My sweet Wrexy has always loved animals…animals of any kind, really. Cattle, goats, pigeons, chickens, beta fish – you name it, he’s raised them. He has a dream of one day living on a place that has all kinds of exotics as you drive in; giraffes, zebras, camels…
It usually feels like we’re getting a head start on that dream around here – ha! He brought home several surprises this week to add to our little petting zoo.
Monday, he brought home baby chicks!
Sawyer and Chickaletta
We have about 30 hens at the moment and he wants to order a big batch of 100 like we did last year but in the meantime, we shall buy a few at a time because it’s just good fun!
The kids LOVE them, especially Sawyer; she treats them like her second sibling.
Going for a trailer ride…See her in there?
The chicks have gotten married a few times…
Marrying Cinderella…It stood so still!Can you spot the real chicks?You shall now kiss the chick!
She takes such good care of them and loves to just snuggle up with them on the couch.
Snuggle time!
We’ve gone through a few paper towels/toilet paper as she totes them around the house…
Look at that sweet face!
Tonight, daddy brought home an even BIGGER surprise!
Blurry with excitement!🙂
Bottle goats! Sawyer LOVES sheep and goats and this has been on our to-do list for a while. These little guys’ momma died a few days ago so a friend of daddy’s made us a good deal. (The goats cost less than the milk to feed them. Sheesh!)
Feeding the new babyShe’s got a quite a knack for getting them to eat…
She’s kind of a natural, like her daddy, when it comes to handling livestock. These guys had been on a nurse nanny and this was their first time on a bottle and she did great!
🙂
She and Wryder both like this colored up one. I’m assuming it will be hers since she does most of the work. She’s at the barn with dad right now giving them another feeding.
I’m so thankful that we have a little bit of room and an old barn to house stuff like this. I’m so thankful for a hubby who constantly surprises us with animals and experiences. I’m so thankful my kids get to experience caring for another creature at such an early age. Here’s to hoping they don’t get over cared for… 😉
Yesterday was a BIG day around here! Daddy didn’t have his normal sale so we all loaded up and headed to North Platte to have a family fun day. Wrexy sold some calves for good money and we needed to spend a few of those dollars at Menards to make some barn repairs AND my sweet hubby wanted to treat me to a pedicure. How could I say no to that?!
I’ve been talking about wanting/needing one for quite some time…since, I don’t know…Wryder was born?! Seriously, it’s been a while. Sweet Sawyer has been in my camp, too. She loves getting her nails painted (which I do for her twice a week) and she loves warm baths so the combination of the two was right up her alley!
I had been telling her that I didn’t have my first pedicure until I was 20. Yes, 20! She’s 4…I think we have time. Plus, I didn’t think she was tall enough to reach the water. Regardless, I told her she could get her nails painted but she couldn’t stop talking about this “peck-iture.”
We walked into the nail place and went to pick out some polish. I turned to show her the purples but she wasn’t there. I turned around and she was on the floor taking her shoes and socks off! I looked up and they had a pink chair that looked like a bear specifically for little girls and she already had them filling it with water! How could I hardly say no to that cuteness?
The bear chair…
She was one happy camper, yall! I don’t think she stopped smiling and giggling the WHOLE time! She loved the hot towel on her feet and legs and loved to watch the water change colors…
Happy girl!
She ended up getting dark green with silver sparkles and they even put fancy flowers on her big toes!
Sitting stillGetting pampered
It was a fun little memory for us to share and her sweet delight was so worth it!
We took a spin on the little merry-go-round before we left…and then we called the clinic because brother’s eye seemed to be getting worse by the minute. He woke up with it kinda crusty and then it decided to leak yellow and green mucus all day. (Yum, I know). By the time we were done with our pedi, it was swollen and red.
A little ooky🙁
We took him in this morning and he sure enough has pink eye in BOTH eyes! This is a first for all of us, for sure. Poor little thing. He doesn’t feel bad other than his eye so we got some drops and I put them wrestled him down and got them in. Thankfully, daddy will be home for the next dose.
