How in the World Did We Get Here: Part 2

We tossed the sheets in the wash, locked the doors and headed eight hours south to Booker, Texas. One of our good friends from college worked as the head cattle buyer at the plant and had told the owners about Wrex. With the drought hitting so hard in Texas, they knew cow numbers would soon be short and that they’d need to expand their buying circle. They wanted to get a northern buyer trained and in place, but weren’t in just a huge hurry to do so; they wanted it to be the right kind of person. Unfortunately, the cow buying business has it’s fair share of crooks and traders and this company had worked been working for a few years on cleaning up their buyer staff.

There are several owners and shareholders and only a few of them live around the Booker area. As the Lord would have it, Wrex got to meet several out of staters, including a fellow Nebraskan. That pretty much sealed the deal! HA! Kidding…but I’m sure it didn’t hurt. Those Huskers gotta stick together… It wasn’t a formal interview, but he was there most of the morning; a good four hours or so. We ate lunch, said our goodbyes and then continued on to visit my side of the family.

For years, we’d talked about the possibility of him buying cows for an outfit; it’s a job that he’d been groomed for his entire life. We didn’t have any doubts that he’d enjoy the work and he felt like things went well, but we left not knowing exactly what they were thinking.

We had a good time seeing my parents and brother and then traveled further south to see my mom’s extended family. We don’t get down there often enough just because of time, money and distance, so it was nice to be able to have a few extra days with them. It’s hard to have “time off” when you help run a farming/ranching operation so this was, by far, the longest visit we’d had with them since we’d been married.

They were all so sweet and were scurrying around trying to find Wrex a job down there, which would’ve been a-ok with me, bearing I could hack that heat and humidity. I have gobs of incredible memories tied to their little area of Texas. At the time, my grandma had already been moved into an assisted living facility and her house was on the market, as she wouldn’t be going back. We got to stay there for what would be the last time – an incredibly bittersweet thing for me. Talk about memories being bound to a place…we spent every Christmas and summer there since I was born and Wrex and I were married on their acreage. It was hard to leave and at the time, every fiber of my being was just screaming for a job there so we could buy the house and keep the place alive, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll always cherish that piece of our trip and I most definitely view it as a sweet little gift that the Lord gave me in the midst of an erratic time in our lives.

Once in Oklahoma, the Lord was so faithful! We were really beginning to wonder what our next move was. We knew we had to go back to Colorado for a few days, but then what? He just showed us time and time again that He wasn’t absent from the process. From people calling with words (rhemas) for us or the message at church we felt led to attend one Sunday morning that was titled, “What to do in the time of transition.” Yeah. That was us…and He was with us.

That Monday, Wrex got a phone call that ended in a job offer from the packing plant in Booker; they wanted him to come on as their northern cattle buyer. He’d train in Texas for three months and then move up north and establish himself…somewhere. They would give him a set of barns he was to buy in on a weekly basis, but he would be able to determine the specific community in which to settle.

After a day’s worth of prayer, we felt full release for him to take the job! It felt so right and like a huge, heavy weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. They settled on a start date, we hit the road back to Colorado to tie up a few more loose ends and grabbed a few little necessities out of storage – like a crib and a bed and a kitchen table – so that we could make ourselves at home in Texas….again.

****Part 3 is my favorite – stay tuned!****

How in the World Did We Get Here: Part 1

Our little, ole farm house is all tucked snuggly under a blanket of snow this morning as fresh flakes are starting to fall again. Let it be known that I don’t mind that one bit. In my book, if it’s gonna be cold it might as well snow.

Not a creature was stirring... — Not a creature was stirring…

We’ve lived here two and a half years although it doesn’t feel near that long. Earlier this morning, I was reflecting on how exactly we got here. It was all Him, friends.

Wrex worked for a family company in Denver that had their fingers (successfully) in quite a few niches; ear tags, farming, purebred cattle, show goats, horses. He had an active role in each of those endeavors and thus worked A LOT. The situation wasn’t ideal and became less so after Sawyer was born. A lot of mornings, Wrexy left before she was awake and came home after she was in bed and that was definitely not how we wanted to raise our family. It would’ve been different if it was our land or our cattle or our company and we were investing this time and energy into something for our future generations, but that wasn’t the case.

