Wrex – Page 5 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

Random Rambles

So, last Friday, I wrote this lovely post about how excited I was about the weekend. Wrex and I were scheduled to go on a weekend babymoon and the kids were going to stay with some good friends of ours in Denver. We were all OVER THE MOON excited! Just as I hit post, my good friend from Denver called and one of her kiddos had gotten quite sick at school that day. I felt so bad for them and didn’t want her to feel bad about not being able to keep the kids that I deleted my post.

After a lot of discussion and prayer, we decided that based upon our schedule the next 6 weeks and just the need for some items from the big city, that we’d turn it into a family-moon instead!

We ate well, swam at the hotel, shopped til I almost dropped and just had a fun time together. It wasn’t quite the weekend I originally had in mind, but it was a good one regardless. We were just blessed that we were able to go…

He gave Sawyer a dollar and she was fired up!!

Wryder's side of the table at BWWs. That boy is HANDSY! — Wryder’s side of the table at BWWs. That boy is HANDSY!

A portion of Wrexy's paycheck sitting in the mudroom... — A portion of Wrexy’s paycheck sitting in the mudroom…

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Before we left, Sawyer had a bit of a cough and wasn’t 100% but she didn’t have fever and still had her spunk. She seemed a little off on Sunday but we thought she might just be exhausted from all of the festivities like the rest of us.

Yesterday, she told me her mouth (throat) hurt. She woke up crying in the night and my incredibly awesome hubby left me in bed and went to check on her. Her throat was hurting pretty bad and she was a miserable mess.

He gave her some Tylenol and got her some juice and ate popsicles with her at 10:30 last night. Honestly, you guys, he’s the dad we all wished we had.

She woke up this morning in BAD shape. I had a baby checkup so I took her in with me; poor girl has a nasty case of strep. We picked up some antibiotics, a lot of different fluids and “How to Train Your Dragon” on DVD. Here’s to hoping she’s 100% soon…and that it steers clear of the rest of us!

Sweet girl still insisted on a green mustache and bows in her hair before we left.

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Yesterday, we talked about St. Patrick and the REAL meaning/reason behind St. Patrick’s day. I was telling the kids that he was a christian missionary in Ireland and I asked Sawyer if she knew what “christian” meant. She said a christian was someone who had Jesus in their heart and she told me that she and I and daddy had Jesus in our hearts.

Little brother piped up saying, “Jesus me heart! Jesus me heart!” Mine about melted…

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Speaking of Wryder, he has been absolutely ravenous lately! The boy ate all weekend until I didn’t think he could stomach another bite. Yesterday at supper, he ate half of a ribeye, a cup of applesauce, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, two pickles and then BEGGED for a piece of cake! The funny part? There was no cake anywhere around…apparently he just had a craving?!

Today, he charmed his way around the doctor’s office and hospital and scored a fruit by the foot and two suckers. Yes, that was while he was with daddy while mom was with Sawyer. *ahem*

How could you NOT shower him with goodies?!

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Tonight, we’re planning on taking it easy and doing a little rearranging in the baby room while the kids watch their movie. All of that stuff in the mudroom photo above needs to fit in the nursery or nursery closet…wish us luck! 😉

Love Multiplied

I keep reminding myself that I need to blog…but I feel like I’m lacking subject matter…or new subject matter, I guess. We’ve just been playing outside, enjoying this spring-like weather in the dead of winter.

We’ve played with goats and chalked on sidewalks and jumped on trampolines and played at the park and gone on walks and fed chickens and explored and ran and played ball and ate popsicles and built things and rode scooters and had cookouts…but what we’re really doing is soaking up these last days as a family of four.

We speak of and treat Sayble like she’s already part of the family (because she IS) but she’s not out of the womb yet…and we all know that when that time comes, things will change again.

She’ll require more of me than she does now and will need more of my hands on attention. We’ll all work on bonding and transitioning to our new normal as a family of five. There will be less time for individual time with the kids…for everything (for a while) for that matter.

I remember being scared to death before Wryder was born because I couldn’t imagine how in the world I was going to be able to love him even half as much as I did Sawyer. I mean, that girl…

The Lord does miraculous things with love; mine was multiplied, not remotely divided! I mean, isn’t that how He is with us?? He doesn’t divide His love equally among the entire human population and we all get the tiniest sliver to survive on. No way! We all get ALL of His love!

I remember when they placed Wryder on my stomach and I saw his sweet, quivering lip and his little face that looked so much like his sister when she was born I was smitten! As time has gone on, I love him even more…her, too.

I have no qualms about having enough love for sweet Sayble. He’s multiplied it once, I know He’ll do it again.

