In a house with five kids, our lives have never been exactly “boring”, but this week we added some extra excitement. We wrapped up the baseball season with a tournament on Friday/Saturday. The boys played frisbee(disc) golf with some friends on Sunday afternoon, while Emma and I went to the park with our friend, Tamela, and her son, Jace. Then Travis broke his foot, Chandler got a very sore throat, the older boys sang with Ava and Savannah for Wednesday night church, and we have eleven school days to go! Whew! (No wonder I’m tired!)
Also, last week our school celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week, so that’s always a fun time. We didn’t do anything extravagant for our teachers, but I hope that they know that we love and appreciate them! I made chocolate covered strawberries for the teachers last Wednesday. And while they look pretty, I sure can make a mess in our kitchen in a hurry! We do very much appreciate those teachers that invest and pour into our children. We recognize that our children are certainly not perfect, and that they can be a challenge at times! But we appreciate those that invest in them and point them to Jesus. These teen years can be challenging, but we sure do love these kids that God has blessed us with.
On Friday, the baseball tournament started around noon. The baseball team didn’t have to come into school right away, but Garett and Chandler just decided to go ahead and come in with me. They helped with some projects that needed to be done for the tournament, and watched the other spring sport games that were also playing- girls soccer, men’s volleyball, girls softball, and boys baseball. A lot was happening on the school campus!
Friday morning was also my first meeting with the special education department here in North Carolina. One of our sons has a current IEP from the state of Maine, and I have a son that I suspect may also have some learning challenges. I asked for this meeting as Garett’s IEP will be expiring in October. We don’t know what God has for him, but we do know that school is hard and challenging. Travis does not have a current IEP, but I suspect that he may have some learning challenges. However, getting the testing done can be a challenge. The specialists all made the comments that we must have some great boys as all the teachers put rave reviews on the evaluation. In the course of conversation, it almost seems as if the boys would have an easier time getting the proper evaluations done and faster if the boys were terrors in their classroom and rude! However, the special education department did agree to test the boys, but it will take a while as in we don’t know how long! Please pray that the testing that they do will be an accurate representation of the boys learning and comprehension levels. Both boys have passing grades in all subjects, but like I told the teachers, those grades do not represent ALL the hard work poured in at home. It doesn’t show the little 12 year old boy crying often at the kitchen table about how school is so hard and he really, really doesn’t want to go. Those grades don’t represent the 16 year old boy that realizes that he’s not exactly like his peers, and “why can’t I just be smarter?” I know that I know these boys better than anyone else in the world, and I will advocate for them. I know that the testing would probably be easier and faster if they were in the public education system, and sometimes I do get frustrated by teachers that don’t really get to know their students, but at the end of the day, I believe that our boys are exactly where God wants them to be for right now. However, we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom about their future education. I know that God can use anyone that is surrendered to His Will, and above all else, we want our children to love and serve Jesus.
We spent Friday and Saturday at the school for the baseball tournament. I helped out some with concessions, collecting money for admission and picking up trash. It was beautiful weather for a baseball tournament, and many people came out for the games. The girls softball came in fourth, and the boys baseball team came in 1st. Chandler did get to play in the last game, and he had a great bunt. Garett didn’t get to play as much, and I think both boys are relieved that they can come home earlier now that they don’t have practices. We learned a lot and we had our share of struggles, but God brought us through it all.
On Sunday afternoon, we met up with our friends, The Hardisons. We spent the afternoon playing disc golf, playing at the park, eating lots of food at their house, and lots of laughter and conversations. We had a great time! Emma was the only girl out of 8 kids, but she can hold her own. The kids all played outside for the majority of the afternoon. We headed home around 8:30pm, and everyone was tired and ready for bed. Monday morning dawned with a new week of school, except Travis could walk on his foot! His right foot was swollen! We asked him how long it had been hurting, and he replied that he had stepped on it wrong while playing basketball at the Hardison’s house. I asked him why on earth he hadn’t mentioned it to us the night before! He replied, “Mom, I was really tired. I just knew that you would probably tell me to take some medicine and drink more water!” I had a hard time not laughing, but that is generally my go-to response! It’s currently easier for Roger to take a day off of work, so he and Travis ended up going to a walk-in clinic. They first went to the walk-in clinic that Roger had taken Chandler to for his episode with poison oak. They arrived at 7:30am, and there was already a line. They spoke to the receptionist around 8:30am, and she told them that they no longer treat pediatrics in this office! Well…what now? So Travis and Roger had to travel to another walk-in clinic that would see pediatrics. After seeing that doctor, she referred them to a sports doctor for an x-ray and further evaluations! It was an all day affair! I’m so blessed to be married to a man like Roger that will take it all in stride and keep on doing the next right thing. Eventually, they saw the sports doctor on Monday afternoon, and he is concerned that Travis broke the bone that is on/near his growth plate in his foot. I don’t know. I didn’t really understand it all, except the fact that Travis now has a cast for at least two weeks, and then probably a boot for 5 more weeks! Not exactly what we wanted to hear right before school gets out, but God is still faithful. Travis was in tears when he realized that he would have to not participate in gym class or the school field day events which will be tomorrow. It’s been a rough week for him.
On Wednesday night, Garett and Chandler sang special music with their friends, Ava and Savannah. I was probably more nervous than they were about singing as I haven’t exactly been playing the piano on a regular basis! Chandler looked a little bit like a deer in the headlights, but they did it. We are proud of them for getting up in front of people to sing for the Lord. I know that they can build experience and confidence over time, and maybe next time Chandler will hold the microphone close enough that we can hear him! We are very thankful for the Everett family, and God has blessed us with a special friendship.
This week in library, we hosted a “strawberry” theme day. Since fresh strawberries are in abundance right now, we focused on that berry. We did a trivia contest, learned about the plant, and sampled fresh strawberries with homemade whipped cream. It was a hit with almost all of our students, and I hope they all learned something! Did you know that the strawberry is the only fruit that grows its seeds on the outside? Or that the average strawberry has 200 seeds? Or that strawberries are a member of the “rose” family? How about the fact that North Carolina is 3rd in strawberry distribution? It was a fun lesson, and it helped engage our students a bit more as we wade through the last few days of the school year.
Fire season seems to be coming to an end, and it was a fast season. We got more rain this year than we’ve had in past springs, so it kept the fire season shorter than normal. We are looking forward to having him back on his regular schedule of Monday thru Friday and home on Saturday and Sunday. Roger and the older boys are looking forward to playing on a co-ed softball church team this summer. I think I might could be persuaded to play, but honestly, I need some serious practice time and right now I can’t even keep the laundry folded!
We are thankful for all that God does in our lives. We have been very blessed. We’ve had some rough moments in the past few weeks, but God has shown Himself to be faithful and true. The boys are planning on working for the neighbor again this summer, and they are looking forward to that. I”m looking forward more time at home, outside, and being with our family. Thank you for your love and prayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment