Sawyer, our little entertainer :)

Emmie is a cutie at 5 months old :)

Lovin Life

Emmie is growing, Sawyer is funny and life is busy! I love every second of every minute of every day (except for the moments when pure exhaustion set in, ha!) Sawyer and Emmie are amazing creations of God and I feel so blessed to be their mommy. Every day I am blown away by them. I could literally sit and stare at them all day long! Sawyer is getting skinnier with every inch taller he grows. Emmie is starting to fill out and develop some cute chubby cheeks and thighs. Sawyer finished Soccer and is almost finished with T-Ball. I was surprised to find out that he enjoys T-Ball much much more than soccer. In the last couple of games he has shown a lot of improvement (mostly in the area of paying attention and not dancing in the outfield, ha!) He continues to make us laugh and smile with the things that he says. I think my next post will be a listing of some of these funny things because I just don't want to forget them.
Emmie is rolling all over the place and her smile lights up the room! She just got over her first illness, but survived it like a trooper! I am predicting that she is going to be a fun loving, easy going, happy, independant child! (quite unlike her brother) She is not much of a snuggler, but all you have to do is look at her and she looks back at you with the biggest cutest gummy grin! We fed her rice cereal the other day and she absolutely loved it! It only took her a couple of bites to know what to do with it and then she took the spoon from me and started licking it!
Sawyer has loved swimming this summer and is getting a lot braver with playing and jumping in the water by himself. Emmie got in the lake for the first time this weekend and she smiled and laughed the whole time. They both love Papa's new pontoon and I predict a lot of fun times ahead on that boat.
One of our favorite things to do this summer is take Sawyer to Silver Dollar City. He LOVES everything about it and it is a real treat for him. He will ride any ride that he is tall enough to ride and I love watching his face full of excitement when we get on each one.
Let's be honest, I just love my kids. I love everything about them. Even when my patience starts to run thin I just take a deep breath and try to remember that I will miss each and every moment of their childhood one day, even the frustrating times.

On another note, I am absolutely thrilled with my new job. I don't even like to use the term "job" because it doesn't feel like that to me. It is a true blessing from the Lord and I can't wait to see the amazing things that come from this new journey I am on.

Until next time...enjoy summer! :)

Emmie's First Easter

Sawyer is 4!

April is such a fun month in our household. This past weekend we celebrated Easter, Layne's birthday and Sawyer's birthday! I can't believe he is already 4 years old. This weekend will hold a pirate birthday party unlike any other and I am sure I will have tons of pictures to post afterwards. Sawyer got more excited than ever about his birthday this year. He has been waiting for it for months. He just couldn't wait to turn 4 year olds (as he would say)! On the morning of his birthday I went in his room at our usual 6:30am and woke him up by saying, "Sawyer, wake up wake up, it's your birthday!" Our normal routine is for him to moan and groan and say, "but mommy, I too tired." However on this morning he immediately started kicking his feet with excitement and opened his eyes and squealed! He stretched out big and said, "look mommy, I am changing into 4!" I love that little boy so much! He celebrated his big day by taking Transformer cupcakes to school to share with his friends, meeting family at the Panda House (his favorite place to eat) for dinner, of course opening fun presents and ending the day by playing his new Mario Kart game with daddy. He didn't want the day to end! The next day when I woke him up he said, "Mommy, am I still 4?" Ha ha, apparently 4 is a big deal! He has now decided that since he is 4 he can do everything by himself. Just this week he has started dressing himself, brushing his own teeth, etc. It has been entertaining to watch his new found independence take root. :)

11 Weeks Old!!

11 weeks old

Emmie is so fun and loveable right now. We are still dealing with the occasional fussy fits in the evenings, but who doesn't deal with that!?!? She is starting to "talk" a lot and can now reach the toys on her bouncy seat, which makes her so excited and proud. She gives us big ol gummy grins all the time and it melts our heart. Precious, just precious.

What a good helper!!

Sawyer adores his little sister and wants to see her and "pet" her all the time. :) He just started soccer practice this week and can't stop talking about it. T-Ball starts in a few weeks as well. I think we are about to enter into the days when we have to work around his social calendar! He is hilarious and keeps us entertained every moment of every day. Our life would be so boring without him!

Spring has sprung (well maybe more like summer) and it is so fun to get to play outside and enjoy the weather. The next few weeks are going to be full of Easter and birthdays and tons of fun. I love Spring!!

In Awe of HIM

Nobody told me how crazy my life was going to be these last couple of months!! Don't get me wrong, it is GOOD craziness, but crazy all the same.

