Our Christmas Letter & Happy New Year!

                                       Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

This will be my last blog for 2025, and I wanted to close with our family letter for Christmas. In a perfect world, I would’ve gotten Christmas cards sent out to family and friends, created a Christmas photo card, and done a million other things, but that didn’t happen in 2025! Instead, I’ll write our Christmas card digitally, and we will welcome in another year tonight. We are so thankful for all that God has done and will continue to do in our lives. 

Dear Friends and Family, 

2025 was a year of many events and happenings in our family. Like yours, we’ve had some amazing experiences, some difficult challenges, and some trials along the way, but the faithfulness of God has never faltered or wavered. Lamentations 3:22-23 states that “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” I am thankful for the steadfastness of the Lord’s faithfulness. 

Roger continues to work for the forestry service. We are thankful for the flexibility of his job as it allows him to make most of the boys basketball games, and he coached the boys soccer team for the 2nd year in a row. The boys soccer team won 1st place in their conference this year, so that was especially exciting! Roger continues to enjoy flying, and sometimes he wishes his job involved a bit more of that, but we are very thankful for his job. Roger stays busy with teaching the boys about car maintenance, enjoying golf with the boys and tea parties with Emma, as well as continuing to lead our family with quiet faithfulness and steadfastness. 

Sarah transitioned to teaching art this year at our Christian school, and that is something that we are all thankful for this year! As much as she enjoyed being the librarian and doing art last year, it was a lot, and we are thankful to the transition of just art this year. Sarah teaches art to 4K thru 12th grade, so she stays busy with making lesson plans and trying new ideas. Sarah was the assistant coach for Middle School girls volleyball this year, and that was a fun new challenge for her. She stays busy with art classes, ball games for the boys, meals, laundry and all the other things that make up “mom life”. Also, Roger and Sarah celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this year! Time really does fly! They are looking forward to getting away for a few days together in January for some much needed time together. 

Garett graduated from high school this past spring, and that has brought along both challenges and delights as we transition from parenting a teen to an adult child! He is still desiring to pursue his aviation degree, but he is currently pondering a few different options. He continues to work for the Gutterworks Company as he moved to work with them full time over the summer. As parents, we are so thankful for the co-workers that Garett has in his employment. We are thankful for two Christian men that Garett gets to work alongside of every day. Garett has faced challenges this fall as he realized that being a graduate out of high school is not as fun as one might think! He has started to attend a small local church, but our prayer would be that Garett would find some deep friendships that would encourage and point him to Jesus. 

Chandler is a senior this year in school, so we are preparing for our second high school graduate! (Mom is not ready!)  Chandler knows that he would like to attend college somewhere, and he has visited Liberty University. He really enjoyed the college days there, but the cost of college is quite high, and Chandler is prayerfully considering his options. Chandler enjoys working with his hands, and he appreciates outside work and play. Please pray with us that he will have wisdom regarding his college decisions. Chandler had a great senior year of playing soccer as he closed out his high school season with 30 goals for the season and 25 assists. Now he is playing his senior year of basketball! 

Wyatt is in 10th grade this year, and he enjoys all the sports, but especially basketball!  Wyatt is not quite as interested in school as his parents would like him to be, but he does ok. Wyatt is taking piano lessons this year, and we are thankful for his growth in that area. Our prayer for Wyatt would be that he would make good friendships and that he would have wisdom about what God wants him to do in the future. 

Travis would prefer to be anywhere but at school, but he works hard at it. He played soccer also this season, and as the youngest Robertson boy playing sports, he puts up with a lot from his brothers! He enjoys anything outside and in the dirt, and he loves to annoy his oldest brother…hopefully someday they will be best buds! Travis provides a lot of humor for our family, and we are thankful for his lightheartedness. 

Emma is in fifth grade, and school is hard for her. She enjoys school because she is a social butterfly, but school does not come easily for her. She enjoys babies, Barbies, and Legos, and not so much playing sports much to her brother’s chagrin. Emma is Sarah’s grocery shopping companion, and Emma goes with Sarah almost every Saturday to get the grocery shopping done. It has provided for one on one time for them, and they are both thankful for that. 

