UNDER CONTRACT! (A house, a race, and other shenanigans)

 

“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” This is one of my favorite Bible verses, and it’s often quoted when referring to being overwhelmed with sorrow, grief, or sadness. However, it’s also true when my heart is overwhelmed with all the wonderful things that my Heavenly Father does for me/us. God is good. Even when things seem impossible, God is bigger. 

We serve an amazing God- which if you’ve been following along with us for any length of time, you know that God has answered our prayers time and time again. When we were looking for and praying about a property in North Carolina, we were specifically praying for a place with a little land, a place with some privacy for loud, noisy children, a place with a wooded lot, a place that we wouldn’t have to have much/any mortgage. I was dreaming of a house with a wrap around porch, plenty of space for guests, and a spot to call “home” again. We’ve looked at quite a few properties. Roger has driven past many of them, and nothing has been available. We decided that we were willing to move a little farther north and west with our search, and God directed both of us to point out the same property on Zillow! The property is about 26 minutes from Roger’s work, and it’s in a good location for us.  This past week, we put in an offer on a property! It’s not my dream house, but God has provided us with an amazing location for our large, noisy family. We have an accepted offer on a property with almost seven acres, a wooded area, a house that can’t be seen from the road, and only chickens for close neighbors- oh, wow! God is good, so good! As I texted one of my friends last night, I couldn’t help the tears from flowing as I was reminded of how God has continually provided for our family in the midst of a challenging and difficult year. He’s been faithful. I’ve wavered in my faith at moments, but God has carried us through. We are preparing to close on this property on May 23, which is just a short three weeks away. The property needs work and there is no doubt about that! However, we have five children that are capable of helping us with picking up the yard, painting, landscaping, drywalling, and other miscellaneous projects. Another amazing thing about this property is that we didn’t have any other offers to contend with, and the buyer is ready to sell! We put in our first offer on Tuesday night, and the buyer counter-offered that same night! We countered again, and settled on a price- almost 17k under the original asking price! We serve and worship an AWESOME GOD! (If you want to see the link to the property, I’m happy to send it to you. Just message or text me.) Please pray for the house inspection this week as well as the closing to happen as smoothly as possible. What a God we serve! 

In other news, Roger has been adapting and adjusting to his new job. He started on the 18th, and we have an accepted offer on a property on April 28th. Since we will be closing on the house before school is finished for the year, Roger will have a little bit of an opportunity to “jump start” some projects. We are excited about finishing school. Chandler often prays, “help me to just finish strong.” He’s right! It’s been a year to remember, and we are very much looking forward to being together. But we want to finish what we’ve started. I do ask for extra prayers for our smack-dab-in-the-middle child as he wrestles through some things regarding his grades, character, and choices he makes. It’s been a struggle, but God is bigger. 

Also this past week we had a couple of other fun memories. Last week my parents came from Wisconsin to watch Hannah and Josh’s kids while they attended a wedding. We spent quite a bit of time driving up to visit them and play with the kids last weekend and into this week. I’m a bit biased and I think my boys are great with little ones. But it’s always wonderful to hear someone else say, “Your boys are so good with the little ones.” And they are! We drove up last Friday night to my sisters house, and I could tell my parents were tired when we arrived. Hannah and Josh had left early Friday morning, and my parents had driven the 21 hours from Wisconsin to Maine, pulling into the driveway about 9:30pm on Thursday night. Three kids ages five and under will make you tired! The kids and I were able to help clean up from supper, bathe and dress kids, read to them, and prepare everyone for bed. It was a good opportunity to serve. We drove back up on Saturday morning to visit and play for a few hours, but then we needed to head home. The boys had been planning an airsoft party with some of their classmates, and they were looking forward to that. 

Saturday afternoon (4/23)found us at the Davis’s house with about ten other junior high boys. Almost every boy in Chandler’s class had come out for the air soft party, and it was a fun, fast 2 hours of playing together. It’s amazing how much boys can fight and squabble in small spaces, but give them some space and opportunities to work together, and suddenly they’re friends! We are thankful that Jess and Tim were willing to have a bunch of kids out tromping through their property. I’m especially thankful that Tim was even willing to play with the boys, and Jess and I had a great visit with another mom (Bethany) for a few hours! 

This past week we felt that school both dragged and flew by! I took all the kids out of school on Monday as my parents were in town. It was a fun, full day with visiting and enjoying each other’s company. On Wednesday my parents drove down to get a few boys out of school for the day, and the rest of us came up after school. We spent a lot of time driving last week, but it was worth it to soak up family time. We are going to miss Hannah and Josh and their little ones when we move to North Carolina. 

My friend, Jess, had invited me to a painting class at her church that was happening on Friday night. Two things: I’m not an artist and everything sounds like a better idea earlier in the week! By the time Friday night rolled around, Jess and I were not “feelin” it, but hey, we had paid and also a few other ladies that we knew were going to the class too. Per usual, I am glad I went. My kids hung out with the Davis’s kids while we were at the painting class. I’m not an artist, but at least I can tell what the painting is supposed to be! Emma asked if she could hang it up in her room at the new house-yes, yes, you can! It was a fun evening of fellowship with Jess and other ladies. 