Until she makes her arrival, we’ll soak up these last days together before four becomes five…before love is multiplied…before we wonder how we ever were before Sayble…

The product of Wrex and I's love... — The product of Wrex and I’s love…

I Can See the Light

I’m not sure I’ve ever been so glad that it’s Friday…bearing that Friday means the weekend will be completely opposite of the past week. It’s been one of those. Dooooooooo-zeeeeee.

I have no doubt that pregnancy hormones have exacerbated things. I can also freely admit that my little handful of grievances and issues pale in comparison to 90% of the rest of the world’s problems and heart aches. BUT, it’s still just been a tough week.

Parenting is not for the feint of heart. Relationships aren’t for the feint of heart. Life is not for the feint of heart.

in the midst of the ick, I’m attempting to be grateful…

I’m thankful for…

…a sweet husband who will sit and talk through parenting issues with you, brainstorm solutions, solidify our team with his words and his vows and his prayers, and then hug the stuffing out of you until you can’t breathe (because of your burgeoning belly).

…for friends who will pray with you and for you and encourage you and support you.

…for people who consistently show me how I don’t want to be when I grow up.

…for sweet little girls and boys who love their mommy no matter how much of a failure she feels like she is.

…for opportunities to show grace and to be a woman of my word, because I’ve been on the receiving end of the opposite of that…and it ain’t pretty.

…for the promise that His mercies are new every morning.

…for the fact that I don’t have to be tomorrow who I am today.

…for the way I can groan in the Spirit and He hears my cries and gently leads me on.

…for the way weekends with my teammate bring renewal for me.

I have much more to be grateful for than I have to complain about – that is not lost on me, for sure – but here’s to hoping (still) for a better strings of days…

Goodbye Sure Aint Easy

We said goodbye to this handsome fella today.

Hard day around here.

We’ve known it’s been coming for a while and I have no doubt he is no longer suffering or miserable or in pain…still a hard thing.

We got Trigger from a friend the first year we were married. (I’ve known him longer than my kids or most of my friends!) I’ve always loved these dogs (Chinese Cresteds) but they aren’t cheap. No way I was gonna pay $1000 for a dog!

A lady we knew in Northern Colorado raised show dogs and Trigger’s ears didn’t stand up properly so she kept him as a pet. Unfortunately, he liked to chase cars and they lived right on the road so she gifted him to us.

He was a snuggly, spunky guy!

His favorite place to be was in your lap…or chasing goats or a four-wheeler! He thought he was a bonafide farm dog and he sure made himself fit right in!

He was my (second) main man all those days and nights when Wrexy was working late. He went to work with me on occasion and he always garnered lots of attention.

Sporting "highlights" — Sporting “highlights”

He was a little bit of a high maintenance dog. Winters were hard because he had no body hair and summers were hard because he would get burned if we didn’t put sunscreen on him. He took some work, but he brought us a lot of joy!

The way he ran around the farm when we were in Brighton was almost inspiring. He loved life and showed it!

He dropped in rank as the kids were born and slowly started getting more arthritic and less active. The last six months have been really hard on him and today was his day.

Trigger Digger, we love you buddy. You were a good ole friend…and you’ll be missed, it’s true.

We all spent some time telling him goodbye before we left for church this morning. Sawyer took it harder than I thought she might. (He had gotten kinda cranky in his old age and often tried to bite her. Sweet girl still showered him with love.) Poor sweetie cried a lot this morning, as did her momma. She laid in his bed with him, church clothes and all, and hugged him and cried before we walked out the door. It was a sad and beautiful thing.

I know this will be just the beginning of loss she will experience in this old world but it didn’t make it any easier on this momma’s heart.

We praised Jesus for the time we had with him and we thanked him that Trigger’s no longer sore and miserable.

We love you, buddy!

Life’s a Zoo

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!

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... — Going for a trailer ride…

The chicks have gotten married a few times…

Marrying Cinderella... — Marrying Cinderella…

She takes such good care of them and loves to just snuggle up with them on the couch.

We’ve gone through a few paper towels/toilet paper as she totes them around the house…

Tonight, daddy brought home an even BIGGER surprise!

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!)

She's got a quite a knack for getting them to eat... — She’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… 😉

Big Day

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?

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…

She ended up getting dark green with silver sparkles and they even put fancy flowers on her big toes!

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.

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…

Worth 1,000 Words: What We’ve Been Up To

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!? — 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.

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 I put the pickup on... — The temp I put the pickup on…

We did a little chicken gazing. I could watch those ladies all day!

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.

The kids got some belated valentines from Gramps!

Wryder LOVES food. One of his favorites, though…

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? — Don’t ya just love their hats?

and a lot of other silly shenanigans!

