Thanksgiving Recap

This year we had a full week to be together for Thanksgiving. Lance took a few days off work and we headed to the lake on Sunday.

We got to spend a lot of time with Uncle Brent, which Sawyer loved, and we just enjoyed being together, laying around in our pj's and not having anything to do!

I remember doing this as a kid...sitting
on the vent...so warm!

Aunt Tammy, Daniel, Michael, and Katherine came to visit us on Tuesday...and after Sawyer warmed up to them, we had a great time! The boys played a little football and then Tammy's kiddos played with Sawyer in the leaves!

Uncle Grant came Tuesday night and all the grown ups played games and watched movies!

Wednesday I cooked our Thanksgiving meal and we enjoyed getting to see Grammy for a bit. After lunch Kelly and Gibson came to visit and we had a great time until Sawyer fell out of a chair and seemed REALLY hurt.

We took our first trip to the ER and the doctor knew immediately that Sawyer had broken his collar bone. Thankfully, he didn't think Sawyer would have a long recovery. He seems to be doing well.

Thursday we headed to Asheboro to have dinner with my mom's side of the family. The cats seemed to really bother Sawyer, so we had a rough night of sneezing and watery eyes and stuffy noses!

Friday morning my mom and I did a little shopping while Lance took Sawyer to Judy's house to get him away from the kitty cats! We also celebrated Uncle Grant's 18th birthday with
family!

We came back a day early, but it was MUCH needed! We enjoyed our vacay, but it's always good to be home!

Thankful Post...

Today I'm thankful for Christmas decorations!

In our house, we decorate the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but I didn't get everything finished until today.

I'm thankful for our two Christmas trees (a tacky tree for the boys and a pretty tree for me).

I'm thankful for ornaments that tell stories, the ones passed down from my mom, the ornaments that we passed out as wedding favors, the ornaments that Sawyer will be embarrassed by when he's older, the handmade cinnamon ornaments that Sawyer licks intead of smells, the ones that point to the reason that we celebrate Christmas.

I'm thankful for my nativity sets (even though I don't have room to put them all out!) I love retelling the story of Jesus to Sawyer each time he looks at them.

I'm thankful for Christmas hymns framed around the house.

I'm thankful for the coziness it brings...and how it makes us sit together more often and enjoy the beauty of Christmas!

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Today I am thankful for our home.

After all the traveling and different homes we were in this past week, I was so thankful to be in OUR home.

I am thankful that it keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I'm thankful for it's shelter.

I am thankful that it is our comfy place...our refuge from the craziness and busyness of the world..the place where we can tune it all out and enjoy each other.

It's the only place Sawyer has ever known as home, the place where we made our first memories as a family of three, the place where cuddle up to watch tv, the place where we eat dinner together, the place where we pray together, the place where we learn together, the place where we have friends and family over to fellowship

It's the place with little boy stained carpets, a few crayon marks on the wall, the place where toys are often found in the middle of the floor, the place where you'll most likely always find a cup of tea sitting on an end table, the place where Lance comes in after a hard days work.

I'm thankful for the memories we have already made in this house, and the ones that are yet to come!

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Today I'm thankful for my extended family.

Tonight was a hard night as it was the first Thanksgiving we've celebrated without my aunt Chonnie attending because of her illness.

But I was reminded in the midst of all of the sadness, that God has given us so many good memories and good times together...and I think He does that to ease our pain.

And God is at work through all of this...bringing family closer together, giving us one another to hold each other up, showing us what really matters in life...

So today I'm thankful for the memories and times I share with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

I'm thankful for love that goes beyond having to see each other, but is just there...always, unconditionally.

Afterall, isn't that what family is all about?!

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Today I'm thankful for God's provision.

Sawyer fell out of a chair today and broke his collar bone...

It was no surprise to God, and in His faithfulness, he provided big time for us today:

I was not alone with Sawyer...there were several people around.

Brent, who was a paramedic for a while was with us, and looked at Sawyer and told us it was probably best to take him to the ER.

We were at Seven lakes, which meant we got to go to Moore Regional Hospital, instead of Annie Penn Hospital in Reidsville.

We were in and out of the ER in 45 minutes!

The doctor we saw was AMAZING...so amazing that I'm sending a card to him in the mail to thank him. He knew as soon as he saw Sawyer what had happened! He even shared how his daughter had done the same thing when she was little!

Sawyer didn't have to have an x-ray (less trauma for him, smaller hospital bill for us!).