Saturday dawned chilly and cool, but it was the day of our school 5k race. I had already signed up, and paid for our family to do it, so there was no backing out now! We didn’t have as much advertising for the event as in years past, so I wasn’t sure what the turnout would be. However, this was a good community event as families from the school, church and community came out to support the event. Chandler had gotten a shin smashed at his last soccer game, so I told him that he might want to think about taking it easy. Haha! Not if that meant Garett could beat him! The race was on! I haven’t run three miles in…well, I don’t know how long, but one thing I remember is the voice of my cross-country coach in my head, “Run your race. Don’t ever look back. Keep your pace.” Once I started, I was committed and not quitting that’s for sure! I kept Garett and Chandler in my sights for a while, and Travis and Wyatt both kept pace for me for almost a mile. Gradually, I lost sight of the older boys, and pulled ahead of the two younger boys. At the last turn in the 5K someone shouted to me that Chandler was in first place. Good for him, but I still had my own race to run! I finished with a time of 24:35 or something like that, and I was at least a full five minutes behind Chandler! I came in 9th place, right behind Garett. Chandler had won the race with a time of 19:16. I was excited for him, and happy that I had finished the race and not died! Wyatt and Travis came along shortly behind me, and Emma was a ways back, but she did finish! The last race Emma had run she had placed dead last, so this race was a definite improvement! Chandler had won the race and was the first place male runner, BUT his mother was the first place female finisher! Haha! I’m not going to let him forget that! My friend, Jess, placed first in her age category (which is the same as mine). But when her name was called, she said, “I’m not the winner in my age category, Sarah is!” Since I had won for the first place female runner, I wasn’t getting two medals. But now I’m going to forever give her grief about announcing to everyone how old I am! Ah, it’s good to have deep friendships! 

We left shortly after the race so that the boys could go to soccer practice and Emma has two more gymnastic classes. Travis announced that he was “way too tired for soccer and someone else can chase the ball”. He went with me and Emma to her gymnastics class, but the rest of the boys went to play soccer. I’ll just say that it was a quiet afternoon at our house! Everyone burned plenty of calories and energy! 

The hot water heater hasn’t been working since Wednesday night, so we’ve been improvising. Garett has taken cold shower, I’ve found a friends house to shower at, and the rest of the tribe isn’t worried yet about a shower! Emma and I went to my friend’s (Allison) house on Saturday. I spent more time visiting with her, but I did take a shower too! There is no way that I was going to be able to sleep after running in the morning without a shower. I’m so thankful for friends that are willing to help in whatever way we need. God is good- all the time. We will be thankful for hot water again, but Garett told me that God must be trying to teach him something about the dishes! I was like “huh?” Garett says, “Well, first I realized that I wasn’t thankful enough for our dishwasher. Now I realize that I wasn’t thankful enough for hot water to wash the dishes by hand!” Oh, the lessons we learn!  

Thank you for your prayers and love for our family. We are so thankful for amazing friends and family. May God use our family for His glory. 

April Showers and Lots of Them!

 In just over ten days, April will be gone and May will be here! We have under six weeks of school left, and time is passing by quickly- for the most part. Sometimes the days drag a bit, but it’s not for forever. God has been faithful in the waiting, and I’m learning to trust Him again for grace for every moment. I’m proud of our children for working through some really big challenges this year, and while we haven’t been perfect, God’s faithfulness has been evident. 

I’m still waiting for the April showers to stop and the May flowers to appear! It’s been a cold, rainy April with even a little bit of snow on Resurrection Sunday! We celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with family on Saturday and friends on Sunday. Roger was home for about five days last week (April 9-14) and we savored the moments. Roger came home on Saturday afternoon. We had dinner with the Davis family on Sunday afternoon. Roger and I spent Monday doing errands, laundry and visiting together. Roger needed to take a drug test before he could start his new job in North Carolina on April 18th. However, they said that there weren’t any places in Maine that he could get the drug test done. He was going to have to wait until he got to N.C., take the drug test, wait for the results and then be able to start the job. It wasn’t ideal, but we didn’t see any other options. However, on Monday afternoon someone from the HR department for Roger’s new job called to say that there was a drug place he could go to get tested in Augusta. Roger called immediately and they said that they didn’t take appointments. But if he could get there by 3:30pm, then they could probably get it sent out that day. So Roger hopped in the vehicle and drove down to get that done. The kids and I walked home, but it was a gorgeous day so no one minded. And Roger got the results back on Wednesday, and he was able to be ready to start the new job this Monday! Praising the Lord for that!

Roger spent some time with the boys individually on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He came and had lunch with them at the school, and he worked hard to find a time to do something special with each one of them. He had donuts with Emma one morning. It was good to have him around at the school spending time with the kids on their lunch breaks and making the most of our short time together. This year has been a sacrifice for us and it’s been challenging, but God has orchestrated every move in His perfect timing.  I’m so thankful that we did not uproot our family back in September, buy a house in Michigan, and then be uprooting them again. 

Roger had to be on a bus to Boston at 3:00am on Friday morning. We had off from school on Friday as it was Good Friday. Since it was going to be an extremely early morning, we decided to take a hotel in Portland as that is where Roger was going to get on the three am. Bus. It was a good time as a family as the kids went swimming, Roger and I sat and visited together. It was hard to get up at 2:00am to take Roger to the bus, but it’s nice that I can leave the kids asleep and take Roger to the bus. The days following Roger leaving are always hard, but this was an especially hard time for me. I think it was because it was Easter weekend, and we don’t know when Roger will be able to come back. We are thinking that the next time he comes back to maine, it will be to move us to North Carolina. The kids and I made the most of the day though as we did a little shopping (mostly for groceries) while in Portland. We were home by early afternoon, and it was nice to know we had a long weekend ahead of us. 