In closing, we also took a family cruise last March to celebrate Garett’s high school graduation. Everyone had summer employment, and we are thankful for God’s provision of work there. The boys had the opportunity to go to Teen Extreme camp at Pensacola in June. Travis and Chandler attended soccer camp at Bob Jones University (Chandler was the  Camper of the Week there. Wyatt was unable to attend due to a badly sprained ankle). The boys took a trip to Wisconsin in November for deer hunting, and they stayed at Sarah’s parents home. We celebrated Christmas at home this year, and we’ve savored lots of moments and time together. As we age (quickly!), we are realizing just how fleeting these moments as a family are in our lives. 

As we look towards 2026, we pray that you will find grace and peace in the presence of our Savior. We truly have the greatest gift in our salvation in Jesus, and that is a gift that is freely offered to each one. 

Blessings, 

The Robertson Family 

Christmas Break!

 

We blinked. Just like that Christmas break is over, and tomorrow we are going back to schedules, routines, school, basketball, and another semester of school! Tomorrow morning is probably going to be a bit of a rough wake-up call as we get back to school and work, but we made some great memories. It was a good break for our family, and it provided a much needed reset for my mental health and clarity. 

As you might remember, I mentioned in our previous post (Here), we planned to take a trip to Maine over Christmas break. We left on Christmas Day about mid-morning, and made it to New Haven, CT., on Christmas Day. We arrived in Maine on Thursday, and we were all excited to see snow on the ground! My boys had been praying that there would be some snow in Maine, and when we arrived, there was snow! God provided safety in our travels, as we went through many of the major cities on the east coast including, Washington, DC., Baltimore, New York City, Hartford, and Boston! Thankfully, traffic was moving right along, and we did not run into any bad weather or traffic. We arrived in Maine on Thursday afternoon, and we headed right to Hannah and Josh’s house. Our kids were all excited about seeing their cousins, and they tromped around outside for a good chunk of the afternoon. Hannah had arranged for a photographer to take family photos while everyone was together. Originally the pictures were supposed to be on Monday afternoon, but it was supposed to rain on Monday! We were able to reschedule the pictures for Friday afternoon, so that meant coordinating clothes for fifteen people. We did have to take a trip to Sam’s Club, but we managed to get clothing that didn’t completely clash. Josh had cleaned out his closet, and Hannah had saved the bag of clothes instead of hauling it right to Goodwill. She saved it as she thought some of our boys could use some of the items. They sure did! The boys borrowed clothes, boots, and coats from the bag all week long! We ended up trading with some of our jackets, and that Goodwill pile sure did come in handy! 

Our family headed down the coast towards Owl’s Head for Thursday night as a friend of Roger’s had offered to let us use his house for a few days. It worked out really well as we were able to catch up with some of our Maine friends over the next few days. I met with my friend, Allison, on Friday morning, and we chatted our way through a quick two hour visit over coffee and a walk around town. It was good to catch up in person. We are terrible about actually calling each other, and we are not much better at texting! The boys’ friend, Austin, came over to spend the day with them on Friday, so that was a fun time for them. Roger and Garett went to visit Penobscot Island Air (where Roger used to work) on Friday morning, and they even caught a flight out to Matinicus. Since we’ve been gone, the company has undergone some changes. Roger’s boss passed away in 2020, and our life was abruptly turned upside down. Through a series of events, Roger took a job in Michigan in the fall of 2021 while the kids and I stayed in Maine as I was teaching and the kids were in school. We didn’t end up in Michigan as we had planned, but instead we arrived in North Carolina in the summer of 2022. We were a little battered and bewildered as to what God was doing, but God is always good. Anyways, back to our Maine visit…it was good to see the company thriving again. They have a new hanger, lots of new faces, and I think it was also a time of healing for Roger. Roger was able to see in person that the company was doing well, and that several needed and good changes have taken place. I stopped in for a visit on Friday mid-morning, and I was able to say “hi” to a few people that I recognized, and I was introduced to the new chief pilot who promptly told me that if Roger ever wanted to come back, he would have a job. While I surely don’t know that that is what God has for us, it’s always nice to feel welcome and appreciated, and it was good for Roger to hear that. 

