Bottom left: Garett with the weed wacker. Bottom right: our shower curtain window treatments
I'm thankful that the weather was warm, sunny, and beautiful for that makes a good impression for seeing a new house! My sister, Hannah, and her husband, Josh, came down to help unload the uhaul truck, the trailer, and brought us supper. We were all very thankful for a delicious hot meal after several days of being on the road. By a lot of hard work, and many hands, we managed to get the uhaul unloaded before dark. Because it has been over a year since we've seen most of this stuff, and nothing was labeled we put everything in the basement to start out with. We did manage to find a bed for everyone to sleep in and blankets to use. My parents went home with my sister to stay at their house. To say that everyone was exhausted would be an understatement and everyone literally fell into their beds.
Sleeping is overrated in the minds of our children, and they bounded out of bed by six am., on Thursday morning. There is a very nice tree house in the back yard...but no ladder! Chandler managed to lean a board against the tree house and shimmy up into it that way, as did Garett. However, that isn't a long term solution and we didn't want possession to become 9/10ths the law! My dad has worked construction for many many years, so he and Roger went to the lumber store to gather supplies to build a safer way into the tree house! I know my dad was exhausted from traveling, but he really wanted to do this project for the grandkids. He build them a beautiful set of stairs into the tree house that even Emma can safely use. I'm thankful for my dads willingness to undertake such a project in such a short amount of time. Hannah also came over on Thursday to help me sort through boxes. We found a ton of stuff we don't need, but discovered a lacking in some important items! We don't have any plates or bowls, but we have lots of silverware! I have saved plenty of the boys artwork, but I am lacking on how to store it...so I threw a lot of it away! We will definitely be visiting some yard sales and thrift stores over the next few weeks.
My friend, Tressa, gifted me with beautiful towels, a fresh shower curtain, and bath mats. That was a huge blessing, and it's nice to have new towels. However, I discovered that the show curtain she gave me would match the living room colors perfectly. My mom suggested using the shower curtain for window curtains. I went to Walmart and bought another shower curtain, and now we have window curtains for a fraction of the cost!
My parents stayed with Hannah and Josh at night, but during the days they came down to our house. It's about an hour drive, but in Maine that is just a drop in the bucket. It's like living in Alaska or northern Canada as people just expect a drive or an airplane ride to get anywhere. My mom kept the washing machine going, my dad worked on the tree house, and I unpacked boxes, put away stuff and kept adding things to my list of things to look for at yard sales. Roger did not have to work on Thursday, so he helped me wade through the boxes of stuff that had been in our garage and shed. Roger was in Arizona when we sold the house last year, so my sister, Jenn, and I packed everything up. However, I didn't want to throw away anything that Roger would need, so he probably ended up with a lot of stuff that he would've gotten rid of!
Roger had to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so he missed a lot of these last minute moments with my parents. I'm thankful that we were all able to get together for a family cook out at Hannah and Josh's on Saturday night. Roger's boss let him go a little earlier than usual so that he could join us. I know my dad stayed busy to keep his mind off of missing the grandkids when he is back in Wisconsin. But my parents decided to leave on Sunday afternoon. Dad said that putting it off would not change anything and he has responsibilities in Wisconsin as well. Sunday was Father's Day, and it was an emotional day. Since Roger was working, we attended a church down the road from us. We visited Warren Baptist Church along with my parents. I figured it was the closest Baptist church and since I didn't have time to look at any churches online, we could start there. Well, there were a few things I liked, and a few I'm not sure about. The people were very friendly which was nice. Others came walking into church carrying their Bibles which is a good indication that the pastor was going to preach from the Bible, they sang songs that we knew, and our children were invited to vacation Bible school this week. On the down side, they sang the songs to an ORGAN! Oh my! Anyone who knows me understands that that is not my favorite instrument! The church family only has a few children, so we about doubled the attendance for children. I was a little disappointed in the fact that there is not a Sunday school class for the children. But, the church auditorium was all decorated for vacation Bible school this week, so it's hard to know if that was a regular Sunday service. We are planning on going back for a second look on Sunday.