So after lots of intense prayer and discussion, we knew that the Lord was calling us away from there. On his 29th birthday, he gave his one month notice and we stepped out in faith…no job lined up, no place to live (as we were living in company supplied housing), no idea where to go…we just knew that working there was no longer obedience, but that stepping away was.

We spent our evenings together praying and job hunting and packing. Our house was nothing fancy but we had made a lot of special memories there. It was the place we celebrated our first five anniversaries…the place we brought our first baby home to…the place where we hosted friends who became our roommates for a season…the place where we threw card parties and goat dehorning work days and family get togethers. Even though we knew that our leaving was the right thing to do and that it was what the Lord was asking of us, it still stung a little. Obedience isn’t always easy…

W spent his days tying up as many loose ends as possible. By the end of the month, the contents of our home were moved into a storage container and we? We were jobless and homeless…but not hopeless.

The job part never really concerned me for several reasons. One, I knew that we were walking in obedience so I had no doubt that the Lord had something lined up for us; He wouldn’t call us away and then hang us out to dry. Two, Wrexy has more skills in more different areas than any person I’ve ever met. I often tell him that he’s handicapped me as a do-er. If something breaks or isn’t quite right or needs a little finesse, I don’t even try anymore – I just wait for him to get home because he’ll fix it in a jiffy and in a way better manner than I ever could. Plus, he’s the most loyal, hardest working, social genius on the planet. And three, I knew that if he had to, he would work two jobs slopping hogs or serving french fries before we ever went hungry. Before we ever left, he was offered two different jobs, but neither of them had the stamp of the Lord and as hard as it was to say ‘no’ to them, knowing that if we said yes we could stay in the same area, ‘no’ was what we said.

During that first week of our new found homelessness, some of our favorite friends were on vacation and they allowed us to stay in their home. This was such a huge blessing to us as we finished taking care of last minute business things and fully getting a plan in place for what was next.

We spent a lot of time in the quiet together that week. It’s a weird feeling, especially for a type A planner to not have a plan…but to know that THE plan was to be obedient to the Lord. There is blessing in obedience – I’ve experienced that richly! I’ve also experienced the consequences of disobedience and I didn’t want to venture there again.

We prayed continually that the Lord would make our schedule for us and that He would provide us with the job that Wrex needed to say ‘yes’ to…wherever that may be. We knew that He knew our hearts in wanting more family time and He knew our hearts in wanting Wrex to have a job that was rooted in agriculture; a job that wouldn’t find him stuck behind a desk and a job that he enjoyed. This whole process had happened so fast and was so outside of ourselves that we had no other option but to have hope; confident expectancy in the goodness of God.

As the week was coming to a close, we made plans to visit my family in several parts of Texas and then Wrex’s sister and grandma in Oklahoma and Kansas before heading back to Colorado to finish out a ministry event we were a part of. We had cleaned up behind ourselves and packed what we needed for a few weeks on the road with a 10 month old, when Wrex got a call that we needed to stop at the tip-top of Texas before we ventured further south; a meat packing plant wanted to meet him and see if he was a fit for their company. Maybe, just maybe, this was it?

What Can I Say But Words

Sawyer has quite the extensive vocabulary for a three year old. I’d say she comes by it honestly…her momma loves words and her daddy never stops talking, so there ya go!

We were talking about some of the funny word variations she’s been using lately, like favilous (fabulous) or dangerful (dangerous), and it made us think of the some of the amusing names she’s had for other things in the past.

Ever since she was a tiny tyke, a blanket has been referred to as a beat and a remote has been a motor. Lick chips are Doritos (because she used to like to just lick the cheesey stuff off before eating the rest) and a guh-jraffe is a giraffe, just pronounced with a hard g. She loves when she gets to use bandits (band aids) and mecimum (medicine). Green beans are bean beans, bacon is known as cracker and for a while, bananas were nummies. She calls ear phones helmets, diapers are sometimes di-dees and the chill museum is also known as the children’s museum. She loves to put her guns up and yell rack attack instead of Wreck ’em Tech, but hey, it’s close enough for me.

All of these cute little mispronunciations and nicknames brings our lives so much joy, just like her! I love that I can have such serious conversations with her and that I can have super silly ones, too. She’s one of my most beloved friends; one of my favorite people on the planet.