We survived family pictures on Friday afternoon…in the snow…with all fifteen of us. The weather was actually quite nice as the wind wasn’t blowing, and the sun was shining. Since we were already paying for pictures, we asked the photographer to shoot a few extras of Garett for his senior photos. (Might as well get it all done at once!) Also, for all those that sent us a Christmas card- thank you! You can expect a family card and Garett’s senior photos all in the same envelope around April! :) We had a great photographer who was able to get all the photos we needed or wanted in under 90 minutes. We are excited to see how they turned out, but everyone was also glad to go back to Aunt Hannah and Uncle Josh’s for pizza!

Saturday morning found four of our kids and I visiting with some school mates from Travis and Emma’s classes. We didn’t really plan anything ahead of time for our time in Maine as I wasn’t sure how the week would unfold. However, I reached out to my friend, Claire, and she welcomed the kids and I for a morning of visiting. It was good to catch up on school events, her kids, life, and the kids seemed to just connect right back. Roger and Garett were able to catch up with another one of Roger’s pilot friends, and that was a good time for them. We had invited our friends, the Davis’s, for supper on Saturday evening. I made a big pot of soup, and we sat and fellowshipped for several hours. Jess and I had taught at the same school our last year in Maine, and we had really hit it off. Tim and Jess have four kids, and our children also seem to really enjoy visiting together.  Allison and Jason and their girls came over in the evening as well, and we fellowshipped and laughed until 11:00pm! Our family had made several really great friends during our six years in Maine, and it was good to catch up in person. While we were all a little tired on Sunday morning, it was an evening well spent together. 

We flew around in a flurry of activity on Sunday morning, as we cleaned up the house we had been staying in and prepared for church. We were able to worship with friends at our home church on Sunday morning. Lots of smiles and hugs as we were greeted by so many that remembered us. “How the kids have grown!” That was the most common statement, and yes, the boys and Emma have grown a lot in 2 1/2 years! Several faces were missing as we greeted those we knew as several of our older dear friends have passed on to Heaven. I saw grief-filled faces as I hugged a few of my older friends, and it was a reminder that whether we like it or not, time marches on. Heaven grows sweeter every day. 

Our friends, Nick and Hannah, invited us over for lunch after church on Sunday morning. Hannah and Nick have five of their own kids, we have five, and Tim and Jess have four! The house was brimming with laughter, voices, the smell of delicious food, and families fellowshipping together. Whew! It was a fast visit as we knew that we needed to get to Hannah and Josh’s house later that afternoon. Before we left the Rockland area, we made on more last stop. We pulled into the driveway of Terri Waters later that afternoon, and so many memories came flooding back. When Kevin was alive, we had spent several holidays together, time at their lake cabin, family birthday parties, dinners together, and so many precious memories. Terri welcomed our tribe with a smile and a hug, and we wish that we had had more time to visit with her, but it was good to see her. She sold the company last year, and I think it was a good move for her. Life can change in the blink of an eye, and that is certainly what happened in 2020. It is so comforting to rest in the fact that God doesn’t make any mistakes. His plan is always the right one. I may not like His plan at the time or perhaps even for years to come, but He doesn’t make mistakes. I’m thankful that we were able to stop in to give a hug and a smile to Terri while we were in Maine. 

We spent the rest of the week up by Hannah and Josh. A friend of theirs had offered to let us sleep at their house, so that was really helpful. We love each other, but fifteen of us in the same house can be a lot! Monday was a rainy, dreary day, so we pretty much puttered around in the morning talking and drinking coffee at Hannah and Josh’s house.  Everyone was kinda getting a little stir crazy in the afternoon, so we went out and looked around at a few different places. My parents stayed at Hannah and Josh’s house, and they probably were not sad to see us leave with eight children in tow! 

Tuesday was a beautiful morning, and while the ground was wet and muddy, the sun was shining again! We ended up on a hike with my dad, Hannah and Josh, their kids, Jen, and all our family. It was about a three mile hike through the woods in a preserve. If we had been quiet, we might have seen some wildlife, but certainly not with fourteen of us! Travis shouted loudly at his brothers, who were ahead on the trail, “GUYS, WE HAVE TO BE QUIET TO SEE A DEER!” Um, son…there are no deer for miles around after that! It was a fun morning and everyone got some fresh air. Roger and I, and Garett and Chandler, met up with another couple for lunch in the afternoon. The Peabody’s have been good friends to Roger for years, and they are a special couple to our family. Chandler told me later that he didn’t really remember the Peabody’s but he figured that lunch would be good. He said that he was glad he had come along because after visiting with them, he did remember some good memories…and lunch was good too! 

