Back to Normal?

We left Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon about three pm. The boys were a bit sad to be leaving Nana and Papa, and Aunt Jen. I think that they were ready to return home though as it has been almost two weeks. Chandler was a bit more emotional about it than the other boys, but that tends to be more his personality. Travis acted silly and hyper, but once we were in the vehicle he started shedding a few tears. I asked him why and he said, "Why does Maine have to be so far away?" Well, I'm pretty sure that Maine has not moved in its geographical location, and it's always going be a long ways from Wisconsin! I was excited that Roger was able to drive back with us as that would relieve much of the driving responsibility off my shoulders. I'm thankful for my parents hospitality and for the memories they made with our children. My dad has slept in the little camper with the boys every night for the past two weeks, so he's probably ready to sleep in his own bed! Papa has taken them camping several times, fishing, four-wheeling, and numerous other outdoor activities. It's been a good two weeks of memory making and fun for our children. However, home is calling. It's time to say good by to our Wisconsin friends and head back to Maine.

We made a quick coffee stop on the outskirts of Milwaukee, and we also met up with our friends, the Longsines. Beka and Jared had picked up frosties from Wendy's for the kids, and the adults enjoyed coffee. We met a spot where our children could stretch their legs for a bit. It was a bit of a longer stop, but this was our opportunity to catch up with their lives in person. I am so thankful for their friendships, the power of prayer, and our desire to bear each other's burdens.

However, as much as we would've loved to visit longer, the nineteen hours remaining were calling our name! We drove another few hours and stopped in Mishawaka, Indiana, for the night. The boys were excited to go swimming, but then we realized that the time change had occurred! The kids only had about twenty minutes to swim before the pool closed but it was better than nothing. The kids didn't even start stirring the next morning until after eight. Roger and I had decided that we would get a later start on the road so that the kids could swim again in the morning. We knew it meant we wouldn't get home until Tuesday, but also that life would be a bit crazy once we got home. We didn't get on the road until about ten, by then Roger was chomping at the bit. However, the boys did eat  breakfast twice, so everyone was full! They ate some before going swimming, and after swimming, they ate again. At least we got our money's worth on the breakfast!

 

And on we went as we headed across the rest of Indiana, across Ohio, into Pennsylvania, and on to New York! The kids do fairly well at traveling, so every stretch we did was at least 150 miles. We decided to stop for the night in New York around 7:30 pm. The hotel was a newer one, and it was directly across from a park. This park was actually built in memory for heroes and patriots in America. There were several displays honoring heroes in our land. It was actually a really neat park to walk through and see history displayed...for free! We had wanted to stop at Niagra Falls, but time was not on our side for this trip. I'm sure we will have more trips across these miles, and we can probably do it another time. We took the kids swimming, but warned them that we would need to get on the road earlier the next morning, so no swimming in the morning! We also wanted to make sure that we didn't miss out on the free breakfast offered, so we wouldn't be leaving before everyone was fed! In our traveling adventures, I've come to realize that it is better for us to choose a hotel that's a bit more pricey, but has a pool and offers a good breakfast. Both hotels we stayed at offered fresh fruit, sausage, eggs, pastries, yogurts, and other such breakfast foods. As many mouths as we need to feed, it pays to look for the hotels that offer a good breakfast! We managed to get on the road by about 7:15am, and those first few hours were rather quiet! I'm glad Roger was driving as it was very quiet in the car, and sometimes that makes it harder to stay awake! It was a long day of driving, but it was uneventful. We arrived home about 7:30, and it was so wonderful to be home! The Lord had allowed another family we know to use our house for a few days, and Jessica left it in such nice condition! It's so nice to come home to clean sheets, no dirty dishes, stove cleaned off and everything tidy! This family has come to Maine for the summer  while Andy takes a woodworking craftsmanship class. They were between rentals for a few days and needed a place to stay. It just happened that our house was available to them as we traveling home. God gave us our house as a way to minister to people and this opportunity to be a blessing was dropped in our laps. This family has four boys so we have a lot in common!

Our week felt just a bit off as we arrived home on a Tuesday, so it was mid week before we were even at home. Wednesday was spent puttering around the house, putting things away, and enjoying being back in our  own space. The kids were invited to a local Vacation Bible School by some school friends, so I took them to that on Wednesday night. Emma was technically too young, but the pastor's wife graciously invited Emma to stay. That made Emma happy and mama happy too! I was able to do grocery shopping by myself! Hooray!! Roger was back at work on Wednesday morning and it's been a week of late nights for him. Generally this week I was arriving back from Bible school with the kids around 8:30 pm , and Roger was just pulling in the driveway behind us. It makes our week a bit crazy and long, but I am thankful for the days off and the shorter daylight hours that will be coming!

On Thursday we had our New York friends over for a play date. Although this family is only in our lives for a short little bit, I've enjoyed getting to know this family better. Jessica and I don't run out of topics to discuss, and life is exciting with eight boys between us and one girl. And those nine kids run in ages between two and ten...yes, it's exciting!! We spent part of the afternoon down at the lake with Allison and her girls. The boys have missed time at the lake the last two weeks, and I've missed visiting with Allison. The afternoon passed too quickly, but everyone was eager to head back to Bible school. I dropped the kids off and drove out to the airport to visit Roger. He was out on a flight, so I managed to squeeze in one of my sporadic runs around the airport. I'm not as faithful at running as I'd like to be, but it's just where I am at in life right now. God's been teaching me to be content at this stage also. It was a good and enjoyable day.

Friday was another day of work for Roger. It was work and play for mama and the kids. We got the grass mowed, reading done, yard picked up, and even a quiet afternoon of rest time. It was a bit of a dreary day with rain in the afternoon, but that didn't stop the boys from putting on rubber boots and stomping around out in the yard. I am thankful though that they are willing to be outside, and I got to take a little rest with Emma! Tonight was the last night of Bible school, and the kids were disappointed about that. They would like Vacation Bible School to run all summer long! But school is resuming in just a few days, so we need to treasure and savor these last few days of break time.

Saturday was spent with making a meal for the pilots at Roger's work, visiting with Allison for a few minutes, and working at the church. I made a blueberry coffee cake and egg casserole for lunch for  the pilots. I also had cut up some fruit to go along with it, but I forgot to tell the boys not to eat it all! They left one single piece of cantaloupe in the bowl, so I didn't bother to bring that along! After dropping off lunch, we stopped by Allison's house to borrow a key to the church building. The kids got out to play with their friends, and Allison and I got so busy talking, that I almost forgot the key! However, we did remember to get the key! We went to the church building to work on a few projects, and the boys had a good time playing outside and inside. Jessica came by with her boys to help for a bit, and we did make good progress on cleaning out a few things. It's nice to have everything nice  and clean for the start of a new school year.

We are excited about the upcoming school year, and I would appreciate your continued prayers for the school. The school board did hire a teacher that we needed to have for the new school year. I am asking God to specifically bless the school with unity and harmony this year. I am asking God to give me wisdom about what to be involved with and what He wants me to do. I am asking that my children develop more of the Christian character traits that they need and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ this school year. Chandler would like to make the honor roll this year, so I am praying that he will do his very best. Garett struggles with school so I am asking prayer that he will work at it the best that he can, and that God will bless his efforts. Wyatt: to continue to grasp the concepts presented to him, and that he will develop the character traits that he needs to strengthen this year. Travis: education is hard for this boy also. I'm asking for prayer that he will work his hardest, and that I will have wisdom about how to help him. I am asking God to give his teacher wisdom and patience as she interacts with him.

Thank you for your love and prayers,
Sarah