Phipps – Page 4 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

Saturday Mornings Are My Favorite

Saturday mornings are my favorite.

I love waking up to my warm, strong hubby and not having to hurry to get out of bed. I love that he took the time to feel sweet Sayble (who is not NEAR as active as her siblings) and she responded by kicking him in the cheek.

I love hearing the kids playing and talking quietly in their rooms waiting for the ok to come downstairs…….or for us to rescue them from their crib.

I love watching them dance with daddy to “Like a Cowboy” or “God Made Girls” while I cook breakfast.

I love the conversations about all that happened on Friday while daddy was away at work.

I love the excitement to get warm clothes on to go help daddy with chores and the glee when they realize he doesn’t have to go to a sale today.

Seriously, Saturday morning joy is just PALPABLE!

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My little football watching girl (praise God I have a partner to watch with!) informed daddy of all of the games going on this weekend and who we wanted to win (the Broncos, of course) and who we wanted to lose (the Patriots, of course). We ~~have to~~ get to work the nursery tomorrow at church and she’s excited to don her Bronco gear, tattoos and all, and suggested we do the same.

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Yesterday was Fun Friday and the kids had been so patient this week with all of the nesting going on around here that we decided to take a little road trip to Sterling.

Sawyer was, of course, sweet and happy and revved up to go. Wryder…..not so much. Night and day these two, I tell ya.

I wanted to snap a pic of them before we left because they’re just so stinkin’ cute and these were the best I got…

Once we got in the car, Wryder perked up a bit and by the time we got to the play place he was a happy camper!

As sweet as she is cute... — As sweet as she is cute…

After an hour and a half of playing and eating, we ventured off to Wal Mart to grab a few necessities (and clearance Christmas items) and the lady at the bakery gave the kids free cookies. Day. Made.

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Today will be day of cupcake decorating, football watching, snuggling, playing, laughing and JOY. Here’s to Saturday!

I Wrote Again – Is It Gonna Snow?

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. 🙂

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... — RaRa and the grand-girls…

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.

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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…

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…

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?

Sittin' with Santa... — 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?

Random Rambles

We all ventured out to the sale barn with daddy today. I needed a whole slew of random items from Wal-Mart and I always feel bad making hubby face the mad house after working all day.

Wryder shopped with me while sister stayed and collected money from all of the elder cow buyers to buy a pop to go with her popcorn. 😉 She’s kind of a hit around that place.

Brother and I met up with them a bit later and good gravy does that boy love the sale barn. He ate his fair share of popcorn, gave high gives, moo-ed at cows, double-fisted suckers and fell in love. This boy is ALL about tractors these days and he found a tractor house magazine…

Tractors and popcorn - a match made in heaven — Tractors and popcorn – a match made in heaven

He had a death grip on that magazine and cried when we took it away to eat lunch. He was reunited again once we got in the pickup and he fell asleep with it in his arms.

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Our sweet neighbors finished up corn harvest today and the kids snuck in one last ride around the field before next year.

I'm not totally sure what's going on here, but I LOVE this pic! — I’m not totally sure what’s going on here, but I LOVE this pic!

They were so excited to ride the combine in the dark and came home a bundle of loud, raucous storytellers!

Thank you, sweet Kruegers, for all the starts and stops so the Phipps kids could experience harvest!!

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Tomorrow is election day in Colorado. We’re gonna head to the local courthouse tomorrow and do our civic duties. The last time we voted, Sawyer thought we were going “boating.” She kept asking, “Where’s the boat??” Poor kid was slightly disappointed. We told her she would be grateful for the chance to vote one day.

Lately, she’s been playing Sesame Street and having words and letters of the day. The past couple of days, she’s been saying that “ridiculous” is the word of the day, but she pronounces it ree-dick-lee-us. It’s hysterical.

We’re not big supporters of Proposition 105 for a plethora of reasons. We were talking about it tonight at supper and we got her on video saying this tonight…

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Funny stuff.

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Speaking of funny stuff, Wryder has a new “trick.”

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WHY is poop so fascinating to children?!?

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Love this weather. Love this family. Love this life.