Garett and Chandler drove down for a youth event that they had been invited to by some friends on Tuesday evening. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for them as they were able to re-connect with some of their friends. Soccer is pretty big in that area of Maine, and that is right up Chandler’s alley! They ate food, played games, participated in a soccer tournament (but were unable to finish it as they needed to drive back), and came back tired but refreshed. I’m thankful that Levi extended the invite to them to come, and that Garett and Chan were able to go. 

We packed up our belongings, washed sheets and bedding, and headed for Hannah and Josh’s house on Wednesday morning. It was raining again on Wednesday, and it was a good day to leave as everyone was tired. Hannah fed us (again) and we got on the road to head back to N.C., around eleven am. We made good time, and we stopped around 7:30pm in Bordertown, NJ. That is not a stop we will make again! The pool was not heated, the hot tub was broken, and the room was so dirty that I told my kids not to take off their shoes! We were able to get a different hotel room, but it still wasn’t super clean. We aren’t picky people, but I don’t like some else’s hair on the bed or mud on the floor! Oh well! We survived and continued on the way to home on Thursday. We arrived back around 4;30pm, and everyone was glad to get home. It’s a lot of work to unpack, do laundry, and prepare for reality, but we did it. It’s been good to be home for a few days before heading back to school. We have two weeks of school before we are going to spend a weekend with my Aunt and Uncle in western NC.! 

So…it’s a new year! I’ve been thinking about my goals for the year, the goals for our family, the goals I have for our children, and all the dreams and expectations for the new year. I have a list, and I have plenty of ideas for the new year, but I really want God to be glorified in and through me. I want to encourage and point others to Jesus. I want to help our children understand their need for a personal and growing relationship with Jesus. I want to help them be able to defend and understand what they believe and why. I have a lot longer list of ideas and goals, but these are my starting points. What about you? What are your goals, dreams, ambitions for the new year? I was reading an article that stated that one of the number one ways to succeed in something is to write it down. So…write it down! 

Happy New Year! 

Christmas Break! (December Events and Life)

 “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices…” I am so thankful for hope in Jesus Christ. These days in December have been flying by so quickly, and it’s hard to believe that Christmas break is here! 

We started off December with a “Night in Bethlehem”. A local church puts together an evening of activities and re-creates what a night in Bethlehem might be like. There’s the opportunity to visit the potter’s house, the spice shop, the jewelry, and the bakery and host of other spots. At each place, you can do a small activity or craft. It’s a fun event that we went to last year, and I planned for us to do it again this year. Emma is still of the age that she enjoys these types of things, and the boys usually do, but whew- the night was an epic failure! I did not set us up well for success as I planned this for an evening after basketball practice. Wyatt and Chandler were very hungry, and it was quite a chilly evening for North Carolina. Everyone was in a rather sour mood by the time we left, and I was mad because no one appreciated Christmas events (in my opinion). After a rather lengthy discussion, I apologized for planning an event on top of an already busy day, and the boys apologized for not having as much patience and grace as they should’ve had. While the evening did not go as I envisioned it in my mind, it was a reminder that we are still in the trenches of parenting these teens, and we have lots of things to work through! 

We have had some fun events that did work out more smoothly! On one Sunday evening, we invited several families over to our house to make cookies and have supper together. Jen made a big pot of chili, and we created lots of sweet desserts and treats! I made caramelized pecans as teacher gifts this year, and while it’s the simplest recipe, these pecans are so delicious! You can see the recipe Here. I double the amount of pecans to the sugar part, and I add some real vanilla extract. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again. 