He’ll be contagion free in 24 hours – yay! Little guy looks like a prize fighter right now…
I was a little absent last week, though I can’t REALLY think of anything out of the ordinary we did – doctor check ups, grocery shopping, Cubbies…just the norm.
There was a little TV watching…mainly so I could watch them cuddle.
Aren’t they sweet!?
Wryder got stuck in the chair one time. Then, after all the attention and hubbub, he got “stuck” a dozen or so more times.
He likes attention, that one!
I’ve apparently entered THAT phase of pregnancy. You know, the one you just don’t really get cold anymore because you have so much blood and baby pumping through your body? I guess Wrex was a little chilly on the way home Wednesday night and had a good giggle about his pickup settings.
The temp outside…The temp I put the pickup on…
We did a little chicken gazing. I could watch those ladies all day!
Pretty girls…
Wryder is ALL about driving these days. After almost every meal these days, he’ll pick up his empty plate and use it as a steering wheel. When we were outside, he used the knob to the jack on the trailer hitch as a little tiny one. It. Was. Adorable.
Love my little farm boy!
The kids got some belated valentines from Gramps!
Yum!
Wryder LOVES food. One of his favorites, though…
What’s inside?Black beans!
This weekend has been a REALLY good one! The weather kind of forced us inside to work on some projects we’ve been wanting to get done but haven’t taken the time to do…and a few relaxing deeds, too!
We got baby Sayble’s layette done, as well as our taxes – hallelujah! Those can seem so daunting sometimes but Wrex and I worked all morning and got them done AND get a refund – always a plus!
We let the kids pick out a movie and had a fun supper in the living room…and Wrexy and I had a Bourne marathon! YAY! I’ve been wanting to do this for forever because I often fall asleep or get sidetracked while I attempt to watch ANY movie, but especially ones that aren’t so brainless. 🙂
We had a little outside snow play…
Don’t ya just love their hats?
and a lot of other silly shenanigans!
Step 1Step 2Step 3
Tomorrow, we’re back to the daily grind. Thankful for this snowy cold…
Oh, goodness. We had SUCH a good weekend. (I feel like I’ve been saying things like that a lot lately…but it’s true. We are so blessed to have a happy, healthy family and some gorgeous weather to boot…)
I showed you the DIY project I did on Saturday but that’s not all we got done! Wrexy worked in the barn and got two rooms ready to raise baby chicks. We have quite a few hens that like to sit on eggs so he added some lights and wire and nest boxes to get those girls a going! The man loves all kinds of livestock but I really think he might be happiest in the chicken house…
Putting up wire
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Speaking of the chickens, we hatched out some black Old English bantams and ended up with about six roosters. I don’t know what you know about Old English, but they’re feisty, cocky little things. The little guys we have love to crow and walk around with their chests puffed out…and they like to attack people. *Ahem*
Cocky little things…
They’re tiny and can’t really do much damage, but they’re definitely annoying……..and they scare Wryder to death! He has been victim to their taunting more times than I can count. We’ve given him permission to defend himself but he just freezes and cries until one of us comes to the rescue.
This weekend was no exception. They had him cornered outside the barn door and he was crying and get stared down. Sawyer came to the rescue with her baby stroller and cleaned house. 🙂
Later, Wrex and I were talking about what we needed to do with them and Sawyer said, “We need to give those naughty roosters away! I think we need to send them to Iraq so they can get dead.”
It seems as though every naughty/evil/mean thing hails from Iraq in her mind after we talked to her several months ago about praying for our people there. It’s not a funny situation but to hear her solution definitely was. We had a good laugh about that one!
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Saturday afternoon, the wind died down and we took the opportunity to burn tumbleweeds. Those things are rampant around here and we hauled and burned for well over an hour.
After we were done, we took advantage of our few little burning embers and roasted marshmallows – good use of fire, yes? This was Wryder’s first time having a warm, gooey mallow and they were a hit!
Yum!
He stole two cold ones out of the tin while I was getting things ready, ate two warm ones and then stole one from a chicken that Sawyer had been trying to feed. *Ahem*
All smiles!