On Saturday we were able to spend some time with my sister, Hannah, and her family. We enjoyed a delicious meal together, and my children definitely enjoy spending time with their little ones. Hannah had planned an Easter egg hunt, so that was a lot of fun for the kids. Travis likes about two kinds of candy, so he gave all his candy to Emma. Hannah hid different colors of eggs for different ages of kids. Garett and Chandler hunted for the blue eggs, which were really hard to find, but they had $1.00 in each egg. There were 20 blue eggs, and they eventually found all of them. Chandler found 13 and Garett found seven. One of the eggs was in the chicken coop, and when Garett went in to find it, Chandler locked him in the coop! Garett’s a good sport most of the time, so it was a moment of laughter. I’m thankful for these memories with family. 

Sunday found us on our church lawn at 6:00am, with about 30 people gathered for the sunrise service. I had never been to a sunrise service before coming to Maine, but we’ve been going now for the past six years. There’s something very special about getting up early on Resurrection morning for a worship service. We went back home after the service to get ready for the church breakfast at 9:30am. We had a good turnout of people for the Easter breakfast, and the church building was very full for the 11:00am service. How good it is to worship the Lord and fellowship with other believers! I think that the older I get, the more I appreciate the body of Christ. Each person is unique and created for His glory. Sometimes it’s easy to be frustrated with people, but God’s still working on me and I know that He is at work in the lives of others also. 

We were able to have dinner with our friends the Davis’s- they’ve seen a lot of us the past two weeks! Our children really seem to enjoy playing together, and the boys usually bring along their air soft equipment when we go to their house. Jess and I were able to go on a walk together, and I’m savoring these moments of friendship with her. God brought Jess into my life during a year that He knew I was going to need some extra encouragement. We’ve looked at each other and said, “Are you surviving?”, “Should we quit?” “We need a mental health day.” “I don’t think I can keep going.” But through the discouragements, we’ve been able to bear each others burdens, encourage and pray for each other. We’ve laughed with each other and at each other all school year long as well as cried and asked God to intervene in a special way. It’s just been that kind of year. God gave me a unique and special friend in Jess, and I am so thankful for her. I think it’s a friendship that will last long past this year, and I’m excited to see how God continues to use her life. I’m thankful that Jess’s husband, Tim, is willing to spend time with our boys and play airsoft with them and interact with them. We all need good mentors in our lives, and our teen boys are certainly no exception. 

We had off on Monday, but back to school today which is Tuesday. Did I mention that we’ve had a lot of rain this month? Today was another rainy day, and I think four of our children asked if they could just stay home. No. We have less than six weeks, and we need to finish well. It was a long day, but we made it through. These types of days often give me a headache with the changing temperatures, so the day was a challenge. But, we did survive! God is good. A friend sent me the photo below and it was certainly fitting for today! 

Roger started the drive to North Carolina on Saturday morning, and he arrived to Kenansville around 9:30pm. He was able to attend church with a friend on Sunday, and he’s been staying with a friend the past few days. We had a property that we wanted to look at, but it went under contract on Monday morning. Roger started his new job on Monday. As with any new jobs, the first few days can be daunting and overwhelming, but God continues to give mercy and grace. Roger will be staying at a campground for a bit until we can find the right property or place to rent or something. One thing is for sure- God does not operate on my time schedule! Learning to be patient is hard at times, but we know that God has only the very best in mind for us. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we press on for His glory. 

Wyatt will be turning 13 years old tomorrow! Where has time gone?! We will have three teenagers in our house tomorrow as Wyatt will be 13, Chandler 14, and Garett 15. We sure do love these children of ours, and every day with them is a gift. Wyatt has had a difficult school year, and I’ve prayed long and hard for him. He’s a sensitive but strong-willed person. He enjoys sports, photography, and spending time outside. He enjoys working on challenging Lego sets, and he is good with little kids. He finds it challenging to be the middle child, as he doesn’t get the same opportunities as the older boys, but he often doesn’t fit in with what the younger two are doing. I know that God can and will do great things through the life of this boy. I am praying that Wyatt will find his joy to be in Jesus, and that Wyatt will live his live for the glory and honor of God. I’m so glad that he is a part of our family. 

 

Good-by Michigan, Hello ???

 

What a week it has been! Actually, what a year!! Last weekend, I took a whirlwind trip to North Carolina (more about that later). I was gone for less than 72 hours, and thanks to the flexibility and love of two very special families, our children were well taken care of while I was away. 

Roger and I (and our children) have been praying often and fervently for what God has for our family. It’s been a long and challenging year with many unique situations that have altered the path that we thought we were going to go. Last week, one of my fellow teachers told me that she was going to make a meal for my family on Thursday. This was such a blessing to me as Thursday is usually a full day with teaching, music lessons for two boys, and then soccer practice for the older two boys. Jess made our family homemade mac and cheese, fruit salad and chocolate chip cookies. My children all declare that she makes the best chocolate chip cookies, and I’d have to agree! We were so blessed by her thoughtfulness and generosity towards us, and it was perfect timing as I was leaving for North Carolina on Friday afternoon. 

