’s my best friend and lover and teammate extraordinaire and I am SO VERY GLAD that he was born!
Sexy Wrexy, I pray that 33 is your best year yet! On this, the best day in June, I bless you in the name of Jesus!
I bless the work of your hands…that the Lord would honor your fortitude and entrepreneurial spirit and that you would continue to operate for His glory.
I bless you with loyalty…that the same amount of faith and fidelity that your pour out to those around you would be given right back to you.
I bless you with with the receipt of grace and mercy…that it would envelop you as freely as you give it away.
I bless you with strength and boldness as you continue to live a life of transparency that shines the light of Jesus, even in (and especially in) those dark places.
I bless you with an increase in wisdom…that you would press into the Lord and receive His heart on how best to parent and love and discipline our growing family.
I bless you with the time and means to pursue the things that satisfy your soul and refresh your spirit.
And, as any good cow buyer’s wife would, I bless you with cheap cows and easy roads…copious amounts of Mt. Dew and highly marbled steak.
I love you, handsome! Happiest of birthdays to you! Thank you for giving me the gift of YOU all year long…
and a little playing at the Children’s Museum…
We rode some rides at Cody Park…
and rode a dinosaur!
We’ve hung out with the neighbors…
and mowed around the house…
and snuggled cute sisters…
and had lunch with cute dates…
Tomorrow, we’re headed to see the Oklahoma cousins for a few days and then head back home to start our “summer vacation” when we get daddy to ourselves for two weeks! YAY!