First of all, EMMIE LAYNE WILKS was born on January 6 at 6:36am, weighing 7 lbs. 12.5 oz and 21 inches long. I went into the hospital about 2:00am with consistent, but not very strong contractions. My water broke around 5:00am and the pain came quickly after! Everything after that happened so fast. My contractions were about 20 seconds apart for about an hour and before we knew it Emmie was here, no time for an epidural or pain medicine! At the time I was screaming from panic and pain, but afterwards I was so thankful for the quick and drug-free delivery (I had been praying that I could go drug free, but didn't think it would actually happen). Praise God for answered prayers! Emmie is beautiful and as Sawyer says, "she is so coot (cute)."

I am not going to lie, this has been the most trying 2 months of my life. Just ask Chris, I have had several meltdowns and there have been many moments where I thought, "what have I gotten myself into?!" Emmie has struggled since she was born (to put it mildly) and we just haven't been able to get her in a routine or in a state of satisfaction until recently when we found out why she has been so uncomfortable...she is lactose intolerant! After switching to Soy formula and putting her on medicine for Reflux we finally have a happy baby on our hands. Another answered prayer, thank you Lord!! My poor baby has felt so bad for 2 months, but now things are looking up and I am so happy! She is still a little colicky in the evenings, but things are so so so so much better!

Now for the 3rd part of the craziness in my life...my job. As you know, I started a new job working for the Branson Junior High School back in August. I am not keeping it a secret that I took about a $10,000 pay cut to go work for the school. It was a crazy move, but Chris and I both knew it was what God wanted me to do. So we did it, we took the leap of faith. Let me tell you, there is NO reason in the world that we should have made it financially after taking that job. I can't explain how we paid our bills except for that the Lord took care of us. Now here is the coolest part...the day I went into labor with Emmie I was called into my boss's office. He informed me that he was offered a new position as Headmaster of the new School of the Ozarks Christian High School on the campus of College of the Ozarks. I was so excited for him, but sad for myself because I loved working for him. He then proceeded to tell me that he needed to hire an assistant and he wanted me!! What!?!?! I was not expecting a job offer. In fact, I was perfectly content with my job and had plans of staying there for a long time. Ha ha, the Lord is funny that way. I told him I would have to pray about it, but didn't really think I would pursue the job offer. That evening I had Emmie and the whirlwind began. After praying about it for a week I decided to apply for the job, still not expecting to take it. A couple weeks later I went in for the interview, which turned into an hour and a half conversation about the school and the job. I walked out of the interview 100% confident that I was going to be working for School of the Ozarks. The Lord completely blew me away with His plan for me and how it unfolded. By 5:00pm that day I received a phone call and was offered the job. Here is the most amazing part, not only did they offer me an incredible job, but the salary was $5,000 more than what I was making BEFORE going to the Junior High. We honestly had no idea how we were going to pay Emmie's babysitter when I went back to work and then I got this offer. WOW!!! INCREDIBLE!!! PRAISE GOD!!!! HE had a plan for me all along. I just had to take that leap of faith. I have never felt more blessed and humbled and loved by my Father in Heaven as I have these last couple of months. Yes, starting a new job with a 6 week old fussy baby was hard, but I couldn't love it any more. This is the most incredible place to work and I love everything about my job. Ahhhhhhh, thank you Jesus.

I am now at the point where I can sit back and reflect on all that has happened over the past year and I am blown away. With tears streaming down my face let me tell you what the Lord has done for me in the last 12 months:

1. We got pregnant (after being told that was not possible) on our own, no fertility drugs!

2. I took a leap of faith and started a new job at Branson Schools after 9 years at the Kanakuk Institute.

3. We paid our bills each month and never had to use our credit card, even though the numbers showed it wasn't possible.

4. We found out that the little baby inside of me was a GIRL!

5. We had our baby girl and it was a fast, drug-free delivery with no complications (unlike the first time around).

6. Sawyer adjusted to the new baby perfectly...no issues at all!

7. I took a new job at the School of the Ozarks and finances were taken care of!

8. We figured out why Emmie was so fussy all the time and now she is a happy baby.

Life is good, amazing, crazy, exhausting and fun! Now my only job is to pray each morning for God to show me what He wants me to do next, one step at a time. Obedience to Him is my only goal in this life. Thank you, Lord, for showing me your way. Through all the struggles and sleep deprivation, I am going to take time each day to thank Him for all He has done. I never want to forget or take for granted how this has all unfolded. I can't wait to continue the story and see what else He has in store for me and my family! :)

Lately and things to come

Life is getting pretty exciting around here. 1 more week of work and then we are off for Christmas break and hopefully waiting for the arrival of our precious Emmie. Sawyer is getting very excited about Christmas and he is starting to understand what it is all about. His teacher said that when she asked him what Christmas meant the other day he said, "It is Jesus's birthday and all the way to 25!" (meaning the 25th of December, we have a countdown candle and he is very ready to get to the last day) He continues to entertain us and amaze us daily.