Brent went with us to the hospital (I thought he was just being nice!) so that if anyone questioned what happened, we had a lawyer present!

Though Lance and I hate that our poor baby had to go through breaking a bone, the ER, being in pain (though he is being a trooper and it doesn't seem to phase him!), we are thankful that when we tell Sawyer this story years from now, we can also tell him how faithful God was to provide for him!

Sawyer's Sayings and Doings

Sawyer's friend, Claire was over and asked for an apple...which meant Sawyer asked for an apple. They were pretending that a big box we had was their car and they were playing SO well. Amy (Claire's mom) and I were talking in the living room and went to check on them a little later. I saw that Claire had just her apple core left and I couldn't find Sawyer's. I asked him where his apple was and he said "In my tummy!" The WHOLE apple was in his tummy!

Lance gave Sawyer some Koolaid one afternoon and after he took the first sip he said, "Mama, it's good. It's DEWICIOUS!"

We went to Pizza Hut for dinner one evening and it was empty except for this one other family. They were hispanic and had two little boys...probably 4 and 6. The little boys were speaking in spanish and I guess Sawyer thought they were saying his name wrong because he looked at them and said, "NO...I Dee Dee!" A little later these little boys were running around and wrestling on the floor and Sawyer looked at them, shaking his pointer finger, and said "No, stop that...stop that....get up!"

Me: Sawyer, what is your name?
Sawyer: My name Dee Dee Sawder Cole.

I called for Sawyer the other day and he said "I no Sawder, I Dee Dee!"

Lately, Sawyer likes to say his own prayer, but only for himself at dinner. He gets rather worked up when we bow our heads with him...or if Lance just starts praying. The other night when Lance started praying after Sawyer had already said his prayer he said, "Stop it guys, stop it, guys."

Sawyer totally jams to his Fresh Beat Band cd. I need to get him on video. He knows ALL the songs by heart. He loves it so much that Lance and I will switch it out of our cars for him to have when we go somewhere.

When we went to the Children's Museum with Meredith and Trista, he kept calling Trista, "baby Tuhta!"

If Sawyer really likes something he's eating he says, "Nummy my tummy!"

In the bathtub one evening, he kept saying "I swimmin', I swimmin'...I kick, I kick."

I heard lots of pitter pattering in the bathroom one morning and went to see what Sawyer and Aidan were doing. As I got closer to the bathroom I heard Sawyer saying, "Go, Aidan..Go, Aidan." I asked him what they were doing and he said, "Tap dance!" (Fresh Beat Band!)

Thankful Post

Today I'm thankful for answered prayer...

This afternoon I was washing dishes and heard Sawyer and Aidan fighting in the other room. I knew exactly what it was over...Sawyer's little bus...they had been fighting over it all day. And then I heard Aidan scream one of those "I'm really hurt" screams. I dried my hands and ran into the playroom and asked Sawyer what happened. "I bite Aidan," he said, as if it was no big deal.

I consoled Aidan and got him some ice (luckily the bite didn't break the skin) and then disciplined Sawyer and put him in time out. I told him when he calmed down we would talk.

I've been praying A LOT lately, as in many, many times a day, that God would convict his little, young heart of sin. And I prayed then, as Sawyer was sitting in time out, that he would realize that he had done something wrong and hurt his friend.

Sawyer calmed down and we talked about how he hurt his friend and made him sad. I told him he needed to hug Aidan and tell him he was sorry, and that he wouldn't bite him again. I could tell in his face that he realized he had done something wrong. But after all of that he went on his way playing with toys.

A few minutes later he came to me with tears running down his little face. "I sorry, Mama, I sorry!" I no hurt Aidan more (I won't hurt Aidan anymore). I told him that we needed to pray and ask God to forgive him. He parroted a prayer "God, please forgive me for hurting Aidan." and then looked at me and said "I make God happy?!" I explained (as well as I could to a 2 year old) that God is happy when he obeys me and Lance and God is happy when he obeys Him by loving his friends and being nice to them. I also reminded him that God loves him all the time, but He wants him to try to do the right thing.

I think today was the first time that Sawyer really understood that he had done something wrong, that he had sinned and had made Aidan sad. He even asked me, "Mama, I make you sad? I make Dada sad? I make Jen sad?" Praise God that he works in the hearts of little children, that He convicts their hearts just like he does mine.

