Cubbies – The Bless Your Heart Blog

A Little of This, A Little of That

The kids got Wendy’s coupons for free Junior Frosties a while back and we decided to use those puppies for Fun Friday!

She ate the whole thing by herself! (Don't even think of helping her with that spoon!) — She ate the whole thing by herself! (Don’t even think of helping her with that spoon!)

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

Earlier this week, as we were rushing around getting ready for Awana/Cubbies, I looked at the calendar and with about 12 minutes to spare, saw it was a “crazy hair day.” Normally, we would fall under that category anyways but we wanted to go with something a little more purposeful.

We decided upon a donut..on a donut plate. I made a quick bun and an even quicker donut frosting with sprinkles out of foam. (Have I told you how much I love foam?? LOVE that stuff.) Thankfully, this had a sticky back and we stuck it right to her hair!

Cute as a button and sweet as...a donut! — Cute as a button and sweet as…a donut!

Of course, with all the picture taking, Wryder wanted in on the action.

One handsome rascal! He picked out his entire outfit all by himself. Swoon.

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

We got a new game for Christmas called “Life on the Farm.” The kids couldn’t wait to bust it out and it really is fun to play, for a couple of country kids especially. You get to buy and sell cows for the most part – right up dad’s alley, too.

Dad had spread himself kind of thin and had to pass up an opportunity to buy cows for a really cheap price.

Sawyer: “Wait, why in the world would you pass on a cattle auction?”

Oh, yes, a girl after her daddy’s heart…

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

We’ve started school again (after a lengthy and well-deserved Christmas break). This time around, Sayble is only napping once a day instead of two, so we’re all trying to figure out what that looks like as far as school (and mom’s sanity) goes.

Lately, there’s been a lot of this:

This sweet little thing LOVES to write! As long as we can keep it on paper, I’m A-ok with that!

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

Over New Year’s, we all traveled to North Platte to do some post-Christmas shopping/errand running and Wrexy insisted on pedicures for the girls! (We didn’t object much!)

I sure love this girl... — I sure love this girl…

Sawyer had her first one before her 5th birthday and has loved them ever since!

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

We also took a tour of the Perkins County Museum! It’s in a beautiful, historic home right off Main street and she’s been wanting to go in for a while. That morning, I just happened to see that they were open so I surprised her with a visit!

It was really neat and our tour guide was just as sweet as pie! So many cool things to see but I loved the old school house, but didn’t get a picture. What the what?!

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

We have the privilege of throwing a sweet one year old’s birthday party this next week! I’ve been working on cutting and stringing and all kinds of little paper crafts. I can only give you a sneak peek for now but I’ll make sure and post lots of pictures after the fact!

Someone's growing up... — Someone’s growing up…

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

It feels like we’re getting back into our routine again after the holiday season. We’re currently bracing for a snow/ice storm that we’re all hoping isn’t as bad as the meteorologists are predicting. I’m hoping to get get my fair share of football games in if the electricity will stay on!

Easy Peasy Chocolate Milkshake

Sawyer had the cookie bucket this week at Cubbies – always fun! Girl’s a little picky about her snacks and sweets. She doesn’t really care for too many sweets…not a fan of cookies or cake or pie or cupcakes, etc. so we always try to do something she likes that’s a little bit different.

This week, she suggested ice cream and since this week is CrAZy I thought that sounded like a fantastic idea!

We decided on chocolate milkshakes to be exact and fancied up the cups a little so it looked like a bonafide dessert. Plus, who doesn’t love sprinkles?! I had never tried the sprinkles on the rim thing but let’s just say I’m hooked! SO easy and SO cute!

I melted a little chocolate, dipped the rim of the glass in, then dipped them in sprinkles, let them dry and voila! CUTE vessel for chocolately goodness!

For the milkshakes, we eyeballed some vanilla ice cream, milk and chocolate syrup in the blender and mixed them until they were still a little thick, but still smooth.

We poured them in, added spoons and let the Cubbies kids (and teachers) enjoy!

Pretty tasty treats – and Sawyer approved!

Random Rambles

It’s Wednesday…and it’s felt a bit like a Monday. Sawyer had Cubbie bear for the week and I needed to print pictures for his adventure journal. Lo and behold, of the seven ink cartridges in our printer, light magenta was out so it refused to print a thing! Is it just me or does it sound like the printer needs to learn how to compromise a little??

