Roger worked on both Thursday and Friday when we had snow days, so that was a bit of a bummer. On Thursday the snow was beautiful, and all the kids were in and out of the house all day long. Roger came home to plow the driveway, and he took Garett and Chandler back to the airport with him to clean out airplanes and other jobs. The boys were happy to go along with Roger, and it does mean less conflict if all the kids aren’t on top of each other all day long! I caught up on laundry (well, I tried anyways!), cleaned out a closet, and worked on a few other projects.
Friday saw the transition of the snow to a bit of icy conditions. However, with having the kids home from school, we also were out of milk by Friday afternoon. I went and ran a few errands before the roads became too icy. I’d definitely prefer to drive the suburban in the snow, but we have a minivan this winter, and that’s fine too!
Saturday afternoon found us with a house full of boys! Chandler’s twelfth birthday party was on Saturday afternoon, and we had nine boys out in the yard! Saturday was a crisp and cold day, so the ice skating rink was useable. I plan very low key birthday parties...no Pinterest parties here (I have no problem if you do -go for it!) We have always had birthday parties for our kids where we expect them to entertain themselves. I’ve found that kids often really enjoy unstructured play time with their friends, and it makes for a fun party. I’ve also learned to have plenty, plenty of food! Chandler asked me to make enchiladas and quesadillas for his party. The boys certainly seemed to enjoy the food, and they washed it down with slabs of ice cream birthday cake! We have a Dairy Queen that offers 1/2 price ice cream cakes on Tuesdays. Guess which day I bought the cake on? Yup....Tuesday! Chandler’s favorite kind of cake is ice cream cake, and it was a nice treat for his birthday party. Even though the temperature was about 22 degrees with the real feel colder than that, the boys seemed to enjoy the party....Emma, not so much! She kept asking when the party was going to start, and when I told her that it had started she asked, “You mean, only boys are coming, Mom?!” Oh well, such is the life of one girl among four brothers!
I had a good talk with my parents this past week, which was nice for me. I’m pretty sure that they know it’s me when the phone rings at 6:30 am! I kinda forgot that they were an hour behind me, and by that time the phone was already ringing! Oh well, they seemed happy to talk to me!
Roger and I planned a human hungry hippo game for youth group on Sunday night, and that was a lot of fun to watch and to play! We used scooters that the teen had to lay down on and then the other teen had to steer them using their legs! The teen on the scooter had to use a laundry basket to collect balloons, and the team that collect their color of balloons first won. It was very fun to watch the kids have a good time playing the game, and no one got hurt! We’ve had a lot of fun getting to know these teens and working with them. I asked Garett what was his opinion of his parents helping with teen group, and he replied, “I think it’s awesome. I love having you and dad there.” Well! Those words certainly warmed my heart right up. Sometimes this boy seems sour and grumpy, so it’s nice to know that he does love us! I sure do love this boy, even when he can quite literally drive me batty faster than I can blink an eye!
Chandler was reading some nutritional labels this week. While reading a creamer container, he remarked, “Mom, this one doesn’t say anything about having OMGs” I was like, “What in the world?” Then I realized he meant “GMOs”! He had the right letters, but in the wrong order! I laughed, and Chandler had a good laugh too. It’s refreshing to hear my kids laugh, and I realize that I need to help us all do that more often. Sometimes I get caught up in the seriousness of something or a situation, but sometimes I just fail to see delight and to laugh easily.
We have been preparing for our 100th day of school...which keeps getting moved out later and later! Roger helped me make a gumball machine (a paper one). I punched out 100 circles and the students wrote things that they were thankful for on the circles. So along with 100 days smarter, we are also focusing on 100 gumballs of thanks. It was fun to see what the students are thankful for, and the youngest ones are so endearing. One wrote “Me”, and another wrote, “Money”. Many gumballs stated mom or dad or siblings. Some were thankful for their Christian school, and many other things. God is so good! I’m thankful that Roger was able to help me with the gum ball machine, as Art is not my forte!
We are still planning on going to Haiti, and I’ve been keeping my eyes open for good bargains on things to bring. If you’d like to buy a tshirt, we are running a fundraiser to help offset the cost of the missions trip. You can browse our T-shirt fundraiser here I’m excited to have the opportunity to go, and both of my sisters are tentatively planning to go also, as well as possibly my dad. Chandler has already said that he thinks that he would prefer to go on a missions trip with Aunt Jen as she usually helps coordinate the Vacation Bible School mission trips. We are praying about when Chandler should plan to go on that trip. Missions trips are important, and I think they can be especially important for our youth. It’s so easy to be self absorbed. A missions trip can be a great way to see the world around us, and to realize that so many people live in a completely different way. Yet all around the world, the need remains the same and that need is Jesus Christ. We can serve some the practical needs of others, but we need to be fervent about pointing them to Jesus. And not just on a missions trip!
Roger has had the opportunity to play hockey again, and I am so thankful for this opportunity for him! He hasn’t played on a team in over twelve years, but the winter he has had the opportunity to play some for a pickup league. He already had all the goalie gear, and goalies get to play free. It’s about once a week and it’s in the evenings...but after the kids are already in bed. It has provided exercise, friendships, and an outlet for him. God always provides what we need right on time, and this has been so fun for Roger. He has enjoyed the opportunity to play again, but yet it’s not interfering with our family time which we have to guard so closely. God is so good.
Well, that about wraps up another week on the blog! I always think of more things I could or should’ve added after I’m done, but enough is enough. Our love to you, Sarah
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