I know that we have a long way to go in teaching Sawyer about his sin and how it separates him from God, and that's why Jesus had to come as a baby, live a perfect life, and die on the cross. But I felt like we made a step in the right direction today. I'm so thankful for the work that God is already doing in him, even as a 2 year old. I pray often for Sawyer to KNOW Jesus at an early age....may this be the beginning of that journey.

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Today I am thankful for our veterans and for those who serve our country today.

I am thankful that they sacrifice SO much...some sacrifice ALL so that I can live in the best country in the world and enjoy all of it's freedoms.

I am thankful for my relatives who have served our country.

I am thankful that I live in the land of the free and the home of the brave!

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Today I am thankful for the people who volunteer their time to work in the children's department at church.

I am thankful for nursery workers who console him (he's MUCH better about it now, though) when he's dropped off.

I am thankful for those who give hugs and cuddles and kisses when he gets hurt, who change dirty diapers, who wipe snotty noses.

I am thankful for those who speak biblical truths to him, for those who pray with him.

I am thankful for Sunday School teachers who read to him from the Bible, and plan fun activities, and send things home for us to discuss with him.

I am thankful for choir teachers who teach him God's truth through song, who let him dance and run around and play instruments.

I am thankful for those who believe what Jesus says about children.

I am thankful for those who pray for my child throughout the week.

We are so blessed with our nursery workers and Sunday School teachers...I could not ask for better people to teach and nurture our child in the Lord!

Our Saturday

What a fun Saturday! Brent spent the night with us last night. I love when Uncle Brent visits...I always feel like a much more informed citizen after talking with him!

Sawyer loves to tackle and jump on him!

My parents also came to visit today. We played football outside and then Mush and Papa took turns pushing him around in his car! Later on, when we were inside, Papa was playing around with Sawyer and gently patted him on the rear and Sawyer told us that Papa spanked him. He was so upset...I thought it was hilarious! Mush and Papa also got to see him be a true 2 year old and say "no" to everything they asked him. Joy!

I'm sure he was saying something like,
"No wanna do that. No say it!"

The face he made when we told him
he had to go inside!

Our night ended with a yummy supper, putting puzzles together, and Sawyer's first real game of Memory! He did really well. I put a matching game app on my Kindle, so he kinda knew how to play.

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Today I'm thankful for my brother-in-"loves"

I'm thankful that God gave me brother in laws that I truly do LIKE and LOVE!

I'm thankful for Brent, who will ALWAYS be Brently to me...I'm thankful for his testimony, his witty personality, his heart, his love for his family, the way he plays with Sawyer, that we share a love for coffee, that he is a man of God and a bold witness, that we have been friends for YEARS and I can trust him, that he is a man of integrity.

I'm thankful for Adam, that he adores my sister and loves her like a woman deserves to be loved, that he fits perfectly into our family, that he is so easy going, that he is an awesome uncle to Sawyer, that we always laugh when he's around. I'm thankful for the job he does every day to protect others.

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Today I'm thankful for my girlfriends.

I'm thankful for friends who know me and get me.

I'm thankful for friends that I can trust...really, really trust!

I'm thankful for friends that don't compete with each other, but that edify and encourage and compliment each other and are sincerely happy for each other.

I'm thankful for friends who laugh at me and with me!

I'm thankful for friends who cry with me and for me.

I'm thankful for friends who send encouraging emails or texts throughout the day.

I'm thankful for friends who stop by and overlook the toys, the dirty dishes, and the fact that at noon, I'm still in pajamas!

I'm thankful for friends who support me.

I'm thankful for friends who love Sawyer and give great mommy advice!

I'm thankful for friends who point me to Jesus, who lovingly point out my sin, and who make me want to be a better wife and mother.

I'm thankful for friends that are some of the most godly women I've ever known.

I'm thankful for friends who spend time in prayer and in the word.

I'm thankful for friends who study the Bible with me.

I'm thankful for friends who open their homes and lives and hearts to me. I'm beyond blessed with the most wonderful friends a girl could ask for!

Apples and Bananas



I think I learned the "Apples and Bananas" song in first grade....ya know, where you change the vowel sound. I sang it to Sawyer this morning while he was eating (his choice) an apple and a banana for breakfast and he thought it was hilarious!

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Today I'm thankful for the little things:

a lazy morning in our pj's,

Fresh Beat Band dance parties in the living room,

a cup of hot tea,

giggling little boys in a shopping cart,

a gorgeous day and lunch outside,

Lance coming home on his lunch break,

baking with Sawyer,

encouraging emails from friends,

a night that we're all at home together,

watching Sawyer splash in the tub,

seeing Sawyer and Lance play,

Earl Grey lattes,

comfy pants,

a warm blanket,

watching tv with my hubby...