I saved the pics to my flash drive and loaded everybody up so we could go print them in town. As I was buckling Wryder in his car seat I realized I didn’t have my keys, even though I had just locked the house door. No biggie, I’ll get the spare key. Oh. Wait. The spare is on my keyring because I lost the original. *ahem*

I called Wrex and he told me the best place to break into the house (which I shall not divulge here). I got in and went to grab my keys which I knew were on the kitchen table…but they weren’t there now. I looked EVERYWHERE. Trashcan…toy room…mud room…car…called Wrex to see if he had them…confirmed with Sawyer they were on the table. At this point, I knew Wryder must have been the culprit.

I finally told the Lord that I had no idea where else to look and I asked for His help – novel idea! I went back inside and I felt like I was supposed to put a bag of tortilla chips back in the pantry that Wryder had drug out (seriously, what is this kid’s deal with corn chips today??) and as I did, I thought they might be in there! I looked where we keep the chips and saw nothing. Just as I was about to shut the door, I saw a little glint by a bag of potatoes – my keys!

He cares, even about my keys…

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

So, back to Cubbie. He go to spend the week with us and I had one happy girl on my hands!

Cubbie even got to travel to Denver with us for the weekend and we made a stop at Krispy Kreme’s so he and the kiddos could watch them make the doughnuts!

When we got home, we had three day old baby chicks that they had to check out! Cubbie even got to hold a couple!

Sawyer's favorite - Marshmallow Gravy — Sawyer’s favorite chick – Marshmallow Gravy

These two had a lot of fun together. I’m sure she’s not ready to let him go but it’s time for another adventure with one of her classmates.

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

Our time in Denver was so special. We got to spend some good time with the bestie and her family – always a good time! The kids love playing with Baby Eva.

It’s so fun to watch my kids play with my bestie’s kids. It’s one of those things you kind of dream about and then when you get to watch it come to fruition, it’s a sweet, sweet thing.

We got to spend some time with the bestie’s extended family…which is our extended family. Sawyer’s Cubbie’s lesson this past week was about how the Lord gives us family that aren’t always blood, and that’s exactly what these people are. We may not be flesh of their flesh, but we are definitely family of the heart and soul and spirit.

He has been so faithful to do this for us…for me. When everyone is scattered across the country and some homes have been broken, He’s been so faithful to fill those gaps with some of the most important people in my life. I’m forever grateful…

Friday night, we celebrated family birthdays with them and it was just such a warm, familiar time. Sitting around the living room as the evening wore on, I just sat there observing the circle of people around me and thinking, “I want this. I love this. THIS is family.”

There’s trust and respect and genuine affection…there’s easy smiles and belly laughs and warmth…I just wanted to freeze that moment for all time.

The grandkids organized a talent show of sorts and about four people in, Sawyer wanted to get up and dance for everyone. While this is something she would do at our house for Wrex and I, our little introvert wouldn’t do that everywhere. I LOVED that she felt safe enough to do so there; it was so telling.

Seriously, it was a good night.

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

I’ve been reading in Isaiah lately (one of my FAVORITE FAVORITE books) and this morning’s passage was so beautiful.

It was from Isaiah 65 and He talks about the new heaven and the new earth. It says, “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

“Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,or an old man who does not live out his years;”

“They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.”

I guess I had never read those verses before?? OR maybe they haven’t meant as much as they do these days.

SOOOOOOOO often my heart longs for heaven. Usually, it’s a selfish, please-rescue-us-from-the-madness-and-injustice-of-this-world kind of thing. I’m not really ready to go without my family…I guess I’m just ready for Him to come and this new reign to begin. And I think that’s a good place to keep my heart sometimes. Not on this world…on Him and His heavenly kingdom…but it’s not always easy.

There will be a day…when all you’ve gone through…will be no more. No more tears…no more suffering…no more heartache…no more bitterness…no more hurt…no more what ifs…no more…

Until then, I will attempt to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus…the author and finisher of my faith.

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

In case you missed it on Facebook this morning, my sweet boy was up to his usual food scavenging shenanigans.

I had just finished cleaning up from breakfast (in which he had two scrambled eggs with cheese, a piece of toast and a cup of milk) and sat down to help Sawyer with Cubbies when he came in munching on a taco shell. What?!

I have no idea how he even got in the pantry, rummaged around and got one out of the box…or why he thought he was still hungry.

Regardless, how could you be mad at this sweet face?

Random Rambles

Well hello, September. What did you do with August??

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

Tonight is the kickoff BBQ for Cubbies! There’s a little someone around here that’s awfully excited.

She’s been going through her book from last year and teaching Wryder the verses. I love this program and how it fosters a love for the Word of God.

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

We started “back to school” yesterday.