Halloween 2014

The day before Halloween, it was a balmy 75. We picked pumpkins (sans coats) and played outside all afternoon.

The day OF Halloween, it was 47 with 25 mph winds. Figures, right? It was COLD!

After nap, I got the kids dressed and we ventured into Grant for Trick or Treat Street. All of the local businesses head outside and hand out candy to all the little trick-or-treaters downtown. It’s a fun, safe, delightful afternoon of candy hoarding.

Sawyer even made their Facebook cover!

We came home and started our 4th annual Halloween Camp IN. We started this tradition by accident. The first Halloween in this house, we didn’t have much of our furniture yet and were busy working/painting in all of the rooms, so we were all sleeping in the living room. The next year, we made it a little more purposeful and brought in the tent. Ever since, that’s been our gig!

I made a fun supper complete with mummy dogs, jack-o-lantern sliders, potion punch, caramel apples, ghost marshmallows and their stash of trick-or-treat treats.

Ghost balloons...that later lost their fill and ended up floating on the table — Ghost balloons…that later lost their fill and ended up floating on the table

The ghosts are guarding the candy bowl... — The ghosts are guarding the candy bowl…

One of Sawyer's favorite sweets — One of Sawyer’s favorite sweets

Kermie and Piggy had a ball playing in the dark, waiting for Daddy to get home and then it was tent time! We set up camp, ate treats and watched a few fun shows.

It was a goooood day. A real good day. We still have WAY too much candy floating around the place but having daddy home for the weekend has put a dent in it.

Piggy, Kermie and a Few Other Characters

I love a good handmade, put-together costume. For her first halloween, Sawyer was a Chia Pet. We made a little pattern and glued a LOT of moss on it. It was highly original, albeit itchy.

The next year, my sister ~~in law~~ sent me an adorable idea for a peacock costume that she had seen online. I loved it so much we made it happen! We found peacock feathers at the floral shop, glued them to a belt, paired them with a tutu, dyed some tights and voila!

When she turned two, she was really into Dora the Explorer so we turned her into Dora!

Wrex and I even got in on the fun; he dressed up as Swiper the Fox and I went as Boots the Monkey. 🙂

Last year, a friend of mine gave us the cutest little Indian papoose costume for Wryder so we went on the hunt for something matching for Sawyer. We found the main piece of her costume at the thrift store in Denver. We used some leather, ribbon and feathers from home to make her head piece. We gave her a few stripes of paint and some little braids and she was one cute Indian girl!

This year, I wanted them to be able to be something together so we were trying to think of famous duos and Miss Piggy and Kermit the frog came to mind. I knew she would love all of the frilly, girliness of Miss Piggy so we went for it!

We made some felt ears and glued them to a head band, bought a pig nose on Amazon and a feather boa from the dollar store and paired that with some pink, fru-fru clothes and Miss Piggy was born!

For Wryder, we used sister’s green tights and a green hoodie to make the base of his costume. We cut a Styrofoam ball in half, painted on the eyes and glued them to the hood. We then made Kermie’s famous pointy collar, hands and feet out of green felt. Easy, peasey!

All in all, we spent less than $13 on both costumes – score!

Seriously, are they not to-die-for adorable?! I really couldn’t get over how cute they looked!

Our church hosts a harvest carnival every year so we put on all of our garb and headed to town. They played games and ate snacks and rode the horse and buggy until they were worn out!

Riding the horse and buggy with our dear friend Jim

We’re not just uber Halloween fans nor do we (remotely) get into the dark side of the ‘holiday’ but I do love the innocence that can be found in dressing up and getting to be whimsical and downright silly.

We still proclaim the name of Jesus and worship (only) the one true God, but we do let our kids dress up and trick-or-treat. Dressing up in costumes doesn’t make us satanic evil-doers any more than wearing a suit to church makes you a follower of Jesus; it’s all about the heart, ya know?

For a TREMENDOUS read on a wise-woman’s opinions on Halloween, read this lovely little blog post. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Worth 1,000 Words: Cute Kiddos

My “babies” are at such fun ages! Sawyer is so creative and persistent – and Wryder wants to do anything she does – so our days are pretty exciting. 🙂

I must admit that I firmly believe that I have the world’s best job. There are some hard days – what career doesn’t have those?? – but the blessing and reward and good days outweigh those tough times, by far.