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Today I'm thankful for my little sister!

Yes, the little sister that I wanted my parents to return to the hospital, the sister who always put her arm or leg over the "invisible line" when we had to share a bed, the sister who told on me for breaking her leg (long story!), the sister who I ignored walking down the halls in elementary school, the sister I HAD to take to school and pick up when I got my license, the sister who I argued and fought with....isn't that just what sister's do?!

Seriously, though, my little sister has grown to be a person that I adore and respect so much.

I'm thankful for her generous spirit.

I'm thankful for her "tell it like it is" personality.

I'm thankful for how she invests in Sawyer's life and makes time to see him even though her work schedule is crazy! I'm thankful for how crazy she is about him!

I'm thankful for her testimony and the way I can see God's hand in her life.

I'm thankful for the many stories we share and the way we can look at each other and know what the other is thinking.

I'm thankful for how dedicated she is to her husband, her family, and her job.

I'm thankful that out of all the siblings God could've given me, he gave me her.

I'm thankful that she's not just my sister, but my friend!

Lately...

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately...we had a ridiculously busy week last week plus a baby who wasn't sleeping at night due to a nasty cough (which means this mama was sleep deprived and sneaking in 10 minute naps like it was her job!). Thankfully, Lance took him to the doctor today and got some good meds to clear everything up.

Here are some random pics from the past week...

Last Wednesday I kept my friend Kellie's little girl. Sawyer LOVES her...he kept calling her "my Kassi!"

I totally LOVED having three little toddlers!

Lunch time (on super cute Halloween plates that Kellie sent!)

It starts early!

Playing trains (and dressed like Twist!)

I pulled this couch out of the closet and he loves to
lay on it and tell me he's going night night.

The Super Readers need breakfast, too! "I share my
cereal, mama!"

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Today I'm thankful that I live in the United States of America.

I'm especially thankful today, for the right to vote.

I'm thankful for the freedom to worship God freely and openly.

I'm thankful for those who have gone before me to grant those freedoms, and for those who serve right now to secure those freedoms.

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Today I'm thankful for our church family. When we came to FBC three and a half years ago, I don't think we knew just how much we would love our church...

I'm thankful for people who love Jesus and desire to honor Him.

I'm thankful for the people who quickly became our best friends.

I'm thankful for people who "do life" with us...people that we don't just see at church on Sunday, but people that are our family here.

I'm thankful for people who share our joys and celebrate with us.

I'm thankful for people who walk through the messy, hard, ugly parts of life with me.

I'm thankful for people who give and give.

I'm thankful for people who love sincerely.

I'm thankful for people who pray and intercede on our behalf before the Father.

I'm thankful for people who see needs and do something about it.

I'm thankful for people who love Sawyer and teach him about Jesus.

I'm thankful for people who share their talents for God's glory.

I'm thankful for the people who do the Lord's work, not out of obligation, but out of love.

I'm thankful to serve alongside awesome people who encourage me and challenge me to follow after Jesus with all that I am!
 

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Today I'm thankful for my parents...

I'm thankful to have been raised in a home where I felt loved every day of my life...I have parents who truly show unconditional love.

I'm thankful for parents that encouraged me to do my best and encouraged me to follow my dreams. 

I'm thankful for parents who supported everything I ever did...seriously, who goes to football and basketball games to see the cheerleaders?! In everything I was ever involved in, they missed ONE game I cheered at..and only because Meredith had her first chorus concert that night!

I'm thankful for parents who worked hard to provide the very best for me and Murf...and many times that meant sacrifice on their part.

I'm thankful for parents who taught me that the things that really matter in life aren't things that you buy.

I'm thankful for parents who were very involved in my daily life...even if I thought then that they were "strict" or "overprotective!" I'm thankful for parents who protected me as much as possible from the world.

I'm thankful for parents that taught me about the things they enjoy...as far back as I can remember, I was cooking in the kitchen with mama and listening to music with daddy...and today, cooking and singing are probably my favorite things to do!

I'm thankful for parents who dried many, many tears over the years.

I'm thankful that I know when I'm with them, I'm bound to cry from LAUGHING so much!

I'm thankful for parents who would drop everything or give everything they had for me, Murf, Lance, Adam, or Sawyer.

I'm thankful for parents who taught me that marriage is forever...and worth fighting for. I'm thankful for parents, who, after 30 years still laugh together and hold hands and go on
dates.