We also had several basketball games that we attended to watch the boys play this month. Chandler has become quite a good defensive basketball player, and it’s easy to tell that Wyatt enjoys the game. Travis plays on the middle school team, and while they are not that good, it’s fun to watch them play. I’ve been happy to support the cheerleading coach in whatever ways that I can, but I’m also relieved that I’m not responsible for practices, routines, uniforms, and hours of being away from our family. The one thing that I don’t really like about basketball is that the season is very, very long. But ya know, we’re already at Christmas break! Garett and Travis both were chosen to represent their classes on the Homecoming Court in January, so I’ll be going to consignment stores over Christmas break to find them a sport coat. This is an event that takes place in January in which each class from 7th-12th grade picks their classes representatives. In the senior class, several representatives are chosen and Garett was one of them. Travis is the class representative for his class again, and while he’s not exactly excited about dressing up, I’m happy for him. It’s usually a really quick ceremony done at the end of the basketball games. It’s a lot of work and effort for a very short ceremony, and it’s not the way that I would do it, but ya know…no one asked my opinion. Ha! However, it is an honor to be chosen to represent your class, and I’m thankful that Travis and Garett were chosen. We will do our best to have Travis not looking like he’d rather be at the dentist than wearing a suit coat! 

We went to Virginia the last two weekends. The first weekend up there, we helped our friends, the Everett’s move onto the Air Force Base. Garett was helping with a teen event, so he stayed home, but the rest of us went. We worked hard to load the U-haul, drive to the base, unload the U-haul, and we got a lot done in a day! The Everett’s surely could’ve managed without us, but that’s what friends are for, to come along and share in burdens and praises. We came home tired but with full hearts. This past weekend, we all went up on Friday night and on Saturday to enjoy Christmas together. Laura made lots of delicious food, we played racquetball at the gym, decorated gingerbread houses, and shared in laughter and fun. It was a good way to start our Christmas break. 

On the art side of things, we managed to help each student create at least one ornament to give away at Christmas. My middle school class created two ornaments each, and the middle school participated in an art show on the last day of school. Garett is my Teachers Aide in the mornings, and he has sealed and sprayed  a lot of ornaments for me! I am so, so thankful for my art assistant, Kaycee, as she has helped me be organized with all these ornaments and trying to help keep the art room picked up. I am very thankful for all of her help, and the fact that she doesn’t complain about all my crazy ideas! 

On the Library side of things, we focused on library books about Christmas and this season. We played a scavenger hunt in the library by hiding all the pieces of the Nativity for each of our classes. They enjoy looking for the pieces, and placing the character back in the scene. One character did get dropped, and Joseph’s head fell off, but we glued it back together! If you’re familiar with the Mercy Watson  books, there is a Christmas book about Mercy the pig. We also read Christmas in the Big Woods, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and a bunch of other books. I feel like library has had to take a little bit of a back seat this year as I balance out Middle school art and Elementary art, but again, I have a great assistant in library too. Jennifer Wade has helped keep the library organized and running smoothly, and she keeps up with books that need to be returned, and she has managed to extend the shelf life on some of our most popular books with lots of book tape and glue! I am very thankful for her too. 

We have plans to go to Maine for part of Christmas break to see my sister, husband and their kids. My parents are also planning on coming to Maine, so all of my families side will be together for the first time in probably almost ten years. I’m excited about all having all of us together, and the boys are hoping for snow and ice. 

Continued (12/25) 

I had plans to finish this blog post before Christmas, but here we are and I’m still writing! We are currently in the van traveling north towards Maine. We’ve savored and treasured our first few days of Christmas break, and created memories with our family. 

On Sunday evening, we were invited over to our friend’s house, the Kennedys. We enjoyed delicious food, fun games, and even a time of singing Christmas carols. It was a really great way to start Christmas break. Jen ended up with three of our boys going home with her, and Chandler asked me if his friends, Nicholas and Eli, could spend the night at our house. I was thankful that I was able to say “Yes” on a whim. Sometimes I feel like these three boys struggle to fit in with the youth group, and while they all have different and unique personalities, I’m glad that they were able to play video games, eat more food, and share laughter together. 