I’ve finally gotten some more room on the ole iPhone and have been a little snap happy lately. Enjoy these pics of my cuties!

Not at all enthused about wearing an owl hat... — Not at all enthused about wearing an owl hat…

Really, he didn't like it... — Really, he didn’t like it…

My big boy eating a midnight snack... — My big boy eating a midnight snack…

With another smile... — With another smile…

with a tumbleweed... — with a tumbleweed…

Black beans are gooooooood... — Black beans are gooooooood…

Worth 1,000 Words: Pumpkin Patch 2014

This past Saturday the weather cooperated beautifully so off to the pumpkin patch we went! This one is the closest one to our house and it is well worth the money! Here are a few pics from our day!

This girl could pick pumpkins all day... — This girl could pick pumpkins all day…

In charge of the gourds... — In charge of the gourds…

Racing ducks...pink ones, of course — Racing ducks…pink ones, of course

Her favorite part of the day, according to her. :) — Her favorite part of the day, according to her. 🙂

Wryder on the spiderweb... — Wryder on the spiderweb…

This boy had a diaper full of corn at the end of the day!

Having fun on the jumping pillow... — Having fun on the jumping pillow…

Wryder didn't know what to think at first so he just laid there... — Wryder didn’t know what to think at first so he just laid there…

Getting sleepy on the horse swing... — Getting sleepy on the horse swing…

Little Pumpkins

Daddy brought home a pumpkin a week or so ago and a little cutie we know was awfully excited! Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice, mild day and if the wind decides not to blow 100 miles an hour like it is today, we’re gonna take them to the pumpkin patch! EEP! One of all of our favorite things!

We snapped a few pictures with the pumpkin because, well when you’re four that’s awesome…and because we wanted to make a little baby announcement to send out to the fam.

Here’s a few cute shots I took of the kids…

My goodness they’re cute! I love their unbridled, innocent passion for a pumpkin!

When daddy got home, he snapped my pic and this was the little card I made to send to the fam…

We’re all a little excited around here…and not just about the pumpkin.

60 Years Together

This year, the Phipps’ celebrated 60 years of wedded bliss! 60 years, people!

They made the choice in 1954 to love each other for better or for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, never to divorce…and they’ve succeeded! I’m sure they’ve had hard times and disagreements and stressful months/days/years…but they made the choice to love each other regardless and stick it out for the long haul! We are so proud to be from this long line of love…

Wrex and I have actually attended two other 60th anniversary celebrations, one of which was Grandad Phipps’ brother. The Lord has put some incredible people in our path, it’s true…

We had the honor of decorating for the grand occasion and I regret to inform you that I didn’t get too many pictures. I left my good camera at home, my iPhone was full and in my nauseous state, we just tried to survive.

With that being said, I’ll share what few I do have!

We went with a neutral theme…lots of white, off-white, gold and a buttery yellow.

The happy couple - matching, no less! — The happy couple – matching, no less!

My favorite part of the party was a display of Doug and Alice’s wedding ensembles. How incredible is that going away outfit?! Grandma was so tiny when she got married we barely got that thing on the mannequin!

Alice's going away outfit, Doug's suit, Alice's wedding dress — Alice’s going away outfit, Doug’s suit, Alice’s wedding dress

We had pictures from their biggest anniversary milestones…

Through the years... — Through the years…

We had this little pretty at the entrance of the banquet room…

and this right above the welcome table. That really puts it in perspective, doesn’t it?

About a month before the party, I put together a list of questions to ask the Phipps’ and then called them up on several occasions to interview them. It was, honestly, one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to do. There is sooooo much rich history there…stories we need to know! We laughed so much, it was almost unbearable!

Did you know Grandma left her wedding and went straight to the dentist to get a tooth pulled before their two week honeymoon?? The dentist did the work for free as a wedding gift, but Grandma told him he didn’t need to do that because she’d been waiting to marry a rich rancher so she could get her teeth fixed and she just had! HA!