Sawyer is continuously talking about how big he is getting, especially now that he has a new big boy car seat. He wants to grow big like daddy so bad, and the sad thing is that he probably will be before we know it. Life is moving way too fast! He told me the other day that after Christmas he would be big enough to drive the car, ha ha!

Last week Chris went on a business trip and Sawyer and I stayed at my mom and dad's house, or according to Sawyer, "we took a trip to Nanny's house." He loved spending a few days there and sleeping with his mommy at night, but it was good to get back home and in our routine. My dad had his knee replacement surgery last week and is doing well. We are praying for a full and speedy recovery! Between my dad's knee, my mom's back problems, and me being 9 months pregnant we are quite a helpless family right now! My poor sister is going to have to take care of us all, ha ha! :)

I will end the update with a little bit of sad news. We recently had to say goodbye to our sweet dog, Barbie. She was diagnosed with cancer this summer and finally got to the point where we had to put her down. It was a VERY SAD day! Last winter we said goodbye to Rocky and less than a year later we lost Barbie. It is lonely not having a dog around here, but we are relieved to know that they are both pain free now. Sawyer asks all the time for another dog so I am sure we will give in and get him one after we get into our new routine of being a family of 4. Let's face it, we are just a dog loving family. So here she is, our sweet precious Barbie Darbie Wilks that we miss dearly...

Long time no blog!

I know I know...I haven't blogged in forever! Most of you know, but I started a new job in August and it has just taken awhile to get into the new routine. Let me say this...I am LOVING our new routine! Life is fabulous right now. I love my new job working in the office at the Branson Junior High School. It is the perfect fit for my working mom lifestyle. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Emmie Layne sometime in late December/early January. Sawyer is growing up so much and he is going to be the best big brother! He is very verbal right now and (to put it mildly) he cracks us up every day with the things that come out of his mouth. He is the funniest kid and I could not love him any more! He is learning so much at school and we are so proud of his sucess and accomplishments. He is working on writing his name right now and he almost has it. To put it simply, he is incredible and he blesses our hearts each and every day. Emmie is growing and moving like crazy. We are just so ready to hold her in our arms. We were incredibly blessed with a baby shower this weekend and now we have tons of pink to wash and prepare for her arrival. I love it!! Be prepared, she WILL be a girly girl and I am pretty sure she is going to melt her daddy's heart (whether he knows it or not). :)

Well that is my short update...I will try to do a better job of keeping up with things now!

HOT summer fun

This past weekend we decided to take Sawyer to Silver Dollar City for a little family fun time. It was sooooo HOT!!! The heat sure didn't slow him down though! He wanted to ride every ride in the park. I think his favorite was Fire in the Hole. We were quite impressed. He has definitely become more brave over these past couple of months. Last year at this time you wouldn't have gotten him on anything but the toddler rides, not even the train, but things have changed. He was even sad that he couldn't ride the big coasters with dad. As for this pregnant momma, I just did a lot of sitting, waiting, sweating, and taking pictures. All in all it was a super fun day for our little brave boy.

The Trophy

He did it! Sawyer successfully finished up his first season of tee ball (well, as successful as a 3 year old can be at tee ball). It was fun, but the best part was the trophy that he got at the end. Too bad he thinks it is just another action figure..."baseball guy" to the rescue!

Making Strides

Wow, Sawyer made great strides this weekend! Just a couple months ago while we were in Disneyworld we discovered that Sawyer was terrified of fireworks. I am talking panic/meltdown/true fear! But this weekend he overcame his fear and was actually holding sparklers and asking for more! Yay Sawyer!

Not only that, but he went from clinging to my neck and not getting past his waist in a swimming pool without screaming to swimming all on his own with just arm floaties on. It was quite a weekend and we are very proud of our big boy! :)

Here is proof of both!

The first "at bat"

Here it is, Sawyer's first "at bat" at his first Tee Ball game. Hmmm, maybe we will play this at his Hall of Fame induction one day, ha ha! :)

Our little mover and shaker

We have learned recently that Sawyer has quite the dancing ability. Check out some of these moves! He doesn't even need good music, in this video he is dancing to the weather channel! :)

Wilks x 3 is becoming 4!

Yay yay yay! We are so excited!!!!! Sawyer is going to be a big brother!!

If you have any ideas on a new blog name let me know. I am taking suggestions :)

Sports...It Begins

Well, it is finally here...the day Sawyer begins to play organized sports. Yep, today is his first official sports practice ever and Chris could not be more excited. I am pretty sure he has been waiting for this day since we found out we were pregnant several years ago. We are starting his sports career with Biddy Baseball (aka, T-Ball). It should be entertaining! He is definitely the youngest and SMALLEST on the team, in fact his jersey might fit him like a dress, but it will be fun! Pictures to come...

