The boys are adjusting to school life, but we are still in transition mode! It's a new curriculum, a long school day, different teachers, and a whole new world. The older boys completely bombed (majorly failed) their first spelling test. One of the boys told me he only missed two words on the whole test, until I realized that actually he had only gotten two right! (That was a big disappointment for the child!) Needless to say, spelling is something we are working on more faithfully in the evenings. Garett did tell me, "Mom, we've been going to school for three weeks. I haven't had to go with you to Wal-mart or the grocery store yet. That's awesome!" Garett does not enjoy any type of shopping so that is one big benefit in his eyes that he has not had to come along on any of those excursions.
We had a family from the church over for dinner a little over a week ago. It was a good opportunity to get to know this family better and their kids also attend the Christian school. They have four kids and we have five, so we always have a crowd of kids when we are together! Also along those lines, Roger and I have committed to staying with the church associated with the school. We feel that this is the best choice for our family right now, and God has provided peace to go along with that decision. It's not a perfect church by any means, but since we are imperfect people, it's a good match. It's a body of believers committed to serving Christ, mentoring new believers, encouraging kids to follow Christ, and loving the Lord...it's a good fit for us.
Also a little over a week ago, I was able to meet up with a college friend and her family. This was a special treat as I haven't seen Helaine in over ten years, but the conversation was smooth and enjoyable. She and her husband, Phil, are on deputation to raise support for their journey to France as missionaries. God worked it out that they could come and spend an afternoon with us. Roger was able to take their family on a flight, they stayed for supper, and I'm hoping they will be back to Maine again sometime!
This past week was the first meeting of the parents group for the school. Since the meeting takes place in the morning after school drop-off, it's mostly mamas and young ones. Emma is glad that the meeting takes place in the church nursery! Even though this was my first time attending the parents group, I can appreciate this group. They work hard at praying for the teachers and the school, doing various fund raisers, and helping strengthen the parent/teacher relationship. I'm excited about being involved with this group. I volunteered for several things that they needed help with even though I have no idea what I am doing! I will be helping out with Tuesday's lunch room and recess coverage. I am also a "room parent", which basically means that I just check in with the teachers from time to time to see if they have any classroom needs, I think. I am also helping with the auction in November. Apparently it's a really big fundraiser for the school, and they need an extra set of hands. Well, okay, I guess I can do that too! 😊 The parent group is another way that I can be involved with the school, meeting simple needs, and keeping my ear to the ground for my kids. I'm looking forward to it.
Also this past week, Emma and I were invited to go on a walk with some other moms. Due to scheduling conflicts, it ended up just being myself and two other moms. Personally though, that's probably my favorite way right now. I don't really know anyone very well, so a smaller group gives me more of an opportunity to get to know someone. It was a beautiful day for a walk out to the lighthouse, and it provided an unexpected opportunity for fun in the middle of the week. I am thankful.
Hannah and Josh took the kids for the day on Saturday so that Roger and I could celebrate our anniversary. The kids were thrilled to spend the day with Josh and Hannah, and I was glad to see them so excited to go. Roger and I had a good day together. A few mistakes along the way as we tried to combine business with pleasure, but it was a good day. We had decided to take out suburban and trailer to Portland as there was a couch that we wanted to look at there. It was a couch off of Craigslist, and we ended up buying it for our house. The disadvantage was that we then decided to go visit downtown Portland. It's kinda a cute section down there by the water, but it was also Saturday, which meant not a lot of parking was available. We ended up not being able to find a parking space anywhere near the area, so we decided to forgo that idea. We decided that maybe we could stop at one of the other towns on our way back and do some window shopping and walking. Well, apparently, everyone else had the same idea...and parking for a suburban with a trailer was not happening. We ended up coming home to drop off the trailer, and then we headed back out. However, by that time, a good chunk of the day was already gone. Oh well, you live and learn! We did use a gift card to a nice restaurant in the area, and we spent lots of time talking. The day was not a complete disaster, just should the opportunity arise, we will plan differently!
All things considered, we are doing well. The loneliness and homesickness is starting to wane a bit, but at other moments the intensity of it threatens to overwhelm me. I'm enjoying my moments with Emma, but we both need to find some type of routines to our mornings. I want to use this time wisely, but at the same time I'm distracted by all the other things that are easier to do with only one child versus five! Roger is still working extremely long days; truthfully, I thought he would be slowing down a bit faster. It's okay though as these days ARE getting shorter! Fall is going to be beautiful here. The leaves are starting to change, and the mornings can be cool. I'm looking forward to fall, and exploring new adventures with the kids. I would like to take them to the apple farm, and there are several festivals coming up. Change can be hard, but it's necessary. It forces us out of our comfort zones. It causes me to depend more on my Saviour, and provided opportunities for me to point our children to Christ.
Have a blessed day!
No comments:
Post a Comment