I took the interview and turned it into 60 facts about 60 years. We printed them out and then (painstakingly) put them on a huge board to display at the party. We loved how it turned out and people really seemed to enjoy reading little tidbits about their life together.

There was cake and punch and a popcorn bar…boisterous conversations and laughter. They had such a great turnout; there were well over 100 people that came to hug them and bless them and celebrate with them!

Before we left, Grandad told us thank you for all we did and he said, “I hope you guys have 60 years, too.” And he didn’t say it in a “I hope you actually make it!” way…he said it like 60 years is worth it. We’ll make ya proud, Grandad…we promise!

****If I gather up more photos from the rest of the fam, I’ll be sure and share them as an update!****

Much Rejoicing

About a month ago, I felt like my Bible time with the kids had waned a bit and I woke up one morning just thinking/praying that I’d like to just find something to teach them some basic biblical truths. I got online and searched for pre-school type devotionals and the Lord led me to one called Truth for Kids. Exactly what I was looking for, yes?

Now, some of it’s a little cheesy and the graphics are a little outdated and I’ve found a few spelling/grammatical errors, but the meat seems to be right on the money. Every morning at breakfast, we’ve been studying these basic biblical truths and learning scripture and it has been a blessing to me, too.

A couple of days ago, we learned about how the Lord makes us a new creation once we choose to confess our sins and follow Him. The little devotional talked about how in our sin, we’re like an ugly old caterpillar but when we accept Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, He transforms us into a beautiful butterfly.

At lunch yesterday, Sawyer was putting her dishes in the dishwasher and she started to say, “That ugly old…” and she caught herself. I said, “Good catch, sugar. We don’t say ugly.”

In the next second, we both thought of the caterpillar and we said, “Except for that caterpillar.” I told her that in that instance, it was definitely ok to use ugly, because that is exactly how our sin is. She said, “Yeah, I want to tell brother about the caterpillar. And I want to ask Jesus into my heart.”

I told her we could do it right then and there! (I think I might have gotten a little too excited *ahem* because her shyness took over and she took a while finishing at the dishwasher…then she wanted her blanket…then she decided she just wanted to play). I wasn’t going to force her into that decision so I just told her that whenever she was ready, Jesus was ready for her.

She came back about five minutes later and said, “I’m ready to ask Jesus into my heart.”

So we did! We prayed together. She said she was a sinner and that Jesus died on the cross. She said she wanted Jesus to live in her heart and be in charge. Then she said, “But I’m not going to change my mind.”

I asked, “Change your mind about what, sweetie?” She said, “About being married and being a mom. He can live in my heart, but I still want to stay here with you guys!”

She has been sooooooo concerned about that lately and I think she thinks the two are connected somehow; if Jesus is in your heart then you are/become a wife and mom. How sweet is that? We talked that through and she felt a lot better about it…even though we prayed about it again upstairs. 🙂

I am such a joyful, proud momma this morning. I am boasting in Christ, because every good thing about her comes from Him – of that I have no doubt. She is leaps and bounds ahead of me in this life and I’m glad she is! It will serve her well…

Thank you, Lord, that you give us the free will to choose you!

Thank you that you forgive our sins as far as the east is from the west!

Thank you that you want to be in relationship with us from a very early age.

Thank you for what you’ve done in Sawyer.

Sweet girl, you will never regret this decision – I promise you that. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and no one or no thing can revoke that. I pray that satan does not steal the joy of your salvation and daddy and I join forces with you to push away his nasty attempts to distract and restrain you. This is the beginning of a beautiful journey and I pray that you follow close to Him all the days of your life. I pray that you call upon the riches of the Holy Spirit in you to guide your every thought and word and action. Go take the Kingdom by storm, sweet girl! We are so proud of the wonderful little sweetie you are; you bless us!

Sweet Sawyer, seconds after asking Jesus into her heart... — Sweet Sawyer, seconds after asking Jesus into her heart…

*****If any of you reading this have questions about following Christ or confessing sin or what He did on the cross, please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message or comment and I’ll be glad to help answer those. It’s a life changing decision to be an heir with Christ…one you won’t regret!*****