So why was I going to North Carolina? God has directed our family every step of the way from Wisconsin, Alaska, Arizona and Maine.While each state has been beautiful and unique, we really felt that we’d probably live in Maine for a good long time. However, God has/had other plans for our family. Last fall, Roger took a job in Michigan flying near the Upper Peninsula. This job was unique in that Roger was able to get his multi-engine rating, have some job stability and build hours in a multi-engine plane. It was a difficult decision to make, but we decided that it would be best if our family (the kids and I) stayed in Maine for the school year. God made it clear that we should put our house on the market in September, and in five days our house was under contract. Then God provided housing for our family in Maine, while Roger was able to start the job in Michigan in October. It was never necessarily our dream to live in the Upper Peninsula, but God gave us peace about the job situation, and we would be much closer to my parents in Wisconsin. The kids and I drove out to Michigan at Christmas time, and we were able to see the area. But God never opened up the doors for us to be able to purchase a house, and we never got around to finding a realtor either…I don’t know why. It just never happened (it was of God). Over the past couple of weeks, it’s been becoming increasingly clear that this Michigan job was not going to be the best long-term  fit for our family. It’s one thing if it’s just Roger and I, but it’s a whole different matter with five kids! We prayed a lot, and then some more. We really didn’t know what to do, but God had a plan. 

About three weeks ago, Roger called an old friend of his who lives in North Carolina. Roger was just calling to check in and say hi. In the course of the conversation, his friend mentioned that a job was opening up in the area for someone to fly fire patrol. Roger had been checking job sites almost daily, but we both have been praying that God would provide a job that exceeded our expectations. If we were in it for the money, Roger would easily have an awesome paying job by now, but money is not everything. We know (especially after a few months apart) that our children need both of us. I need Roger to balance me out, and the boys (and Emma) need their daddy to be around. After praying about it, Roger decided to apply for the job. He got a call shortly after the application was submitted and the job posting closed (as its a state job, it has to be posted for seven days). Roger had his first phone call with the people in North Carolina, and they set up a second phone interview for the following day. But the following day, it was more about when could Roger come down in person, interview, and fly the plane. Whew! It was all happening so quickly. Roger called me while I was in New Hampshire (March 16-18) to tell me that he would be going to North Carolina the next week (March 25-28) for the interview. I am not a person that makes spontaneous decisions (especially since having children), but I felt like I should try to go meet Roger in North Carolina. 

I mentioned the idea to a few of my closest friends, and my friend, Hannah, immediately replied that she would be happy to watch our kids while I was gone. My friend, Jess Davis, offered as well. God was orchestrating plans right before our eyes. We allow our children to have very few sleepovers with anyone but Hannah and Jess are two families that we would allow our children to stay with while I was away. It was decided that Hannah would have all the boys, and Emma would go to the Davis’s house. Our kids were thrilled with the idea. Hannah has four little ones of her one, and my children love to play outside, build forts, and play legos with her children. Emma is in the same class as Jess’s daughter (and Jess is her teacher) so Emma was thrilled too. Whew- the kids were taken care of, but how much would an on-a-whim airline ticket cost?! Want to know how God works in mysterious ways? The airline ticket cost the exact same amount as our tax refund from the state of Maine! We didn’t receive a whole lot back from the state, but the ticket was covered! 

I made plans to fly out on Friday evening and return bright and early Monday morning. Roger drove to North Carolina as the fire patrol is VFR not IFR, meaning that he has to have visual sight to the ground and not be using  instruments. If the weather wasn’t good on Friday, then the flight test would be moved to Monday. And since I was coming in, it was nice to have a vehicle to drive around the area. It was an awesome weekend with Roger. We haven’t spent two days of uninterrupted time together in a very long time. We talked a lot, drank coffee, and enjoyed exploring the area. We drove around a lot as we checked out the area. Roger had the interview and flight test on Friday, and they offered him the job. He told them that he would call them on Monday (3/28) with his answer. The job is in rural North Carolina in the coastal plains. The area is mostly known for it’s hog, poultry and turkey farms. One huge perk for me was the time we were able to spend walking on the North Carolina beaches. God gave us truly beautiful weather as it was in the mid 60s and sunny. 

So what are the real perks to this job in North Carolina? One of the biggest reasons would be the hours. If it’s not fire season, the job hours are 8am-5pm. Monday thru Friday. This means that Roger will consistently be home every night and on weekends. We can regularly worship together in the local church without wondering if it’s going to be Roger’s weekend to be working or if he will be able to get off in time to come to church. Another big reason is that this job will offer Roger a retirement plan and health insurance. We aren’t getting any younger, and while we’ve been setting aside some for our retirement, having a job that helps with that would be a great perk. Also, this job will give Roger some paid vacation hours and that means more family time. Our children are growing up so, so quickly, and we are doing our best to “redeem the time” with them and that means spending time with them. 

