On Monday we had the pilots over to our house for supper. There are a few new ones as of late, including one very dark-skinned fellow from Nigeria, Africa. Emma is slowing warming up to him, but she was very uncertain at first. I think he misses his family a lot at he brought treats for the kids, and he seemed to really enjoy visiting with our family. I'm hoping that we can have the pilots over again next Monday. The kids really enjoying interacting with the pilots, and although the pilots might not always have the cleanest words come out of their mouths, I appreciate the fact that they are considerate of the way we are trying to raise our kids. They are always respectful when we pray before meals, and I do appreciate that. It was a good visit and a hearty meal of lots of pasta (that's cheap!) sauce, chicken, and salad.
On Tuesday Roger was busy with many flights, I was busy with school, and the day went by quickly. The children look forward to Tuesday nights as it is the Awana night. Chandler has been busy memorizing verses, Garett plods along through the verses, and Wyatt and Travis go along with the brothers! It's been good for them to interact with the kids at church, and Garett has a great teacher in his class. The other boys have good teachers also, but I certainly appreciate the teachers that make an extra effort to get to know the kids in their class. (It's also probably a relief for Garett to have a teacher that is patient and understanding, since that is one area that I am desperately asking the Lord to help me!)
Since the kids went to Awana's, Roger and I had a date. Of course our chaperone came along in the form of a little girl named Emma. We went to the exciting place of the laundromat! It was actually a pleasant time to sit and visit while we waited for the laundry to wash. We had to scramble to get it all dry before the laundromat closed. Apparently they don't mind if they are late to open, but they definitely want to close on time! And since the laundromat doesn't have a closing time posted, they seem to close when they feel like it. However, the laundry did get washed and dried, and even if it's not folded, I'm thankful to have that much done.
Wednesday is always a busier day with schooling, cooking for the church potluck meal, and folding all that laundry! Roger, Emma, and I took a walk to the grocery store to pick up an item I needed for the dish I was making for the church potluck. On the way there, Emma wanted to get out of the stroller to walk for a bit. So, she walked along the sidewalk, and it was going well until she accidently fell into a cactus bush! She had lots of prickers in her hands, and I imagine that it was quite painful. She apparently remembers the pain because on the way back she commented on the "bad bush". I also had a special blessing at church on Wednesday. One of the ladies handed me two containers of oatmeal and two bags of pancake/waffle mix. It will be perfect for filling the bellies of small children, and not so hot for keeping a mama trim! I am very thankful for her thoughtfulness to our family, and this was the first time a family in the church has reached out to us this way. It truly brightened up my day.
Thursday was a little bit of a slower morning for Roger, so he filled out applications and updated his resume. The contract ends in just a few weeks, so we are fervently praying for the next step. After the boys were started on their school work, I decided to take Garett on an impromptu date. This boy has been my greatest struggle as of late as I feel like I can't relate to teaching him. However, it's not all about academic progress, but also about character development. I have felt that I am losing my relationship with my oldest child over our struggles, and I just wanted to spend some time with him to assure him that I do love him for who he is...and the young man that God is wanting him to become. We ate lunch together, went to the library, and took a hike on one of the many trails. It was good to interact with him, and it will hopefully help our relationship become stronger. Unfortunately, schooling was relatively easy for me, and I have a hard time relating to this young child who can't seem to grasp the concepts. As I've said before, God is teaching me more about myself in the homeschooling journey than I am teaching my children.
A good friend, Katie, recently sent me a book on homeschooling. It has been eye opening, and it is helping me understand a little bit more about this mom/teacher/wife/homemaker role that I'm trying to fulfil. It's called Love the Journey, and I'm looking forward to finishing it.
Friday was an unusual day for us. Remember last week we left our computer in Flagstaff to get some work done on it? It was done on Wednesday, but the only day we could all go together to get it was on Friday. We planned to leave early in the morning, pick up the computer, have lunch at the park, and then go to Bearizona. Bearizona is kinda like Bear County U.S.A. Except it's in Arizona. However, that was not how the plan went. Roger ended up having a flight even though they had already told him he could have the day off. So instead of getting on the road at 8:00, we didn't get on the road until close to 11:30. It was more of a quick trip to Flagstaff, a run to Sam's Club (to pick up the items I forgot last week), and supper together before returning back to Page. The boys were disappointed to not be able to go to Bearizona, but we knew that we wouldn't have enough time to really enjoy it if we tried to squeeze it in.
It also rained for two days this week, and it was the first real rainstorm we've had. The boys delighted in making mud pies, filling up containers with water, and digging holes because the ground was soft! The lake rose six inches during the rain storm, so it was two days of significant rain! Since the lock on our door isn't very secure, the boys pitched in by helping to burglar proof our yard. With all the holes that are in our yard, I'd strongly suggest a flashlight after dark!
Meanwhile, while our friends at home are putting on layered clothing, sipping on pumpkin spice lattes, and enjoying fall colors, we are running the air conditioner, wearing short sleeves and shorts, and drinking iced coffee! It does cool down here in the evening to about 55 degrees, but it still warms up during the day to about 80-85 degrees. However, when we went to Flagstaff which is at 7,000 feet, and the mountain peaks are at 12,200 feet, the mountain peaks had snow on them! The boys have starting wearing long sleeves in the mornings, but while everyone else is wearing sweat shirts and boots, we are still wearing flip flops and t-shirts!
So, life in Page is on a whole different level from many things. Roger took me to get coffee this morning, and because we were short on time we went to McDonalds drive thru for coffee. The drive thru might be lacking in service when the people in the drive thru put their cars in park and turn them off as they wait for their order to be taken! Oh my word!! It was a little ridiculous, but after talking with others in town, apparently it's a fairly common occurrence. I decided that if Roger and I were ever going to open a business, it would be a coffee shop. With all the tourists that come through, you'd think the town would offer a coffee shop with an Internet cafe open until like ten pm. That is not the case, Starbucks closes at 6:30 pm. There is not another place to get coffee up on the mesa where all the tourists are at. McDonald's offers coffee...if you don't mind the wait...but it's not on the mesa, so it would be a ways to walk for coffee. Not that I'm planning on starting a business any time soon, I'm just saying!
And now for the big news: I'm going home! Our church in Oshkosh is having a ladies retreat in two weeks, and I have been praying that God would allow me to go. It didn't seem like it was going to work out, but my mom has suggested that maybe I should let the older two boys stay at their house for a week or two. She will teach them school, and it would give me a chance to focus on Wyatt and Travis. Roger and I prayed about it for several weeks, and we decided that maybe it would be best for my relationship with Garett if my mom taught him for a bit. So, I will be flying to Wisconsin at the end of the month along with Garett, Chandler, and Emma. The two little boys will stay here, and Emma and I will only be gone a few days. Since Roger's contract is up on November 15, we will figure out how to get our family back together as the time gets closer. The older two are very excited about fishing with Papa, their friends, and a different teacher. As much as I am going to miss them, I am excited that they have the opportunity have this experience. I love them to pieces, but I think this will be a good thing. We have a lot of decisions to make in the next few weeks, and we need lots of prayers as we continue to wait on God's perfect timing. Roger was offered a job in another state, but it would still be a transition job and not one where we could stay for a year or two. However, November 15 is coming up quickly, so please keep us in your prayers!
Oh, and in other news, I might be running in a half marathon this Saturday. Apparently, the Internet does not offer training plans for training for thirteen miles in a 1 1/2 weeks! I'll let you know if I do it!
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