He also had his first corn on the cob that he got to hold himself. He was equally impressed!
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We made a quick trip to Denver on Sunday for a birthday party for a really special friend of Sawyer’s. We ate lunch with Uncle Warner beforehand – always a good time.
Uncle Warner and a happy niece and nephew!
The birthday party was a Frozen theme and Sawyer had a ball, of course! She came home with a bag full of goodies, one of which was a little bag of marshmallows, pretzels and raisins with a tag that said, “Do you want to build a snowman?”
She ate it on the way home last night and said, “Hmmmm. That tasted kind of funny. I’ve never had an Olaf before.”
She was serious as a heart attack and we about drove off the road laughing so hard!
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We had a good, productive trip! We found a brand new bassinet on Craigslist for $25, got Wrexy measured for a tux for a wedding he’s in this summer, loaded up on a few diapers, wipes and a few thrift store goodies, ate some Red Mango for an afternoon snack and took a trip around the Orchard in the little train.
Train!Waving to the crowds
Wryder loved the train, especially every time the whistle blew. He’d look at me with this little surprised face – so cute!
What was that?!
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A sweet little dog named Booey got to spend the night with Sawyer Friday night – one of her favorite things.
Booey
She even got her own animal to sleep with. 🙂
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We did a few more little things in Sayble’s room that I’ll have to show you some pictures of…we snapped a few pics of the kids for a little Valentine’s card for the grandparents…washed a pound and a half of dirt off of each kid…and just enjoyed our time together. This week is shaping up to be just as pretty…can’t wait to enjoy it, too!
This weather is tripping. me. out! It’s phenomenal. Best winter on record if you wanna be outside. Today, we took full advantage of it, skipped naps and played outside for hours. It was stellar.
Someone got hot…“Fire” made out of the emptied playhouseA boy and his dogThere was trampoline jumping…and play structure climbing…playground decorating?Sliding…lots of sliding!Cat chasing…Seesawing…and exploring!
The best part? It’s supposed to be (at least) 75 tomorrow and daddy will be home to enjoy it with us!
Of course we couldn’t forget Wryder’s room! He’s officially moving upstairs AND into a toddler bed – Lord help us! Sawyer was in one at 18 months…but he sleeps a little wilder than she does. We haven’t made the switch just yet but we have a few months.
I mentioned in a previous post that I had bought him some John Deere curtains and I must say, I think they look adorable. Plus, hearing him yell, “Tractor!” every time he runs into his new room (and then hug them) makes them well worth it.
The famous curtainsView from the door
We kept the big bed in the room so that we can still use this as guest room as needed. He’s small and flexible enough that he can sleep anywhere else in the house when company comes.
Wryder’s side
Guest side
I didn’t know what I was going to think of this room with all we had to make fit but I think it turned out pretty cute. The fact that he loves it and that sister is SOOOOOO excited to have him as her “neighbor” is enough for me! I just don’t know how my little boy got so big…….
My word, the weather was B-E-A-UTIFUL today! 71 degrees in January, are you kidding me??! It was gorgeous!
We went to work with Wrexy today. Wryder went grocery shopping with me, Sawyer stayed at the barn with daddy and then we all met up again.
Learning from the best…
We watched cows sell for a little while and then the kids and I took advantage of the weather and hit the park. The kiddos had a ball and were covered in sand from head to toe.
Riding a squirrel? Chipmunk? What IS that thing??Wryder loved this yellow horse…Wheeeee!Going down together!BeautyCHEEEEESE!
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We got home, unloaded groceries and decided we STILL couldn’t drag ourselves indoors so we saddled up sweet Ozark and hit the road.
My evening view…
Old man looks really good these days. We are so thankful for all of the days we’ve had with him and we’re praying for more…
After supper, they weren’t quite done riding horses so Sawyer volunteered.
Ride a little pony…
It turned out to be more of a bucking bronc fest but it was good watching!
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I posted this picture of Sawyer on Facebook a day or so ago…
Fancy nancy
I love this girl’s style! She loves accessories and shoes and fancy dresses; she is all girl and I love it!