I am thankful that the job is in rural North Carolina, as we are praying for God to provide us with the perfect spot to raise noisy children, some animals, and a garden. We are excited to see what God is going to do. On Sunday afternoon, we found a realtor who was willing to show us some properties in the area. Roger and I spent some time on Sunday driving around and looking at properties. If you know anything about Zillow, almost every time, the property looks better in the pictures! We drove past a few that we knew were instantly off the table as far as what we were looking for in a home. The realtor showed us two properties. The first one was on eleven acres, which would’ve been lovely! However, the house was originally built in 1965. They had remodeled the house, but Roger would’ve still have had to duck every time he went through a door way and that would get old! Low ceilings made the house feel small, and we have five growing kids! The second property was a bigger home, and it would’ve fit our family very well. However, the property was only on about 2.3 acres and it was closer to other homes. With a dirt bike, airsoft guns, children that build forts, and yell at each other, we didn’t feel like it would’ve been a great fit. But, the good news is that we left North Carolina knowing that we didn’t want any of the properties that are currently on the market. We do have a realtor that is working with us, and we will see what God does. North Carolina was the fourth most popular state to move to in 2021, and lots of people are looking for properties with land. But, God will provide exactly what He wants for us in His perfect timing. 

Roger will be wrapping up his job in Michigan (much more could be said about that, but we are going to leave it at this for now). Roger will be coming back to Maine for a week or so before starting his new job in North Carolina. They are in fire season now, so they are looking forward to having Roger get there soon. But we know that our children need to spend some time with Roger before that happens. Roger will be able to have lunch with them at school, spend one-on-one time with them, and create some plans for our future together in North Carolina. The boys and Emma are excited about the move, but I think they are mostly excited about having some space again. Garett told me recently that he did not appreciate the dishwasher enough at our house! None of the boys are a fan of washing dishes, but hey, if you don’t cook the meal, you have to clean up and wash dishes! I know that I will appreciate the children being able to have a little more space to spread out and a place for them to be outside! One thing for sure, being in a smaller space, has made us all a lot more thankful for what we had at our previous house! 

I flew back to Maine on Monday. Roger dropped me off at the airport in Raleigh, and then he began the drive back to Michigan. I was back at the school by 1:30ish, and Emma was so happy to see me. She had a great time at her friends house, but she was missing mom. Apparently, Garett had to come talk to Emma on Monday morning. Our administrator came to get Garett and asked if Garett would talk to Emma as she was a little upset and missing mom. Garett said he took Emma into my classroom and asked her what was the matter. Emma replied that she was missing mom. Garett matter of factly told her that mom would be back in the afternoon, but Emma was still crying. Garett said he asked Emma again what was the matter. Emma told him again that “I miss mom.” Garett replied, “I already told you, she’s coming back this afternoon!” I had to laugh as Garett was telling me this story. Garett is definitely the brother that would be the gentlest and kindest to her, but he was running out of patience with her. He told me, “I told her you were coming back, and she was still crying!” He said “Then I told her that she was going to be okay, and I sent her back to her classroom.” I have to love this boy! He tried to help his sister, but in his mind, he gave her an adequate reason. He simply could not understand why she still needed to cry! But Emma survived the day, and she was happy to see mom in the afternoon. The other boys were happy to see me to, but as Travis said, “I certainly wasn’t crying!” Haha! I’m thankful for dear and precious friends that watch over and love our children. 

It was a long week with rushing back into a full and busy week of school, being a bit more tired than usual, and also the week that report cards were due! But, by the grace of God, everything that had to be done was done. I’m happy that the week is over. We are happy that Roger has a starting date for his new job, and we are excited to see what God continues to do. We are sad that we won’t be as close to my parents as we would’ve been in Michigan. But we are closer than we would be in Maine.  

Through all our adventures, God has been good and faithful. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we move forward on faith and God’s clear direction…one step at a time. 

March News!

We are on our third day of “spring”. The sun has been shining more, and it feels like perhaps the snow days are behind us. I think we are all ready for a steady stream of sunshine and some warmth to go with it. We are down to 46 days of school or approximately ten weeks. Normally, I’m not one to count down this far out, but it’s been a long year. We are looking forward to being together as a family, finding a new “normal” for us, finding a home, and just being done with school. God has been faithful though, and He continues to direct and lead us one step at a time. I don’t always like His timing, but I do know that it is perfect timing. 

Last week we had a short week of school and a few days of vacation. It was a glorious break as the month of March tends to be a bit long at times. The kids and I took a mini vacation with some friends from school. We went to New Hampshire to stay in a hotel and play at a water park. My kids had a lot more fun having some friends along than if it had just been “mom”. We enjoyed many hours at the water park, as well as laughter and fun. The Davis’ family was planning this mini vacation since last fall, and we decided to join them. Emma enjoys spending time with their daughters, and Garett and Chandler have especially enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Jonathan. It was a good few days away from “routine”. I’m thankful for friendships. 

The weather was beautiful, and I enjoyed the opportunity to have adult conversations. The boys are growing up, but they’re still not quite to adult conversation levels most of the time! We definitely missed Roger, and having dad along would’ve been a lot more fun, but we had a good time anyways. We left Wednesday after school, and we came home Friday. Garett and Chandler went to a teen activity with another local church on Friday night. They had a good time ice skating as it is one of their favorite activities. I’m thankful that the older boys were able to go with Jonathan and Zoe to the event as it’s  always fun to go with someone you know. 

On Saturday morning, I dropped the boys off at church for a men’s prayer breakfast. I took Travis and Emma and we went to have coffee at a friends house. Clearly, it’s a mom with young kids if we are having a coffee date before 8:00am on a Saturday morning! I’m thankful for a few women that have really reached out to me over the past six months to make sure I’m surviving. I’m thankful for deep theological conversations about God’s Word as well as sharing of burdens and lots of coffee and laughter. God has been faithful. 