Last year, I did a preschool curriculum with Sawyer that I’ll continue this year. This girl loves to learn; has since she was a little tyke. (She knew all of her shapes, including a trapezoid before she was two!) We don’t go at it hard and we only do four days a week, but it’s amazing what you can accomplish in an hour.

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

Wryder has recently discovered he might actually like books…which is good, because we have a few. 🙂

Who doesn't love to read?! — Who doesn’t love to read?!

We are doing some serious rejoicing over here!

He’s on the go all the time and sometimes we force him to sit with us and read a little book, but it’s definitely not his favorite thing. He came across a farm book and it’s spurred his interest, praise the Lord!

He loves to stand in front of the book shelves and point and say “book, book.” We’ll get him a book and he’ll take it to his little desk and read. Seriously? It’s adorable.

Tractor in hand, still... — Tractor in hand, still…

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

Wrex’s paternal grandparents recently celebrated their 60th anniversary.

On their wedding day... — On their wedding day…

How incredibly cool is that?! The family is hosting a party for them later this month because THAT is worth celebrating, yes?!

If you know and love the Phipps’, please join us!

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

We’ve been soaking up these last lingering days of summer as they get noticeably shorter.

Sorting imaginary cows... — Sorting imaginary cows…

Digging with spoons... — Digging with spoons…

Dads make trampolines more fun... — Dads make trampolines more fun…

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

These little sweeties are growing like weeds!

I can’t wait to get my snuggle on with them in a couple of weeks. Seriously, how cute are they?!

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

I better get a move on…I’ve got little fingers to paint and lessons to teach and lunch to make and hair to do. All in a day’s work for a momma…and I love it!

It’s Great to Skate

Our church hosted a kids potluck and skating day on Sunday and it was too much fun! We gathered after Sunday school and munched on everything from corn dogs and sloppy joes to Marshmallow Mateys and tater tot casserole. After that, it was off to the rink!

Sawyer was sooooooooooooooooooo incredibly excited to skate! I think she barely slept Saturday night in anticipation of having cereal for lunch and then strapping on a pair of skates. She wouldn’t even go to the nursery during church because she was afraid she’d miss the action – ha!

I wasn’t quite sure what she’d think if she didn’t catch on right away so as we were driving to the rink, I explained to her that she might fall down a few times. I told her not to be scared or give up and to just get right back up and try again, to which she agreed.

Well, there wasn’t much need for that little speech – she did AMAZING!

I have about as much grace as a drunk, blind alley cat trying to maneuver fence with a barking dog in tow but thankfully daddy is quite impressive on skates! He later traded these quads in for roller blades and really went to town!

They even did the limbo! (And no, I had NO CLUE Wrex could get that low!)

The older kids were so incredibly kind and cautious regarding all of the little tykes. Sawyer’s good friend Meredith took her for quite a spins – which she loved! Sidenote: Meredith, if I was your size I’d steal all of your clothes! Better watch your closet… 😉

She also skated with her friend Lauren (sans daddy) for the last 30 minutes or so which was fun to watch. She was completely confident out there!

Aren’t they sweet?? They made lots of laps and had a ball dancing in the disco lights!

Wryder didn’t do any skating but he was awfully encouraging to those who did by screaming and waving on the sidelines. He got lots of snuggles and playtime in, so he was a happy camper!

It was an incredibly fun day and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful church family! We left the skating rink feeling so loved and content…and at home. There are so many young families and so many mentors for those young families – we’re a blessed body of believers. Let’s do it again, soon!

Love Like That

Earlier, I told you how much I loved Valentine’s day and this year solidified those amorous sentiments even more. My valentine is soooooo incredibly sweet (and handsome!) and he went out of his way to make the day extra special for me. He’s good at showing love like that…

Good lookin' rascal! — Good lookin’ rascal!

Wrexy has to leave early on Fridays for his Wyoming sale, so on Thursday morning, we celebrated a little early with heart pancakes.

Sawyer thought these were fantastic! I thought they turned out cute, too. I ended up putting my batter into a condiment bottle and squeezing it out onto the griddle that way – super easy!

I woke up Friday morning to these beauties…

Our neighbor is a {fabulously creative} florist and she put this together for him in a vintage flout sifter, no less! EEP! I was THRILLED! I absolutely LOVE fresh flowers and these are still going strong. Every time I see them on the table I just feel joyful – love them!

The night before, I threw up a little curtain and some hearts and put everyone’s little gifts out. I like to show love like that…

Love is in the air... — Love is in the air…

Little expressions of love... — Little expressions of love…

The day before, Sawyer wanted to make cards, so I made one for her and Wryder and I’m happy to report that it was his favorite gift. Probably because it was the most edible, but hey – I’ll take it.