My parents left after the service amid many tears on both sides. Chandler was the most emotional and my heart aches for him. All the boys are close with Papa, but Chandler especially enjoyed doing things with Papa. Emma is so young that she won't even have the memories that the other boys have and that's hard also. But, I am so thankful to be together as a complete family again. As much as I will miss my parents this is the better thing for us. We need to be together, and God has directed us thus far. I know He will continue to do so.
So, the boys have experienced vacation Bible school programs at various churches across the country. They've attended in Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Dakato, Arizona, and now Maine! I was amazed at how many kids have come for Vacation Bible School this week! On Monday night, just the two olde boys asked to go. I told Wyatt and Travis that they could go if they wanted to, but neither of them took that bite. Since Roger was working, I took the kids to the church for Bible school. It's only about a mile, but it's down a big hill and up another hill...not a good idea right now. I decided to stick around in the back pew and watch for a bit, so I could get an idea of what was happening. Wyatt and Travis sat down with me, and after about 45 minutes, I decided to go home and get some more work done. Wyatt decided that he wanted to stay for the rest of Bible school, but Travis was attached like an ankle biting dog on my leg! After Bible school, the boys were filled with stories of how much fun it was, and what they had learned, and they convinced Travis to come along for the next night. The boys have been going for the last three nights, and they have been enjoying it. I am thankful that God provided this opportunity right when my parents left, and loneliness was looming on the horizon. God is good!
We are settling and adjusting. I don't know if I'll ever get the hang of Roger's work schedule so I just go with it. This week he worked Sunday and Monday, had off Tuesday, worked on Wednesday, has off Thursday, and works Friday and Saturday. The days that he works are long days like from 5:30 am to 7:30 pm. The hours are longer in the summer because of more tourists and the daylight hours are longer. I'm not complaining, it's just going to take some getting used to. On the days that he works, I will need to save him supper from the piranhas and be flexible with whatever hours he works. We've been so busy on the house, but Roger has off tomorrow. There are a million and one things to do, but we are going to try out some new experiences as a family. I'm looking forward to experiencing the farmers market and taking the boys to the water.
A few more days:
On Thursday we experienced the local farmers market for the first time. It's rated among the top ten in Maine, so we thought we'd experience it also. My sister came down for the morning and joined us. The farmers market is right there in the harbor area, so there is plenty to see! I was impressed with the children's program in the farmers market. Each child over five years old can get a market passport. Every week they come to the market they get a $2.00 token and get to sample products. The down side is that there aren't very many $2.00 items! There are plenty of organic things in the market, but with a family our size, it's hard to bite the cost of organic...I just wash it off and hope for the best! It was a good experience though, and one that we will probably do again. There is a boardwalk right by the market that you can walk through parts of town down to the shore. The kids really enjoyed that, although Travis found a nasty sliver in his foot. Thankfully, my sister, Hannah was able to get the ugly thing out, and Travis appears to be fine. We are planning on trying one new activity or experience with out family during these summer months. The boys are anxious to try everything in one day, but I don't ink they quite grasp the fact that we will most likely be here for a good long while!
Friday found Roger working again, and myself out running errands with the kids. I prefer to do grocery shopping by myself as I actually enjoy it, but since the refrigerator is empty, we must go! I've discovered that our local grocery store will double coupons under a $1.00, on Fridays they mark down bread, and that kids can get a free piece of fruit! If I had $1.00 for every time someone commented that my hands are full, I'd be one wealthy woman! Yes, they are all mine. Yes, I like them all. Yes, my hands are full but my heart is blessed. We made it through errands in time for lunch at home and a nap for Emma. The boys had their closing program for Vacation Bible School tonight, so I went to that. Roger met us at the church when he was done with work, and we enjoyed visiting with the pastor and his wife for a bit. I'm not exactly sure it's where we will stay, but they are definitely a warm, welcoming bunch of folks.
My sister, Jen, is flying in for a few days next week and the boys are very excited about that! The newness of the experience is starting to wear off, and although Bbile school was a good help to them, the kids are missing their friends. I'm thankful that the God who hears my cries, also hears and listens to the voices of my children. God is so very good to us.
Our love and prayers,
Sarah
A morning at the farmers market
No comments:
Post a Comment