While I’ve had some lonely moments, to be sure, God has always provided the right person at the right time. I’ve been “weary in well doing”, but God has carried me through. I’ve been frustrated and upset, and I’ve wondered if I’ve done anything right, but God has wrapped His loving arms around me and upheld us all. I’ve looked at our boys and wondered when they grew up so fast, but it’s a reminder to treasure every hug. Last fall, I would’ve said that I did not want to homeschool next school year, but now I can see that God has been working in my heart too. Our time left with our kids at home, under our roof, is literally flying by! I’ve been reminded of the brevity of life, and I just want to make sure that our children know that they are loved by an Almighty, Holy God who wants each one of them to live surrendered lives to Him. 

We had some excitement at our apartment on Sunday night. We had just finished up devotions, and we were talking to Roger on FaceTime, when the fire alarms went off. It was SO loud! All the alarms are connected, so it was very, very loud. We searched all over for signs of smoke or fire, and nothing seemed off. The alarm kept stating “Fire, Fire” and the red light was flashing which means ‘move to fresh air’. I called the person we are renting from, and we opened the windows. It was about 7:15pm, and the alarms could be heard out on the street. I was a little worried that someone was going to call the fire department for us, but I didn’t think there was a fire. Emma and Travis both found head phones to put on, and I decided to wash the dishes. Why? Well, because it was something to do while we waited for Jason to arrive to check out the alarms. While I was washing the dishes, Chandler came over to talk to me. “Mom”, he said sheepishly. “Yes?” I replied. Chandler said, “This is probably really dumb, and I’m probably way off…” “Um, okay…” I replied. Chandler continued, “The fire alarm can be set off by gases. I’m not sure if it was me, but I’ve had a lot of gas today. Did I set off the fire alarm?” I tried not to laugh outrageously as I replied, “That’s a different kind of gas. Carbon Monoxide is the gas that will set off the fire alarm, not a person’s personal gas.” I did about die laughing when I told Roger about it later. I’m thankful for laughter! 

We appreciate your continued prayers, as we navigate through some unknown “waters” again. God has always been faithful. I continue to rest in that. Our children, especially one middle child, could use your prayers as well. I often find myself tired, and that can affect my ability to parent well. I just want our children to know that God loves them, that they are uniquely created, and that living their lives for Jesus is the BEST way. The world is crazy and chaotic, but there is rest in Jesus. 

“Mud Season” and Other Tidbits of News!

  “Mud Season”is here! This is the season between winter and the time that spring sunshine dries everything out! Our school playground is like one big muddle puddle, and I’m fairly confident that “mud season” is the favorite season of some of my kindergartners. We will probably still get more snow here, but I know that most of us are ready to greet spring!

We have eleven weeks left of school. I’m not generally someone who counts down days or weeks, but this year has been a year like none other. However, God has been good and faithful. He continues to show Himself strong. He provides grace when I want to open my mouth and scream. He created coffee and lots of it. Our children have been loving and forgiving even when I haven’t shown them Jesus. We look forward to being together as a family soon- God is good. Even when I don’t “feel” it, He is still good. 

This past week was a rough one for Travis. He had a rough Friday last week, and by the time he came home, he was upset and distraught. We sat together at the kitchen table for over an hour talking through something that had happened at school. At the end of the discussion, I decided I still didn’t know much and the picture was still unclear. I am not the parent who generally fires off emails to our kids teachers, but in this instance, I did. Travis’s teacher replied within the hour. His reply: “Please call me.” That’s an amazing teacher who is willing to have a parent call them at 7:30pm at night! Travis’s and Wyatt have been blessed to have a teacher that has been a gift to them and our family. I can so appreciate a teacher that really wants to “get to the heart of the matter”. As a parent, I can tend to make blanket statements too, such as “you all are lazy; no one is listening, etc”. And in my experience, it has never ended well. Generally they aren’t ALL being lazy, not listening, etc. but the squeaky wheel is the one driving the wagon master crazy! Anyways, it gave me great peace of mind to talk to his teacher. Roger and I are so thankful that he is the teacher for our sons. 

We currently live in town, in a smallish apartment, but it’s working. On Saturday, my friend, Allison, reached out to me to see if I wanted to meet her for coffee. One of the perks of living in town is being able to just walk over to meet a friend for coffee. Allison has been my friend for almost six years now- wow! We’ve had some “terribly good bad ideas”. The kinds that sound good as we talk about them, but then by the time the event rolls around, we are tired! :) But God is good. I will miss her when God moves us. 

The week was a long one, but we made it through. We were a bit short-staffed at school this week, but again, God was faithful. On Friday afternoon, I had kindergarten and first grade combined which is 25 kids. We’ve been talking about zoo animals in our science class, so we moved all the tables and chairs and sat on the floor. The students had a great time watching zoo videos and eating popcorn. They ate about four bags of popcorn and 2lbs of animal crackers! I would say it was a good afternoon. Did you know that an octopus has 3 hearts? Or that a blue whale can be up to 100 feet long? Or that there is such an animal as a sloth bear? It was fun to see the students engaged and still learning. 

