Boston, Bucksport, and Baptisms!

Another week has come and gone in our lives. It's hard to believe that the summer is passing so quickly, but a look at the calendar shows that August 29th is quickly approaching! This week was a fun week for us, as Aunt Jen came for a visit!  I drove down to the Boston area to pick her up from the airport on Monday night. Roger was working, so it was a mom and kids adventure. We stopped to visit on of my dear college friends, Carrie, and her family. I haven't seen Carrie in twelve years, but it was as though we had never missed a beat. We are older now and we both have children and husbands, but we had such a good afternoon together. Carrie has children that are a few years younger than mine, and one thing I enjoyed was watching my older children interact with the younger kids. As with most children, our children have also experienced moments where older children were unkind or unwilling to let them play games. We've tried to express to our children the need to be kind to those who are younger than you as someday you will be the older child! Today was that day! Garett and Chandler were both very sweet and helpful to the little children, and I just really savored the moment. We had supper with Carrie and the kids, and then off we headed to the hotel. Jen had planned on her plane arriving at 9:30pm, but by the time we arrrived at the hotel around 6:00 pm, she had sent me a text saying it was delayed. There was nothing that either of us could do about that so I took the kids swimming (I even got in the water) and we took a short trip to Walmart. Jen's flight was delayed until 11:20 pm. The kids kept asking when she was coming, and everyone was getting stiller and quieter! Since the hotel was on the outskirts of Boston (cheaper rates), it was about a 25 minute ride to the airport. I had been concerned about traffic and not knowing where I was going, but since the flight was so late, traffic was really light! We made it to the airport and we only had to go around four or five times before aunt Jen was here! Hooray! Wyatt and Garett stayed awake the whole trip to and from the airport, but the other three were out as soon as we left the hotel. We arrived back at the hotel about 12:20 am., and we all flopped into the beds!

         

      

Tuesday was a day spent touring some of the sights of Boston, but we didn't strive to leave the hotel too early! Thankfully the boys slept in until about 8:00 am., and then we had breakfast and went swimming before heading into Boston. I had purchased a Groupon for a trolley tour in downtown Boston, so we did that with the kids. It was a hop on/hop off tour, so that was nice for the kids. We listened for a bit, hopped off, walked around a park, took a little swan boat tour in a small pond, and hopped back on the trolley. We did decide to visit the USS Constitution Museum, and it was free! It's actually a great museum for children with a lot of hands on activities, and it was air conditioned in there! We weren't able to actually tour the ship because it was in dry dock with some repairs being done, but we did get to see it. Perhaps another time we will actually get to get on the ship. We made a slight error in the fact that we didn't leave Boston before the traffic was bad. The kids were exhausted  by the end of the day, and the air conditioner quit working in the vehicle. It was a long trip out of Boston, but we survived it! We arrived home shortly after ten pm., and again everyone flopped into their beds!

On Wednesday Jen graciously watched the kids in the morning while I helped clean and organize the school library. With another school year quickly approaching, now is the time to clean and organize. It was a busy morning, but we did get a lot accomplished. The job isn't done, but we made progress.
I headed home to make a dish for teen VBS that night, and while it was in the crock pot, we took the kids to the park. We have a nice little park about two miles from our house, and it has a nice creek running through it. It's actually been hot here this week, so the kids were delighted to get wet! I did wade for a bit, but it's not THAT hot! The kids had a great day playing outside and entertaining themselves, and it was a good "down" day for them.

Thursday was "sisters" day! Roger had off and the kid were so excited to have him home for the day .   Roger did a few things around the house, but the boys had a whole list of ideas of things they could do together! Jen and I headed up to Hannah's house around ten am., and Roger talked with his boss about borrowing the boat for the kids to take a ride. Jen, Hannah, and I had a great time visiting various stores in Bangor, talking and laughing, and enjoying time together. It's so much fun when we are all together! Meanwhile the boys, Emma, and Roger spent much of the day on the water together. The boys had such a good time, and even Emma warmed up to be comfortable on the boat. We visited a fun little ice cream stop in the evening together to wrap up the day. Roger is back to work for Friday and Saturday, so it was a good way to treasure the moments as a family.

                       

   


We spent most of Friday and Saturday just puttering around our house, visits to the park, outside play, and just spending time together. Roger had a long day of work on Friday, and he didn't arrive home until close to 9:00 pm. The boys were headed to bed, so they really did not see him at all. Roger has been working hard and long hours as the company is short a plane, and the stress levels are a bit higher. He pretty much crashed into the bed, to get back up at 5:00 am.  to do it again. On Saturday afternoon, Jen and I took the kids up to Hannah and Josh's house. Their town was having a little celebration in memory of 225 years of existence, as well as a festival and fireworks. The kids enjoyed the festival as they obtained free hot dogs, cheap snow cones, and a lesson in log rolling! There had been a long rolling competition, and the log was still in the water. The lady in charge graciously allowed the boys to take several turns trying out log rolling. They were soaked, but it was a hot day! We stayed for a cookout and fireworks at Hannah and Josh's house, and Roger was able to make it in time for the fireworks. He was so tired, but the kids were so delighted to see him come to the fireworks. I am so thankful for all the sacrifices he makes for our family.

While at Hannah's house, the boys were playing with some sticks that Hannah and Josh had left over from a construction project. As with boys, the ideas quickly escalated to practicing karate chops. Chandler accidentally broke one of Hannah and Josh's new chairs, and he didn't say anything about it.  I didn't see it happen, but a short while later Chandler said, "Mom, I have something to show you". He showed me what had happened, and he was very upset about it. I asked what he thought we should do, and he said, "I should pay for it". He asked me for some money and said he would pay me back with money from his bank account. I told him to go take care of it with Hannah and Josh. He tearfully walked into the house and explained to them what had happened. He offered them the money, which they didn't take, and he apologized. While I was initially frustrated with his lack of making a good choice, I realized that I had much to be thankful for in this situation. This son had  come forward of his own volition, admitted his mistake, and offered to pay for his mistake! This is a huge deal! We've been struggling with things getting broken or destroyed, but failing to get someone to admit wrong doing. I am so thankful for the moment of character that showed up in this son.

It was another late night for this week, and I had to work hard to engage Roger in conversation on the way home! We did make it home safely though, and I am thankful for that!

 Sunday was a big day for our family, as Garett and Wyatt were getting baptized! Hannah came for the baptisms, and I am  thankful that my sisters were able to be here for this special day. Make no mistake, baptism does not save us from our sins! Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse our sins, and it is asking Him  to forgive us from our sins that gains us entrance to heaven. Acts 16:31 ..."Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." However, baptism is a public profession of our faith in Jesus Christ, and it was exciting to see these boys take that next step. My prayer for my children is that they will " grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I know that they will make mistakes along life's journey, but I want them to love the Lord with all their heart. I'd appreciate prayers on their behalf as we work to raise a "revival generation ".  We love you all, and we thank God for the special friendships we have been blessed with both here and across the nation.