She went upstairs to grab some jammies tonight and brought down some beads for me to put on her, too.
🙂
Jewelry with pajamas?! Of course!
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With all of the nesting/cleaning/rearranging going on, Wrex and I decided that our room would officially be downstairs and the kids would each have a room upstairs. I always feel like our room gets neglected – does that happen to anyone else?? It’s the place we sleep and get dressed and other than that, we don’t spend much time there and I feel like it shows.
We used a little paint, bought a new bedspread, made some paper flowers, rearranged the room and voila – “new” bedroom! I’m really happy with how it turned out…Hoping to get lots of rest in there tonight. I feel whooped!
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It was just SUCH a good day. A REAL good day. And tomorrow…with 75 degrees as a high…I hope is even better.
Wrexy’s boss and good friend came up from Texas for the National Western Stock Show in Denver and he kindly brought us some meat from the plant, so we headed west to snag that and let the kids see some stock.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous! I’m positive I’ve never experienced anything near 60 degrees any other year we’ve been there, but we did this time. It was nice to see lots of old friends…and see how many people actually paid $50 to park right next to the yards. Freaks. Me. Out.
Uncle Trav and SawyerWryder and Aunt KaseyCheckin’ out the petting zooWho doesn’t love a pot bellied pig?Sawyer thought this little donkey was pretty cute…There were a LOT of goatsWryder the spud farmerSawyer LOVED the milk cow. She now thinks we need one…We figured out Wryder needs to attend a farm show, rather than stock show. He was all about the tractors, surprise, surprise.
This weekend was filled with a lot of sorry football. Sigh. I get so excited for the playoffs – especially when we’re a part of them – and I attempt to really relish the last couple of games before we say goodbye for 6 months…
I was just sorely disappointed this weekend. Four times over. The Patriots won (not a fan), the Seahawks won (not a fan). The Cowboys lost and our Broncos forgot to show up for the game. Sad, sad days.
My little football fan made the weekend better just by being her. I love her enthusiasm; it’s contagious!
The best part of the game, hands down…Sayble rooting on the Bronco’s, compliments of the husband’s stellar photography. 🙂
Alas, there will be more football games to watch and I haven’t really thought about it again until I started this blog post. Must mean there are more important things in life…can you believe it? 😉
Yesterday’s verse just got me! I know I’ve read it several times before and I know it’s one of a series of verses on our refrigerator, but yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks. (Abridged version below). Ahem.
Proverbs 3:7-8 says:
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.
Healing for your body…….. I want that! We all have our own health/body issues and the Lord is telling us how to heal them…fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Health issues really scare me. (There, I said it). I have a heart arrhythmia that’s deemed non-dangerous but when it acts up (especially for hours or days on end) it can send me into a tailspin.
A lot of it the responsibility I feel in being a mother. I’m home all day with my kids. I have the responsibility to BE ALIVE to care for them. So when my heart acts up or my blood sugar gets low and wonky or I feel weird or off or just not 100%, fear creeps in so fast, unfortunately.
In all of my fear, I get so often wrapped up in keeping myself alive.
If I just don’t move…
If I just lie down…
If I concentrate really hard…
If I prep Sawyer on how to get help if I need it…
If I make sure and be near a hospital…
If I make sure and have Wrex come right home from work…
If I have a backup plan…
If I, If I, If I…
It’s all on ME! THAT is relying on my own wisdom, as if I could truly keep myself alive if I wanted to.
And He gives His people wisdom, no doubt! I know there are common sense things I should/shouldn’t do to prevent death or an accident, but I know I so often tend to hold whatever I’m fearful of REALLY close to home and attempt to control it as best I can. Sometimes, it works. Scared of driving on bad roads? Don’t go out. But I have to learn that if it’s the Lord’s will to spare us or take us, He will spare us or take us regardless. I have to learn that He really is trustworthy…He hasn’t failed me yet.
Instead, fear the Lord…revere Him, honor Him, respect Him, stand in awe of Him…then you will have healing for your body.
