A week ago we found ourselves enjoying warm, sunny, June-temp weather. This week we are experiencing much cooler temperatures, rain, and a bit of a lack of sunshine! Oh well!! We have seven days left of school, and these are the crazy days! There are numerous field trips and events happening with the five kids in school! We are looking forward to being done with the school year and on to summer vacation!
Last Wednesday we headed out to Matinicus Island to mow grass again. With the beautiful warm weather last week, the grass grew quickly! Roger was working that day, so I picked up the kids from school. We headed out to the airport, had to wait a bit, and then loaded up for another family fun event. Growing up I often remember my dad saying that “we are going to have family fun night tonight”. All three of us girls would inwardly groan as we knew that really meant - work!! However, those memories and events did teach us about hard work and working together. The boys weren’t terribly excited about mowing grass again, but their enthusiasm picked up when some friends on the Island brought them watermelon and cookies! Kim and Gary live out on the island, and Gary is the one who fixed the riding lawnmower. He also came down to the runway to help Roger get it started. While it still felt like it took us a while to complete the job, it did go a bit smoother and quicker since the grass was shorter and the riding lawnmower was working. The mosquitoes were out in force, but we survived and the job was done!
On Thursday Roger continued on with his ten day work streak, while Emma and I worked on some things for VBS, shopped for hot lunch, and I worked on some music lesson plans for our last music class that would be on Monday. These are some long days for Roger, but he is helping to train a few new pilots. And once school lets out, we are going to try to coordinate some summer family events for our family. Roger is working long and hard now so that we can hopefully take some days as a family after Vacation Bible School. This event for our church will take place a little over a week after school gets out. I’ve been doing some of the leg work to help coordinate workers, decorations, places to have the classes, etc. VBS is never a quick and easy event, but I do enjoy the opportunity to prepare and plan for things like this. I felt a little bit like I was back in my college days as I prepared a mission statement, teaching ideas, and other such papers for our meeting. I did wonder after college if I would use my degree in church and Childrens ministries, but I was thankful this week for that degree. I find it hard to know if I’m doing a good job if Roger isn’t around to give me feedback, but I just continue to pray, prepare and plan to the best that I know how. I majored in college in church and Childrens ministries because I felt that those were important and needed areas in our churches. I still firmly believe that having a Vacation Bible School, a Sunday school for kids, and other such ministries are necessary and important. I don’t want to become complacent in a ministry just because I’ve done it for a long time or it’s tradition for a church. I want to be excited and vibrant about it because there are little souls out there that also need Jesus. I recently read an article stating the important of reaching children between the ages of four and fourteen. The article was stating that it’s in these basic children’s years that their view of God, basic theology, and major spiritual decisions are made. We cannot sacrifice reaching children during these vital years because we become complacent or settled in the fact “I guess we should do VBS because it’s what we’ve always done”. No! Be excited and intentional in reaching these souls for eternity! Okay, I’ll get off that horse now!
Anyways, on Friday I helped with yet another hot lunch. I think we are up to our 35 or 36 hot lunch of this school year. I’m kinda ready for a break on this too! The mom that usually helps me with hot lunch wasn’t feeling well, and the other lady that helped us earlier in the year has hurt her arm. That left just myself for making French toast, doing potatoes, and making smoothies! I knew that I couldn’t manage all that, so I asked Allison to help me! I know that Fridays are a busy day for her in the church office, but she agreed to come make the smoothies. Google to the rescue! I always just dump in some stuff to make a smoothie, but we needed to make a bunch of them. Claire had brought us her blender, and that was a huge help! This lunch was a bit of a hodgepodge as we try to clean out our freezer. We had frozen some fruit from an earlier lunch, and it was Allison’s job to make it taste delicious! She succeeded! We had some happy children are hot lunch and the smoothies were a hit! Hooray!
Honestly, last week was long and hard for me. Roger was working a lot, I’ve been battling a lot of headaches, and it was a bit discouraging. Someone commented to me after school on Friday something that they thought I should have my children change. I’m not saying that I shouldn’t make my children change in the area that they were demanding (oh, I mean suggesting) however, sometimes there are just more gracious ways that somethings can be said. It put a damper on my day, and after already being tired from a long week, I just wanted to go home and mope about it. But that’s not a very good example to our children, it’s not the right response, and that wouldn’t fix anything, would it?! Instead, I took my children home, made supper, and thanked the Lord that the week was coming to a close!
