Another month is almost over, and I always think that February is the longest short month ever! February seems to stretch out for a very long time, but we are getting closer to wrapping up this month.
Early in the month, Roger and I had the opportunity to attend a marriage retreat. It was good to get away for a few days, and we’ve had to do some serious soul searching lately regarding some decisions that will have to be made regarding our children, the future, finances, and so much more.
This month also brought about the completion of JV Basketball, JV cheerleading, Varisty Basketball, and Varsity cheerleading. Two weekends ago, Wyatt participated in the JV tournament for basketball, and the JV cheerleaders also participated in the tournament. We had eight JV girls on the cheerleading squad, and it was a season to remember. Some of them were completely new to cheering, so they had a lot to learn as far as stunts, routines, cheers, and chants. They worked hard, and we are proud of them. Laura came down for the tournament on Friday, so that was a huge help to me. It’s always a relief when she’s at the games as she brings a depth of experience to coaching that I don’t have. The JV boys basketball team made it to the championship game, which was played on Saturday afternoon.
It was an exciting JV game to watch as it was pushed into overtime twice! Wyatt made a few mistakes in the final quarter of the game, which resulted in his coach pulling him (as he should’ve!). Wyatt can tend to be defined by his mistakes, and we’ve been working on overcoming that tendency. His coach spoke with Wyatt, encouraged him to do better, and a few minutes later Wyatt went back in the game. He was able to overcome those earlier mistakes to shoot a three pointer that helped the team tie the game to go into overtime! Roger and I are thankful for Wyatt’s coaches who helped him, encouraged him, and put him back in the game. It was a close game, but after double overtime, the JV Boys basketball team pulled off a victory! That was an exciting way to wrap up the season, and this mama was glad to have another sport behind us! (Basketball and cheer are loooong seasons!)
Many of you may already be aware, but the state of North Carolina recently changed the Opportunity Scholarship guidelines for private education. Previously, you could only apply if you were military, a child in k-2nd grade, or your children were coming from public schooling. There was also an income limit, but that was never our concern. Only one of our children has the opportunity scholarship and that’s Emma. Emma was able to get the scholarship because she was moved back to 2nd grade last year. This provided some financial relief for at least one child, and we’ve been so thankful for that! However, when the guidelines were updated to include all students regardless of grade entry, we knew that we wanted to apply. The application process opened on February 1st, and I was definitely all about applying on February 1st! I don’t mind working, and I like working, but this year has been A LOT! It would be hard to keep up this projectory rate and be as present as I need to be for our children. We have no idea how long the funds will last for the scholarship money, but anything would be helpful. However, when I went to apply for our other four kids, I was smacked in the face with something unexpected. Since I have worked so much this past year, we will not qualify for the first round of funding for schooling. We are 4K over the limit of how much can be made for our household size, so we will be in award tier 2 of funding. (It can be kinda confusing, but there are four different tiers for the school choice funding. We’ve always been in the first tier, so Emma has gotten 90% school tuition coverage.) I know this sounds crazy, but I cried. We’ve worked our tails off, and to realize that because I have worked so hard to help provide Christian education that resulted in being pushed out of the first round of funding, was hard to take. We fall into the second tier of funding, which will be disbursed if there are any remaining funds by a lottery to those that have applied. God has ALWAYS, always, always provided for our children’s education, but I really wanted to try to be more present for our younger kids next year, and we can’t seem to find balance. I know that God has a plan in and through it all, and this is another opportunity to trust Him. God is molding and shaping us to be a vessel for His glory. So we continue to press on, move forward, and trust in Him. (And I continue to pray that perhaps, by some miracle, we will get some some funding assistance for the kids education.)
Two weekends ago, during the JV Basketball tournament, the Everett’s came down to spend the weekend due to the tournament and Justin had off of work due to President’s day. Roger and the boys went golfing with Justin, Brody and Ava, while I was able to do some house cleaning, make supper, and enjoy time with Laura. There’s been a lot of changes in both of our lives in the past six months and more seem to be coming. Sometimes we just need a friend to talk it through with and someone to cry and pray with. Raising teens is not for the faint-hearted! I’m thankful that God gives us new mercies, wisdom, and lots of grace! And so often we feel like salmon swimming upstream! I get that we are a bit “odd” in our parenting in that only one kid has a cell-phone, none of them have their own vehicles, none of them have social media accounts, etc. I know it’s all “weird” to some, but it not weird to us. We’ve never done parenting before, and it’s not something that we get a “re-do” on! We’re not doing it perfectly, and sometimes it feels like more failures than good, but we really do want to pour into our kids and point them to Jesus. I want them to be men and a woman of valor and character that love Jesus passionately and fervently!