I am thankful for parents who love Sawyer more than life, who invest richly in his life, who spend as much time with him as possible, who know his latest "favorites," who call every day to see how he is and what's new with him, who spend their money to buy him things we can't, who always put a smile on his face.

I'm thankful that God gave me MY parents...because parents don't get any better than mine!

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Today I'm thankful for our precious baby boy!

 

 

I am thankful for the gift of his life...it still amazes me how God "knit" him together the way he did, how he grew him in my womb...I don't know how you can see a newborn baby and not believe in God!

I am thankful that God would choose me to be his mommy.

I am thankful that he is healthy...I know so many people who have children born with serious conditions that require surgery or a lifetime of medication. Praise God that the most serious illness Sawyer ever had was an ear infection! When I think about it like that, I am thankful for the nights that I'm up all night with a snotty nosed, coughing little boy, because it means I'm able to care for him at home and not in a hospital.

I am thankful that he is smart and creative and imaginative and takes in everything going on around him.

I am thankful for his personality.

I am thankful for the lessons he teaches me everyday.

I am thankful for how he makes me want to be a better mommy and wife and follwer of Jesus.

I am thankful for the unconditional love he shows me.

I am thankful for how easily he forgives.

I am thankful for his cuddles and big kisses and big hugs.

I am thankful for his belly laugh and contagious smile.

I am thankful that he is active and playful and energetic.

I am thankful that he is shy and reserved.

I am thankful that he is and will always be a part of me and a part of his daddy.

I am thankful for all of these things, you see, because God made every little detail of Sawyer...He created him...every feature, every quirk, every strawberry blonde hair on his head was created by the God who created the universe...and He makes no mistakes. So, I am thankful for a perfect 2 and a half year old little boy who is my joy and my love and the most wonderful earthly gift I've ever been given.

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Today I'm thankful for my hubby.

I am thankful that God put him in my life as a friend before we dated.

I am thankful that he was never "like all the other guys!"

I am thankful that he loves Jesus and that that love determines everything he does.

I am thankful for how deeply he loves me.

I am thankful for how he protects me.

 

I am thankful that he always has my back.

 

I am thankful that he is my teammate and my partner in parenting.

I am thankful for how he leads me to be more like Jesus.

I am thankful that he is Sawyer's daddy and is very involved in Sawyer's life.

I am thankful that he is madly in love with his little boy.

I am thankful for how hard he works to provide for us.

I am thankful that he wants me to be home with Sawyer instead of working outside of the home.

I am thankful for the many sacrifices he makes in order for me to be at home.

I am thankful for how he shepherds our church.

I am thankful that our wedding vows were not just words to him, but vows that he truly tries to live out every day.

I am thankful for how faithful he is to our family.

I am thankful for how he serves others.

 

I am thankful for the little things he does that are really big to me like taking out the trash, waking up with Sawyer in the middle of the night when he knows I need sleep, setting the alarm every night, picking up my favorite drink on his way home from a late night at church, giving me mornings or afternoons to myself when he knows I need some "me" time, being ok with sandwiches or cereal for dinner on stressful days....it really is the little things!

 

I am thankful for the godly example he is setting for Sawyer and many others.

 

I am thankful that he makes me laugh.

I am thankful, that even after 10 years, I am still smitten with him!

 

I am thankful that he is a man who reads the Word of God, believes it, and loves it.

 

I am thankful that I am married to my best friend.

 

I am thankful that he is mine for the rest of my life.

 

Thankful Post

I got this idea from some other blogs I read. This month I'll be posting some of the things I'm thankful for (along with my regular Sawyer posts...don't worry, Mush!)

I'll start with the thing I'm most thankful for...my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and the salvation that I have because of Him.

Ten years ago, as a lonely, scared, homesick freshman at NCSU, I rededicated my life to God at a Campus Crusade for Christ event. When I think back to that night, it still brings me to tears. It was the night that I realized that being a good person and a moral person didn't make me a Christian, and didn't mean that I would spend eternity in heaven....only Jesus Christ can offer that, and that night I gave my life to Him and promised to live the rest of my life for His glory and for His fame.


I remember clearly the last song we sang that Thursday night and when I hear it sung now, it still tugs at my heart....

"I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
So, here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you're my God!"

 
I'm SO very thankful that 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ died on a cross, bearing the weight of my sin, suffering in my place, and reconciling me to the Father. I am thankful that though I deserve death, Jesus gives abundant life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.'" -John 14:6