Sunday had Roger working again, but this stretch is almost over. We have been doing the opening for Sunday school for the last few months now, but it’s a lot different when Roger isnt there. It went fine, I think, but I miss him. After church, three of the boys went home with the Pastor and his family. Chandler had a headache so he came home with me. He’s been struggling with headaches again lately, so we’ve been back to having him drink a lot more water and take some melatonin to help him fall asleep easier at night. He and Emma did very well together all afternoon and I was able to finish up all the papers for the VBS meeting before church. I also made a rhubarb dessert for Roger, brownies for my music classes tomorrow, and one of the desserts for the eighth grade graduation on Monday night. Roger didn’t make it to church, but he called me just as we were leaving church. It was nice to have him home before it was bedtime for the kids.
Monday was a crazy day....and I knew it would be! It was my last music class for the year, and I wanted to do something fun with my classes. So I brought in treats, we played games, and we praised the Lord for some of the things He had done in music class over the past year. I’ve enjoyed this year of teaching music classes. I’ve been challenged, encouraged, motivated to learn and grow in music, and I hope be a blessing to these students. It was a lot of hard work, and I’m happy to have a break. I may be returning to that in the fall, we will see what God does. After music classes, I picked up Emma. Then we went home and I made a blueberry pie and an Oreo cheesecake for the graduation tonight. About four weeks ago, it was brought to Allison’s attention that there is generally a meal for the graduates, their families, teachers and staff, and classmates before the graduation. Allison had asked if I would be willing to help with the dinner. Well, yes! And my schedule didn’t look busy at the time! We planned a baked potato bar, with ham, salad, and pies for dessert. The weather was rainy on Monday, which worked out because Roger was done with work early. I had sent Allison a text saying I thought we both were a bit crazy! She replied that she was busy taking flowers from her sister-in-laws yard for the table centerpieces in the rain!! Yes, crazy! We didn’t have as many people as we had anticipated, but that’s okay because my kids had baked potatoes for lunch all this week!!
I had been asked last week if I would play the piano for the graduation. I was happy to help with music, except I wasn’t familiar with the songs picked out. I purchased music for the songs, spent hours practicing and listening to you tube videos...but there are many variations of the same song! The song was one that is generally led with a guitar and a lead singer of which I had neither. It’s one thing to play the music as originally written and at the tempo originally written in, but it’s another thing entirely when the audience has heard it differently on the radio! Truthfully, it was a bit discouraging and disheartening, but maybe someday I’ll get better at the delivery from the piano. I guess I’ll just keep working at that!
I went on a field trip on Tuesday and another field trip on Wednesday. With five kids in schools, there are lots of field trips to go on! My sister, Hannah,watched Emma on Tuesday so I could go on the field trip. Emma was happy to spend the day with her, and after school we headed up to Hannah’s house for supper. Due to the rainy weather, Roger was able to come with us to Hannah and Josh’s house, so that was special for us. The boys have missed Roger, so it was good to have some time with him.
Today Roger had off of work!! Hooray! We were able to get in a long walk together after dropping the kids off at school. Roger headed home to get some things done while I went on a field trip with Travis’s class. He went to Home Depot, and those kids had a great time! You wouldn’t think that the Home Depot would be that exciting but the kindergarten and first graders loved it! They got to do a craft, tour the store, have a snack, and it was fun. I’m pretty sure that the kids will all go home and report to their parents about the dog poop that was in the aisle! We were on our tour, when the smell of dog poop grew really strong! Someone’s dog had made a mess in the aisle, and it will create a memory for sure! The snack that the store prepared for the students was delicious, and it far exceeded my expectations. They gave the kids juice, goldfish, granola bars, and lots of fresh fruit. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go on this field trip with Travis. It’s been a busy and full week, but God has been so faithful and gracious to me.
We are trying to enjoy these last few crazy days of school. The boys are delighted with all the fun activities that are happening, and it’s fun to see them excited. Emma has been learning in school the verse that states “a friend loveth at all times”. Travis was annoying her this past week and she told him “Mrs. Robertson’s (her teacher) Bible says that a friend loveth at all times. Is that not in your Bible, Travis?” It’s been interesting as she has been learning Bible verses! I sure do love these kids!
 |
| Field Trip Fun! Travis and Abel |
No comments:
Post a Comment