We have a short week at school this upcoming week, and we are all excited about that! It’s kinda odd having a long weekend as we just had winter break three weeks ago, but I can tell the teachers are excited! Instead of having a week long spring break, we have two long weekends. One is during this upcoming week, and one will be over Easter weekend. March is a LONG month, so I’m happy to have a few days off. We have plans to do something fun with one of our friends from school, so that is adding to the excitement! Roger is also making plans to come home again, so we all look forward to those visits as well. And since we only have a little over two months left of school, soon we will be together again. 

We are so blessed. Really! We have a home, family, beds to sleep in, food to eat, people who love us, and a God who has given us the gift of eternal life. Even while the world goes crazy and then crazier, I can rest in the hope that my God sits on the throne of the universe. He is not worried about what will happen next. As we sing often in my kindergarten class, “He’s got the Whole World in His Hands”! 

We appreciate your continued prayers for our family as we navigate through uncertain waters. We know that God will continue to reveal His perfect plan. I’m not a huge fan of waiting, but it’s in the waiting that I am learning to rest in the Rock of my Salvation. 

March - A New Month! Winter Break and Roger’s Visit

 March?! Already! I’m excited about this month because it means that spring is looming! It doesn’t feel like it when it’s cold and snowy, but I know it will be coming. We had winter break from school last week, and we are back in full swing at school now. It was good week off of school for our family. We didn’t really have any plans early in the week, and sometimes not having a plan is the best plan! 

We had a few days of “spring” weather as well as a snow storm, so the weather was all over the place! On Monday, I went to work out class at 5:00am, then I came home and took the kids out to go ice skating by 7:30am. The weather was beautiful so I also went on a two mile run, and while the kids were at a basketball clinic for school, I walked two miles with my friend, Jess. I managed to get a lot of exercise on Monday! None of the boys are crazy about basketball, but they did have a good time at the basketball clinic. The boys are soccer fans, but it’s good to know about more than one sport. I was happy to have the opportunity to walk with Jess. It’s been a hard year in school, in some ways, so sometimes it’s good to just have a friend to talk to and pray with for many things. I am thankful for the teachers I work with at school. 

Roger came home for a few days this week, and we definitely enjoyed every moment of that! I feel like I can “let down” my guard some when Roger is home. He is able to relieve me of single parenting, and the boys and Emma are definitely more talkative when the conversations are in-person. We are a good team, and we work at it. It’s been a challenging few months, and I’ve learned that I have a lot more weaknesses than I thought I had six months ago! It is sometimes way easier to have endless patience with one of my sixteen kindergarteners than to have patience with one of my own children  that is climbing on last nerve! However, God gives grace, mercy and forgiveness as we cross off the days to being together as a whole family again. 

As we return to school, we also are down to the last thirteen weeks of school! It’s crazy how fast the school year is coming to a close, and I am feeling the pressure of how much I still want to teach my littles before the year is done. But it’s also important to me that I help my kindergartners develop a love FOR learning. I want them to learn to do hard things, to be diligent, and most importantly to know that Jesus loves them. We live in challenging times! We need to we fervent in prayer for the next generation, but also actively involved in training and teaching them God’s Word. I’ve been teaching my students the books of the New Testament. I asked them today why they thought I wanted them to learn the books of the Bible in order. One of my students piped up, “So that we can find the books of the Bible and read them, right?” Yes!! 

We thought that the days with Roger at home would be busy and full, but because of the weather and conflict of other people’s schedules, we ended up not being nearly as busy. Chandler was supposed to have a soccer game on Friday, but due to the snowstorm that was cancelled. I had thought that we might have a teen activity on Saturday afternoon, but that ended up not happening. We were supposed to go over to someone’s house for dinner on Sunday afternoon, but due to a scheduling conflict that didn’t happen either. So we spent a lot of time drinking coffee, making food, playing games, and just being together. It was not a bad thing, but our apartment is quite small so sometimes we do feel a little more confined than we would choose to be. 

Roger left to return to Michigan yesterday, and the days immediately following that are always a little rougher than I’d like them to be. We get through them, by the grace of God.  Roger and I spent a lot of time praying and talking about our future, our family, and God’s plan for us. We are tentatively planning on sending Garett and Chandler on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic in April. There are a lot of details that would need to fall into place, but if this is what God wants for them, it will come to pass. My sister takes a bunch of kids from her school every year, and since the medical trip to Haiti was cancelled this past January, none of us have been on a missions trip this year. Chandler is definitely more interested in going on a missions trip that involves a Vacation Bible School rather than medical clinics, and Garett would be interested either way. The big hiccup continues to be the passport equation, but since we are taking all the steps one at a time, we will take that step as it comes also. I will say that it is a bit unnerving to book airline tickets for the boys without one of them having the necessary passport. But the passport agency will not do a short turn-around passport unless you have a ticket booked, and you are leaving the country in less than seven days. But again, God knows! If this is His perfect plan, we will continue to walk by faith and take one day at time. 

Today was a bit of a rough day at school, but at pick-up time one of the parents brought me a gift. Bethany gave me a beautiful little plant and said that she was thinking of me. It meant so much to have someone speak a word of encouragement and love to me. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that someone is praying for us. I often leave school feeling just utterly tired, and then going home to face five children that have some huge needs is often enough to make me tired before I get out of bed in the morning! Did I mention that the grace of God sustains us every moment?! 

Please continue to pray for us as we navigate continued uncertain paths ahead. But as the world around us continues to erupt in chaos and confusion, I can find such rest in comfort in know that God holds the world in His hands. I’ve had food to eat, a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, a hot shower, a vehicle to drive, family that love me, and so much more. We’ve prayed often and fervently for the Ukrainian people this week, but also for the Russian people. We are all created in the image of God, but wow- we live in a sin ravaged world, don’t we? 