She’s just plain favilous!

Knocking it Out of the Park

I cleaned out my desk this morning and I made it out alive!! Phew. It had gotten a little out of control and I’m proud to report that my laptop can fit on it’s surface again. Ahem.

In that process, I was organizing some preschool stuff and some Bible study materials and I forgot that I had gotten out two old journals the other day, searching for some notes on a study we’d done a few years back. I was browsing through them…which can be quite humbling, mind you. It’s a little gut wrenching when you’re still struggling with some of the same thing you were struggling with in 2011. Keep pressing in, Lord.

One of those journals was Wrexy’s and I was browsing through it and I came across a list he made in May of 2011 titled “Top 15 Goals for My Marriage/Family.” I was gonna just skip right over it but I felt the Lord asking me to dwell there for a minute, so I read through them.

Create a loving, God-fearing environment.
To be someone Stef trusts and relies on.
To be an example to others of Christian marriage.
To be an involved dad, teaching my kids to do things/gain skills.
To be a good provider.
To teach my kids to hear from the Lord and leave a legacy of the fear of the Lord.
To be a dad/husband that my family will be proud of.
To instil self-worth and the truth about who they are in my kids; build each other up.
To grow together as a family through acts of service/giving.
To be an example of a loyal, honest, hard-working man.
To grow closer to Stef with each day and year through oneness with Christ.
To help nurture Stef’s gifts.
To remain best friends with Stef.
To communicate well with Stef, not just say what I think she wants to hear.
To not grow complacent in my role as the spiritual leader of my home.

Be. Still. My. Heart. I was absolutely speechless and so incredibly humbled reading this list. Talk about selfless and God-centered; he gets it and we are blessed because of it.

Let me just say, you are doing a darn fine job, handsome. I am so proud to be your wife. You are the glue that holds this ship together and keeps us afloat and you are knocking it out of the park in the husband/dad department!

Thank you for showing us on a daily basis how Christ loved the church.

Thank you for wanting the best for us.

Thank you for dying to yourself over and over again.

Thank you for leading us and guiding us and providing for us.

Thank you for being the most gracious, forgiving, patient, honest, loyal, generous, gentle, determined, enthusiastic, unflappable, God-fearing man I’ve ever known.

****Note to readers, W and I are that couple that shares everything (as I believe all married couples should) – passwords, prayers, bank accounts, spit. 😉 He was not at all concerned that I read his journal or that I shared it here. His main concern was that women would be stumbling in covetousness. Ahem. Notice I didn’t list ‘humble’ in my description of him. 🙂 ****

Ham for the Cam

My little man is quite the ham when it comes to the camera.

He’s started doing this thing with his face every time he see the flash on the camera charge.

He squinches up his eyes and smiles really cheesy.

I absolutely adore him!

Sawyer was one of those kids that didn’t mind her photo being taken, but she didn’t play to the camera. (She’s figured that out now! Trust me. Ha!) Wryder is just a naturally, smiley guy…and I think he likes attention. Just what I’ve observed. Wonder where he gets that from?! Anyone know his father…yeah, that will explain it!

There are some resemblances... — There are some resemblances…

I adore my boys!

Bowled Over

Saturday was terribly windy, yet again…the house was cleaned (even the blinds!)…everyone had taken good naps and was bathed so we decided to head to town for a rare Saturday night outing!

Daddy bought our supper at the Front Street Steakhouse where Sawyer got root beer in a boot cup…with two straws…and two cherries! What could be better?!

Wryder experienced his first club cracker and fell. in. love. He ate six. Yes, six. Plus applesauce. And bread. And mashed potatoes and gravy. Have I mentioned he likes to eat?

After we finished up our supper, we took a little trip to the bowling alley! Sawyer loved the shoes and got to use a ramp to help her get her ball a little farther down the lane – she had a ball!

She was really focused... — She was really focused…

She’d cock her hip to the side after every push until she hit some pins – too cute.

Wrex is a really good bowler. He smoked me every game (as did Sawyer, unfortunately). I personally just like to watch his form, if you know what I mean. Ahem.

Wryder got over the whole bowling experience rather quickly. He usually goes to bed at 6:30 so when we started bowling at 6:30, that just didn’t jive with him.