A few favorite pics from the Disney trip

Best Trip Ever

Here are the words I would use to describe our Disney vacation: fun, eventful, busy, tiring, exciting, thrilling, happy, amazing, wonderful, but mostly…MAGICAL!!! Seriously, there is no place like Disneyworld, especially when you have a 3 year old in your presence. So you might be thinking, did Sawyer enjoy it? Oh my gosh, he could not have enjoyed it more! He blew away my expectations with how much he loved everything Disney. He loved everything about it (minus the fireworks)! He loved the airplane rides, he loved the characters, he loved the parades, he loved the park rides, he loved the shows, he loved the beach and he even loved the tram rides from the parking lot! Although I was a little hesitant to take him at such a young age, I have absolutely no regrets. He could not have loved it more! My favorite part of the trip was just seeing him get so excited to meet characters and see them in the parades. It was like he was meeting celebrities over and over again. I loved that we were able to do this for him. This face pretty much sums up the trip…



Here is a quick rundown of what we did during our week in Florida

Day 1 (April 30, 2011)
Flight to Orlando (Sawyer’s first time to fly, loved it!)
Rental Car fiasco, got upgraded
Checked into our HUGE condo

Day 2
Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney
Highlights-Lion King show, First Parade, Loving characters, Scary Bugs Life 3D show that prompted Sawyer to bring back an imaginary friend that happens to be a purple spider named Poohka (more on that later)

Day 3
Epcot
Highlights-Meeting more fun characters, Sawyer loved the Space ride, Layne got sick on Mission Space, Sawyer got his ears, Sawyer hated the fireworks show, Didn’t even make it through the countries…too tired, but still a super fun day 

Day 4
Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Fantasmic Show
Highlights-So many fun rides for Sawyer, Space Mountain for Mommy and Daddy, Finally met Buzz Lightyear, 2 more parades, Fantasmic show was incredible

Day 5
Daytona Beach, Outlet mall, Giordanos
Highlights-Sawyer wasn’t so sure about the beach, but ended up loving it, fun in the sand and sun, Crazy big outlet malls in Orlando, got to eat our favorite pizza ever…Giordanos!

Day 6
Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom Electric Parade
Highlights-So many fun things here…Disney Junior show, Beauty and the Beast show, more parades, Pixar Place, meeting Woody, and the Electric Parade was A.W.E.S.O.M.E (that is where the picture was taken of Sawyer’s super excited face), trying to get out of the park after the electric parade and before the fireworks started was not quite as awesome (no lights, people everywhere, nobody moving, slight panic on my face)

Day 7
Magic Kingdom all day, Hollywood Studios at night without Sawyer
Highlights-Doing whatever Sawyer wanted to do, loved the Pirates ride and Jungle cruise, rode It’s a Small World again (not mom and dad’s fav, but Sawyer loved it), Sawyer got a kiss from his princess, accomplished all the must do’s at Disney, Mommy and Daddy date night at Hollywood Studios including Tower of Terror, Aerosmith Rockin Roller Coaster, and dinner at the first place we ate at on our honeymoon 9 years ago…great way to end the week.

Day 8
Sawyer drama in the airport, made a scene walking through security, all ended up well with a smooth flight home
Whew, what a fun and busy week we had! I wouldn’t trade it for anything. A special shout out to my mom for braving the trip…we are so glad she went! So many memories were made and we will cherish them forever.

Disney Lovers,
Chris, Layne, and Sawyer

The little floppy ear

Most of you know, or have probably noticed, that Sawyer has a cute little floppy ear. We have known all along that we would have to probably get it fixed and yesterday we had our first consult with the specialist. Basically he said that since he is so little that we would need to wait until he is 6 and it is best to do it before Kindergarten so that it doesn't cause any social problems. Basically each ear has something different wrong with it, but both ears need a little "fixing." Because of this we have confirmed our decision to hold him back a year before starting school so he can grow a little and get his ears all taken care of. I will be sad to get them fixed because I think he is so stinkin cute, but I understand why it needs to be done and he will be so thankful for it one day. The best news of all is that Insurance will help pay for it...it is not considered and elective cosmetic surgery, but an actual congenital defect. Yay for my pocketbook!! So that is the scoop.

Funny story...
When we went to the doctor Sawyer was confused and said, "I not sick mommy." I told him we were just going to get his ears looked at and that seemed to please his curiosity. After the appointment we were in the elevator and he said, "that doctor was great, my ears don't hurt at all!" Oh how I love him!!! :)

Rain Rain Go Away

It has been raining for days!!! Sawyer is so tired of it. He goes to his window every morning and looks out and says, "the sun not come out today mommy." But today he went to his window and said, "it not raining, it not raining!!!!" Yay for a break and a little sunshine! :)