Man, I need that. I NEED that.
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The kids have loved the kitchen set we got them for Christmas.
Adorable, right?The other pieceLet’s cook!
We’ve gathered a lot of “food” over the past few years it seems. One of their favorite things to do as of late is have feasts!
Ahem.That’s a lot of food!
Sawyer pulled out all the stops and hosted a feast for her and brother and some of her favorite friends. It takes a little time to put together and clean up but it’s sure fun to gnaw on wooden cucumbers with furry guests…
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We pulled out the construction paper this morning and made these with the kiddos.
Baby Moses
For some reason, Wryder did NOT like having his hands traced (though it’s one of Sawyer’s favorite things in the world….go figure) and cried through the majority of the lesson. Here’s to hoping SOMETHING soaked in…
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Hubby is on his way home, the kids are napping and I’m enjoying a few moments of quiet with some coconut coffee while listening to the dryer whir as I watch little tiny snowflakes fall.
Here’s to an equally peaceful afternoon for you…
This poor thing has been neglected! I wish I had some deep, revelatory reason as to why…but I don’t. The Lord didn’t tell me to take a break…I didn’t take a sabbatical to make sure I was spending x amount of hours not on the computer and with the fam…I haven’t been suffering from writer’s block and there certainly hasn’t been a lack of happenings to talk about…I’ve just been absent. Shame on me!
Alas, I’m back! So let’s catch up!
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We had a fabulous Christmas break! My husband’s job affords him quite a few days off, so we had daddy around (all to ourselves, mind you) for two weeks! YIPPEE! We ate well, slept well, played lots of games, watched some fun shows, cuddled a lot, talked a lot – took full advantage of our time with him.
We were all dreadfully sad a little sad to see him go Monday morning but we all survived!
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I have been in MAJOR nesting mode. My poor husband.
The past two days, I’ve decluttered/deep cleaned our ENTIRE house! Six bags of trash and six bags of give away later, I’m feeling good! (Except for my feet, lower back and hip – but hey, it was worth it!) Now if it will all just say this way until baby comes……..
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Speaking of baby….we’re having a GIRL! Sawyer called it from the beginning and she was right again…and quite proud of herself. 🙂
Yay for Sayble Jean Phipps!
Sayble Jean Phipps is due May 1st and doesn’t seem to be near as active in utero has her siblings. 🙂
We are over the moon about having another sweet little princess. I’ve already ordered a few *ahem* hair bows. The selection of girly, frilly, adorable clothing, footwear and head wear is astounding. I’m already thinking I made need to order a new debit card so I won’t have the new number memorized like I do this one. Ay yi yi…
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We got to see a lot of family over Christmas break. We got together with all of Wrex’s family over Thanksgiving and snuck in some family pictures! How cute is this set of grandkids? I mean, I know I’m a little partial, but come on!
RaRa and the grand-girls…All the grands!
We met up with my family halfway in Kansas and spent the weekend together – soooo thankful for the time together! Sawyer was so excited to have another cousin to play with, hold hands with Gramps and swim at the motel pool, of course.
Cooking a feast!
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Other happenings (in no particular order, thank you pregnancy brain)…
I had four teeth pulled. Not my favorite experience, especially pregnant, but I survived…
We had a little New Year’s Eve party with Sawyer. We let her stay up until nine and then we watched last year’s ball drop on Youtube…
Fun fun!
I made Sawyer a set of Disney princess felt ornaments for the tree in her room. I LOVE how they turned out. I see more of these in my future…
Can you name them all?
We got to witness two beautiful unions in the past month. Sawyer and Wryder danced their little hearts out AND met Santa at the first wedding – how cool is that?
JOY!Sittin’ with Santa
I thought I was getting a stand mixer for Christmas and I got a handgun instead! (MUCH better, in my opinion!) We’ve been so busy and it’s been so cold, I’ve only shot ten rounds through it, but I’m excited to get more familiar with it and take my concealed to carry class…
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I’m sure there’s more to tell but that’s a good start, yes?