This past week we wrapped up the Varsity Basketball and Cheerleading season! Praise Jesus! It’s been a long 16 weeks, and while we’ve had some really great and fun experiences, but regardless, it’s still very long. We left Thursday morning around 9:00am for the tournament. The boys team played at 11:30am, and the girls played a game at 2:00pm. Since we hadn’t been sure of whether or not the teams would win or lose, obviously, hotel rooms had been booked for Thursday night. Roger was originally planning on coming to Chandler’s game on Thursday, but with fire season starting up, it was impossible for him to get away. Laura and her girls ended up coming to the tournament, which was a huge blessing to me, and Laura and the girls stayed in my hotel room on Thursday night. A lot of the girls ended up driving home with their parents, so I was only responsible for about five girls at the hotel, which makes it all around easier! The tournament went through Saturday afternoon, so it was a long three days. The boys varsity team ended up in fourth place and the girls varsity team ended up with second place- so that was exciting!
It’s hard to believe that it’s all over and done. There were moments in the cheerleading season that I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and over stimulated! However, by the grace of God, we made it through! Laura’s help was invaluable to me as she planned most of the stunt routines, and she continued to do that even after they moved to Virginia. I don’t have the experience that she can bring to the team, so I am so thankful that she stuck with it to the end even with the many hours of driving back and forth. We worked through a lot of new experiences together, and while not every experience was pleasant, I hope the girls know that we really did love them. We wanted to pour in and point them to Jesus. Roger also encouraged me numerous times throughout the season, and he made a lot of meals! My sister, Jen, took kids home with her so they didn’t have to hang out a school all evening. She helped with homework, meals, and even had the kids overnight several times during the season. I am so thankful for Roger, Jen and Laura!
I’m excited about eating supper at a more reasonable hour every night, spending more time with our kids, and getting back into running as spring is coming! I have a lot to be thankful for as I reflect back over the season. And I feel tired enough to sleep for a week!
Garett is planning on playing baseball this spring. Chandler and Wyatt are hoping to be on teh golf team. Travis didn’t want to play any spring sports, but he’s been asking to play soccer through the city recreation team. We decided to sign him up to play. He’s one of the youngest players on the school team, so hopefully this will provide a little more playing time for him this spring. We’ve been in dire need of a different vehicle. Garett is ready to get his license as is Chandler, but we just haven’t had a vehicle for them. Roger’s truck has been on its last leg for the past several months, and it has over 300,000 miles on it. We’ve been looking for a while, and last night we purchased a new vehicle! New to us, I meant to say! We found a Toyota corolla with 113, 000 miles on it. It’s a 2008, so it’s not fancy or updated, but we are praying that it will run for many, many, many miles!! We are thankful!
Some of you have been praying about the boy’s upcoming missions trip to the Dominican Republic. Guess what?! We got the passports for the boys this past week! Praise the Lord! The passports arrived 3 1/2 weeks after our appointment, and we are so very thankful for that huge answer to prayer! The tickets have been bought, and now we have the passports in hand. The boys have been given $250 each towards their missions trip, and we are grateful for every penny. They are still looking for some weekend jobs to earn a bit more money for their trip, so we’d appreciate your prayers that God will provide those opportunities.
We are preparing for Grandparent’s Day this Friday, so Kaycee and I have been busy in the art room creating Patriotic art with the students. It’s been a hot mess at moments, but I’m happy to try to instill a sense of patriotic pride in these students.
In closing, Roger and I are earnestly seeking God’s direction for some upcoming decisions for our children. I never knew how hard parenting teens would be, but here we are, and I wonder what I am doing! We need your prayers for patience, mercy and grace as we pour in and point them to Jesus. We aren’t always doing it well, that’s for sure!
It’s been a long month, and I’ve struggled through some depression, feeling overwhelmed, and feeling like I’m failing. But, through it all, I’m thankful that God continues to love me, protect and provide for me. He’s not surprised when I feel all knotted up inside or distressed, and He patiently waits for me to rest in Him. I hope I never lose sight of all the Christ has done for me. He is worthy to praised! He’s already won! This song has brought me peace and compassion, even when Laura and I seriously thought we were going to drown trying to get through the cheer season! God is still good!