With lots of cuddling in between rolls, he made it until just past the bowling alley parking lot – then he was out!

This was one of the first Saturdays that we really didn’t have a lot going on so it was nice to get out and do something we don’t usually do. Completely enjoyable.

AND?!?

The Broncos are going to the SUPER BOWL!! I LOVE some Peyton Manning. He’s just a classy, professional individual…and he looks a little like my hubby. 😉 And who doesn’t love ex-Red Raider, Wes Welker? Well done, boys!

My heart is full!

WDP is 9 Months Old

Wryder Douglas is 9 months old!

I'm a happy little fella! — I’m a happy little fella!

I don’t think it went this fast with Sawyer…I really don’t. I just went back and looked at what I wrote when he turned six months.

It feels like these 6 months flew by WAY faster than Sawyer’s first 6 months did. Oh, it’s hard on the heart to be a mommy, ya know it?

It must be true. 😉

At 9 months…

you weighed in at just a smidge over 24 pounds. Dad and I usually have to trade off holding you during worship or if we carry you through a store – you get heavy!
you are a big eater! You’re eating 20-30 ounces of food per day, plus 20 or so ounces of milk.

you have 8 cute little teeth and more that are bothering the dickens out of you.
your main mode of transportation is rolling. I’m thinking you’ll crawl one of these days. You’ve got a lot to haul around, I get it!
your favorite word is “momma” but you are perfecting “dada,” “bubba,” and “hi.”

you like to be WITH people; we don’t dare leave the room without you or you let us know about it!
you adore your sister more than ever. Playing with her is your favorite thing and you will laugh when she laughs, even if you have no idea what you’re actually laughing about.

you are so smiley and giggly and flirty. You have great, expressive eyebrows that you get lots of compliments on.
you’re a handsome little rascal that brings us so much joy! You are joy!

I love you, little man! Let’s spread these next three months out a little, ok?

See Ya Later, Alligator

Today is the last day of 2013 and I’m not all that excited to see it go. It’s been a year of more mountain tops than valleys, so it’s not like I’m just dying to rush it out and ring something else in.

Time just keeps ticking and ticking and ticking on by – where did 2013 go?! Days with my Wrexy seem shorter and my kids keep growing up without permission! While it is such a joy to see the little adults they are becoming, I don’t want to miss a single day with any of them. I want to take it slow and press it all into the wrinkles in my brain so I don’t forget these days. My life with my little family is significantly more blessed than I ever could’ve imagine for myself. Who am I that He would bestow such merciful blessings on me?

Highlights of 2013

We were blessed with a sweet baby boy (on tax day – he’s redeeming it!)…

Isn't the the cutest?! He was about 5 hours old here... — Isn’t he the cutest?! He was about 5 hours old here…

Sawyer turned 3 and got to celebrate with a host of family and friends…

She requested a cat party so cat party we had!

We got to go on a vacation to Denver and make lots of memories as a family…

At the Children's Museum - one of many fun stops! — At the Children’s Museum – one of many fun stops!

Sawyer got to show her first goat…

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary by bowling as a family…

Wryder slept and the rest of us had fun!

We traveled to Kansas to witness one of our best friends’ wedding…

I got to act out my obedience to the Lord and start this blog…

It's been SUCH a blessing! — It’s been SUCH a blessing!

Sawyer got to be in our neighbor’s wedding…

We got to spend time with the majority of the Phipps family at a cousin’s wedding…

Add all of that to everyday blessings plus visits from family and friends…

2013 was good!

Where did it go? It went by in family dinners, road trips and snuggle sessions…in Cubbies meetings, sale barns and swimming pools…in weddings and pony rides and birthday parties and midnight feedings and suppers in the kitchen and jumps on the trampoline…those everyday moments that make up minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and years and LIFE. I sit here sentimental, cherishing each one…

but I shall embrace 2014 just the same.

You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.

The Lord has been so good to us…and we pray…

…let 2014 be more about You and less about us.

…let 2014 be more full of grace and love and mercy and kindness and self-discipline and joy and less of their oppositions.

…let 2014 be more about Your will and less about ours.

…let 2014 be about YOU. And only YOU.

Happy new year to you and yours!

Nebraska Christmas in Pictures

I’m baaaaaaaaaaaack! Blogging during family time is just not ok. 😉 And I was really busy with two kids at my in-laws. Traveling with small children seems to require a lot of stuff, doesn’t it? I feel like we hauled half of the house to go three hours, yet RaRa has pack-n-plays, high chairs, etc. What did I pack?!?! Regardless, it was TOTALLY worth it! The kids were awesome (they’re the easy part) and we had such a good time making memories with the Phipps family. Here is the remainder of our Christmas celebration in pictures!

Grandkid breakfast on the bar - why not?!? — Grandkid breakfast on the bar – why not?!?

Sawyer on her new bouncing horse? donkey? something... — Sawyer on her new bouncing horse? donkey? something…

Giving sugars - how sweet are they?! — Giving sugars – how sweet are they?!

Reading stories with PaPa... — Reading stories with PaPa…

Wryder and Breckyn just hanging out... — Wryder and Breckyn just hanging out…

Sawyer decorating the tree in the sitting room... — Sawyer decorating the tree in the sitting room…

Can you tell she loves her Uncle Warner?!

She got some McDonald's food with a drive thru headset - she was having a ball! — She got some McDonald’s food with a drive thru headset – she was having a ball!

I love these three so very much! Waco is a WONDERFUL uncle!

Breckyn sitting on her little seat I made for her... — Breckyn sitting on her little seat we made for her…

Uncle Waco and his beautiful nieces... — Uncle Waco and his beautiful nieces…

It was good to be with family, but oh so good to be home again. We get Wrexy all to ourselves for six more days! Can you say bliss?!!? SO EXCITED! I’m nursing a sore throat (and an overly tired body and mind) tonight but hope tomorrow brings full health – night night!

Light Lookin’

Tonight was such a good night, in my book. Sawyer has been dying to go look at Christmas lights so when everyone woke up from nap, we got Wryder fed, threw some cookies in the oven and headed to town!

Someone was quite proud of her sprinkling... — Someone was quite proud of her sprinkling…

Mom wasn't paying attention on this one... — Mom wasn’t paying attention on this one…

I’m not sure what spurred it on, but little miss was insistent upon cookies and hot chocolate while we went light looking…and that was right up everyone’s alley!

Holyoke has quite a few houses with good lights so we paraded up and down the streets with our snacks, Sirius Christmas tunes and a light falling snow – could it get any better?!

We tried to go look at lights last year on Christmas night. We had had such a wonderful day celebrating with just the three of us and we decided that if we wanted to see lights, we better go that night before people started taking them down. So we loaded up and headed to town. It had snowed off and on for days and as we were driving into town, we met up with a black cow. Someone’s cattle had gotten out and were all over the road. Wrex slammed on the brakes as soon as he saw it but with oncoming traffic, we ended up not being able to go anywhere except right into the side of the cow.

It was incredibly scary for me. I don’t do well with surprises, especially unpleasant ones and hitting a cow is a pretty dangerous thing. We smacked it hard enough that it went 50 feet or so, the air bags popped out, ambulances were dispatched (the county rule if airbags pop)…it was not a fun experience. BUT…the Lord was so incredibly gracious and good to us. None of us had a scratch on us or were even sore the next day. Our neighbors (whom we love like family) left their family Christmas celebration and picked us up, drove Sawyer to the one house out here in the sticks that had lights and then took us to their house and fed us supper. Jesus in the flesh, those people.

Wrex’s truck was smoked; the radiator was almost in the cab. It was only a 2011 so it wasn’t totaled, but there was like $14,000 in damage.

Very thankful tonight turned out differently. We made it home safely, ate some soup and then we all curled up to watch The Sound of Music.

We have MUCH to celebrate this Christmas. We have a Father that sent His Son to earth over 2,000 years ago so that we may live with Him eternally. We have a God that protects us and looks out for us and spares us. We have a warm house and food in our pantry and gifts under our tree. We have two healthy, compassionate children who love to spend time with us and whom we love to spend time with. We have daddy all to ourselves for 14 out of the next 16 days – a daddy who has a job that he loves and that loves him back.

We are a blessed people, no doubt about it. Praying your night has been as enjoyable as ours!