Winter Activities and Winter “blahs”

 Happy Valentine’s Day! Four years ago, Roger and I spent the evening of Valentine’s Day in the E.R. With Emma due to Lyme’s Disease. This Valentine’s Day, I’m heading to the pediatricians office with Travis. I think he broke his toe! I’m not sure how, but it’s turning colors and the swelling is quite significant. It’s his big toe, so he’s feeling the pain. I think he broke it on Saturday while at soccer practice, but here we are heading to the doctor’s office this morning. We will see what they say about it. Edited to add: We did have the X-ray done, but since we never got a call back about the results, I’m assuming his toe is just sprained. It’s not as colorful anymore, but it’s still painful for him to walk on. However, he did manage to get his ice skates on yesterday (Tuesday). He said that the most painful part was putting them on, then the pain wasn’t quite so bad.  

In other news, we are surviving the long, slow month of February! I always seem to feel a little bit “blah” and depressed during this month, and it’s been a bit worse this year without having Roger around all the time. But we are getting through one day at a time. Roger will be coming back for a few days a week from Thursday, and we are all looking forward to that! We have winter break next week from school, and I’m not sure who’s looking forward to the break more- the teachers or the students! Currently, I’d put money on the teachers! Burn-out is a big deal everywhere in every school, and it’s the same for some of us teaching in Christian school too. Sometimes I can see the fatigue in the eyes of my co-workers, and it really is the grace of God that sustains us through some long days. I think the single handed  one thing that parents could do to support teachers is to teach their children to obey and be respectful. (We haven’t conquered it either, and we are all a work in progress. But obedience is so important to learning!). 

This past week, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Allison on Monday. Our lunch times will be coming to a close when we move, but I have so come to treasure her friendship to me. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes I cry, but there I’m thankful for a praying friend. I sure hope that you have one of those in your life! 

Garett and Chandler had the opportunity to go snowboarding/skiing with some friends on Wednesday. They haven’t snow boarded in a few years, but they sure were excited about going! They were picked up at 6:00am on Wednesday morning and they got home around 8:30pm. Chandler walked in the door and told me, “I had a good time. I didn’t get hurt. I’m super tired. I’m going to bed. Love you.” Alrighty then! Garett was a bit more talkative, and I had to remind him that we all needed to get up for school the next day. They had a great time snowboarding with Levi and Ava and their family. I am thankful for good, solid Christian families that will invest in the lives of our children. The boys were tired and exhausted, but their minds were full of wonderful memories from the day. 

Roger continues to work through some long, cold days as well. It’s hard to be cold all day long, and we aren’t getting any younger! However, we continue to work hard and stick with it. We’ve been doing a lot of praying, soul-searching, and talking about our future, and our children. I have one particular child that I am especially concerned with right now. I want him to be happy with exactly how God created him to be. Sometimes it’s hard to be in the middle  with two older brothers ahead of you, an annoying little brother and sister behind you (at least in the eyes of this child). Roger and I have just been praying that he will find his joy to be in Jesus, and to fully be content with what God is doing in and through him. (It’s hard- I know!) 

We are in the “talking stages” of missions trip for our older boys. My sister, Jen, takes a group of kids to the Dominican Republic to help with a Vacation Bible School. Garett and Chandler would like to go, but we are still praying about it. Chandler would need a passport, and that was the snag last year. Apparently, you can now call the passport office directly to set up an appointment for a minor whereas last year it was all online. However, the passport office had too many problems with people reserving appointments and then selling those appointments to other people that didn’t necessarily need a passport as badly as some of the others on the list. What a crazy world we live in! Anyways, we would appreciate your prayers as we seek God’s direction for our boys (and their parents). 

We made little gifts for the teachers/staff at our school for Valentine’s Day. As we were dipping the strawberries last night, one of the boys said, “I feel like we do this every year.” I replied that I think we had done the same gift for the last few years. I asked him if he wanted to do something different for his teacher to which he replied, “No, I like chocolate covered strawberries and this way we get some too!” Haha! It’s good to make a gift which you also don’t mind eating! 

It’s been cold here lately, but the boys have been skating twice this past week. On Monday, Travis’s toe hurt so badly that he didn’t want to go, so I took the three older boys down to the pond and dropped them off. I told Roger it “felt like the old days, when people dropped off their kids and told them they’d be back. Kids without cell phones and just their common sense and brains to rely upon.” And the boys were fine! They had a great time skating, and met and older couple down by the pond. The boys helped shovel off the pond with the older guy, and they had a fun time skating for a little over an hour. On Tuesday, we all went down to the pond and met up with our friend, the Philbrook’s. The boys (and Emma) had a great time skating with their friends. It was still a very chilly day, but the kids certainly didn’t seem to mind. We looked like we had the whole neighborhood out there, but it was really just Taylor’s and our kids! Nine kids out on the ice and laughing and having a great time. Everyone came home hungry and cold, but it was  fun time. 

Lately, I’ve had the words to the song “Jesus, Strong and Kind” in my mind. The chorus sings, “For the Lord is good and faithful, He will keep us day and night. We can always run to Jesus, Jesus strong and kind.” Whew! I am so thankful for that.