Tomorrow, we’re back to the daily grind. Thankful for this snowy cold…

Worth 1,000 Words: Our Heart Day Weekend

The kiddos hit the mother load with the mail yesterday, making it an exceptionally fun Friday! Miss Pam, our mail lady, brought them sticker valentines AND packages and cards from great-grandma, grandma and auntie!

Bears and dogs and crayons and tractors!

We were just heading out the door for fun Friday shenanigans and we got inundated with surprises!

My gorgeous valentine girl... — My gorgeous valentine girl…

More heart hair! :) — More heart hair! 🙂

Wryder wanted to sneak in there, too... — Wryder wanted to sneak in there, too…

The animals had to accompany us to lunch at Subway, of course.

We left them in the car for some playtime at the park. Another gorgeous winter day around here…it was lovely!

More interested in showing me the airplane than posing. ;) — More interested in showing me the airplane than posing. 😉

We ran a few errands, came home and took naps and then headed back outside to watch the tractor across the road work ground and eat some of the Valentine goodies we got in the mail.

Eating cookie with bear... — Eating cookie with bear…

Once the cookie was gone, he tried to eat the tin!

Once the sun went down and the wind grew chilly, we headed inside to finish working on daddy’s valentine.

Very serious business... — Very serious business…

Bear even got a special seat... — Bear even got a special seat…

This morning, we celebrated with valentines to each other and a lovely breakfast!

Strawberry hearts, sugar/cinnamon love toast and scrambled eggs!

Opening his gifts... — Opening his gifts…

He LOVED his "Ma-Mouse" socks! — He LOVED his “Ma-Mouse” socks!

Not sure how I'm gonna get them off of him... — Not sure how I’m gonna get them off of him…

Pretty flowers from my hubby...complete with hydrangeas - my fave! — Pretty flowers from my hubby…complete with hydrangeas – my fave!

Sawyer spent the morning gathering some of her most prized possessions to give to daddy for Valentine’s day.

It might look like a pile of junk to the untrained eye, but these are some of her favorite things that she keeps up in her room away from little hands. I cried when I saw it all…it was what she had to give…and she gave it so willingly.

I love the hearts of these people I get to call mine. It’s been the perfect day because we’ve been together…not sure what more I could ask for.

Daddy and the kids ran to town to pick up pizza – a special treat out here in the sticks…especially when you have to drive 60 miles roundtrip to get it! We’re gonna watch a fun show, snuggle and stay out of that cold wind!

I pray you have felt as loved as I have today. My heart is full!

Love is in the Air

It’s looking pretty pink around here!

The kids helped me decorate for Valentine’s day this week and I must say that it’s just so cheery and sweet around here.

I LOVE love…probably because I have the best husband on the face of the planet…and I LOVE Valentine’s day. I’m not one of these cynical people that think it’s a Hallmark holiday and that you should love your spouse everday. To that I say, well DUH. But what’s the harm in specifically showing them that on a certain day? There’s none. Love away, friends…love away.

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Sawyer took little Valentine’s to her Cubbies class on Wednesday. She’s not big into sweets but she loves marshmallows! She found some heart shaped marshmallows that she just had to have so we made little s’mores packets.

I need s'more friends like you! — I need s’more friends like you!

She ate her marshmallows on the way home and gave the cookies and chocolate to dad.

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We tried out some heart hair yesterday and it’s sooooooo cute!

This was post-nap so you can see it held up quite well!

We took a section of hair and secured it in a ponytail. Then we sent the whole ponytail back UP through the section of hair. Divide the ponytail in half and twist the left section counter clockwise and the right section clockwise and you see a heart start to form. Secure the bottom of the heart with a rubber band and voila! Cute, easy Valentine hair!

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We snapped some pics of the kids last Sunday in front of some pink and red Valentine bunting I made. I made these two little cards to send out to the grandparents and aunts and uncles. The kiss is my FAVE.

They. Are. So. CUTE. (If I do say so myself…)

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I’ve had the privilege of having this guy as my valentine for 13 years! How blessed am I??

He is, hands down, the best thing that has ever happened to me (next to Jesus), though he’s a gift straight from Him, I know.

He loves me so unconditionally, so wholly…He is definitely the better half of this relationship, no doubt. He points us straight to Jesus and exudes the fruit of the Spirit more than any person I’ve ever met.

Happy Valentine’s Day, honey! YOU are why I love this day! I pray I can love you just as well as you love me; I’ll die trying, that’s for sure. I don’t even want to think about doing this life without you. Smooch. Smooch. Smooch.

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Happy heart day!

Random Rambles

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…

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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... — 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!

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*

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.

Wryder loved the train, especially every time the whistle blew. He’d look at me with this little surprised face – so cute!

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A sweet little dog named Booey got to spend the night with Sawyer Friday night – one of her favorite things.

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!