We got daddy off to work and we whipped up some cupcakes for the neighbors. Little miss likes to share the love like that…

Cubbie bear is at our house again this week, so he got to help! Sawyer is a great batter mixer AND sprinkler – check out the finished products…

She was feeling pretty rotten by the end of the day, but she had energy enough to put on her fancy dress for our V-day dinner. Daddy was home by supper so we made steak, potatoes, squash/zucchini and garlic bread – four of his favorites!

They are so sweet... — They are so sweet…

It was just a lovely day! I love my husband and I really, really want him to know that. I don’t really buy into this “I don’t need a certain day to make sure my spouse knows that I love them” stuff. You should absolutely make sure they know they are loved every day, but there is definitely nothing wrong with taking a specific time to refresh and renew those sentiments by putting that love into action, ya know? Wrex does a great job of showing me love on a daily basis and he did especially so on Valentine’s day, making my love for him grow all the more. Everyone should want a love like that…

I hope you all had special days with your loves and more than that, I hope that you know the One who loves you more than all the rest. The Lord’s love is so pure and so perfect…He never hurts our feelings…He’s always present and available…He doesn’t disappoint…He doesn’t love us only when we’re at our best…He loves us no matter where we go or what we do or who we’re with…

We’ve (obviously) been talking a lot about this love thing and talking to Sawyer about how God loves us. Our family prayer has been to love like that…Lord, help me to love like that…

The Adventures of Cubbie Bear

Last week at Cubbies, Sawyer got a BIG surprise! She got to be the first kiddo to take Cubbie Bear home for a week of adventures! She was THRILLED!

I was afraid she’d never get to sleep that night, but alas, she and Cubbie settled right in.

He got to do some pretty fun stuff while he hung out with us Phipps’. Thursday was Halloween so he dressed up like an indian and went trick or treating with us – how can ya beat that?!

He was pretty worn out after we got home from our cold, windy adventure so he and Sawyer took a little nap on the couch.

He got to help Sawyer with her pre-school work…

He got to help us bottle feed a baby calf…

and play with the barn kitties…

He got to play at the “park” and swing with sweet Sawyer…

He and Sawyer got an answer to their prayers on Tuesday – it snowed!!! They spent a little time outside making snow angels and snow balls and playing in the cold…

Pretty sure she’s gonna be a little sad to see him go home with someone else tomorrow. I will be, too. He was a great house guest and he’s welcome back any time!

What We’re Doing Wednesday

*Note: Apparently this font doesn’t like punctuation. Ugh. Who doesn’t like punctuation?! See how it says “What Were Doing Wednesday?” THAT is gonna bug the tar out of me! But “What We Are Doing Wednesday” just doesn’t sound right. Will you forgive my grammatical gaffe for now? Pretty please? With a pumpkin on top?*

Daddy brought home a BIG pumpkin last night as a fun surprise!

It made us officially ready to get some of our other pumpkins painted. We decided we’d let daddy help us carve the BIG one this weekend.

photo 3 copy — Working hard – see the pursed lips?

photo 4 copy — The finished product for Ms. Amy!

We painted one together…sort of. Her side kept creeping into my side but I didn’t mind.

The finished products!

photo 1 copy — See the lovely blue dots of sorts?

photo 2 copy — Pretty sure she could do this all day…

Wednesday nights, we drive into town for Cubbies – one of the highlights of Sawyer’s week! Mine and dad’s too, because we get an hour and a half date while she’s there. Oh yeah, baby!

Lucky for her, she already knows this verse.

Last week, I didn’t iron on the apple patch she received. I couldn’t figure out the exact place it was to go and the perfectionist in me didn’t want to mess her vest up or make hers different than everyone else’s so we went without. I felt horrible, though she didn’t care. But this week, we’re ready to go!

We did some pre-school work, but I try not to do too much of this on Wednesdays because of the Cubbies lesson – I don’t want to totally confuse her. We memorize the Word in our preschool lessons, too so it’s better to let her memorize only Cubbies verses on Wednesdays.

Around the tree, around the tree – that is how you make a 3!

Then, we got to watch a little show thanks to mommy’s sinus infection migraine. Ugh. REALLY should go to the doctor. I’ve had this nasty sinus thing since the end of September. Pretty sure it’s trying to kill me…

The rest of the day will be spent playing with brother, climbing the hay stack, painting our fingers, napping, bathing and going to Cubbies. Good day, I’d say.