Jen and I did some Christmas shopping with Emma on Monday also. We pick names in our family, so each family member has to pick gifts for someone else in our family. I usually end up finding out who everyone has just by the process of helping finding gifts or getting a bargain for someone. Emma had Chandler’s name, and while she had a few little things for him, she wanted to get him something else. We used to put a monetary limit on the gifts, but now that all the boys have their own jobs and money, we kinda just let them pick out the gifts that they think they’re person would like. I was pleasantly surprised to find that several of our children really did go above and beyond as they really thought through what their person might like. One day last week, Garett took Chandler to Dick’s Sporting Goods as Chandler needed to find something for Travis. Garett does not like shopping so he did all of his shopping online. Chandler wandered around Dick’s for about thirty minutes, and then bought a sweatshirt for Travis. However, by the time, he got back to school, he asked me to return it. Chandler said that he thought that Travis would like the sweatshirt, but since he couldn’t wear it to school, Chandler wanted to look for somethings else. I told Chandler that I would return the sweatshirt, and we could look for something else. Travis had hinted around that he would like like a basketball backpack that he could put his shoes in. So Chandler and I went online on Thursday evening to try to find a backpack that would be perfect. At first the only color that was available was in white, and if you know anything about Travis…white is not the color for him! However, we were able to find a backpack in navy blue. I told Chandler that I didn’t think that the backpack would arrive in time for Christmas, but much to our surprise the backpack did arrive in time!

 Travis had my name for a gift, and he kept telling me that he and dad were going to do shopping together. My sister, Jen, offered to help him, but Travis wanted to go with Roger. Finally on Tuesday mooring, Travis and Roger had the opportunity to go Christmas shopping. Travis already knew what he wanted to get for me, and he brought his money and his ideas along. Roger said that he pretty much was just the driver, as the first place they went to did not have exactly what Travis was looking for. Travis bought me AirPods with his own money. It really was one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever received as he really thought about what I might like, and he was willing to spend a good chunk of his own money to get me AirPods. He could’ve bought me the off brand, and that would’ve been fine, but he told Roger that he wanted to get mom something nice. I really do love that sweet boy! (He can drive me crazy faster than lightening, but I love him so much!) 

We also had some “not so Christmasy” moments on Tuesday, and we ended up having a bit of a loud family discussion. I didn’t think the kids were being helpful around the house, and I told them they were acting “entitled”, which led to a whole conversation! After much discussion, I finally had all the kids sit at the table and write down their blessings and praises from 2024 and their goals for 2025. It was a much needed reset for all of us, and I was blessed by reading over their lists. One son said that one of his goals for 2025 was to “not be such a grinch”. One son said that he wanted to not eat so many sweets. They had lots of praises in family, teachers, food, etc. It’s just so easy to develop an ungrateful heart, and we needed to reset our hearts and attitudes on what really matters…loving Jesus and loving others. 

Christmas Eve found us at Aunt Jen’s for delicious food, fellowship, playing on the Wii, and opening gifts together. Having Aunt Jen live close to us has been a gift in and of itself. She pours into our kids, feeds them often, and we are so thankful for her. We are very much looking forward to spending time with my other sister and her family in the next few days as well as my sister, Jen, and my parents. 

We woke up this morning, and savored some family time together over coffee and conversation. I’m reminded so often of how quickly these years are fleeting by, and I just want to stop and treasure these moments. God was so good to provide a Redeemer for us in sending His Son to earth. While I love the story of Jesus’s birth, the story is incomplete if we fail to recognize that this is the Saviour of the World. Without Jesus, I would have no hope for today, tomorrow or eternity. But I know that Jesus provides hope, peace, security, redemption, forgiveness, grace, mercy, sanctification and so much more. I am confident that my eternal salvation rests in Jesus, and that I have a home in Heaven. I serve a great God! 

I had big plans to write a Christmas letter, create cards, and send them out. But here we are, and not one of those things has happened! We are planning on taking family photos in Maine, so at this point in time, I’ll be sending a letter, family photo, and Garett’s graduation announcement all in one envelope! But, we love and appreciate each one that has invested in our lives and the lives of our children. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

This is one of my favorite songs this season. 

Christmas Memories!

 Updated: This blog post has been in the writing for several days now, but I’m going to leave it as it is- Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas Eve! I was very much hoping that I would find the time to write an updated Christmasy letter, but at the rate I’m going, it looks like Easter is a much better possibility! We’ve managed to wrap up this part of the school year and slid into Christmas break. It’s been a few years since I’ve felt this tired and overwhelmed at the Christmas season, but there’s a lot happening in our lives right now. I feel like I’m struggling to find “balance” in it all with Holiday gatherings, friends, Church events, school events, basketball, cheer, children, spouse, food to prepare as well as finding moments to prepare my own heart for the reason for the season. (If it was completely honest, I feel like I’m struggling a bit with some depression, but I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find a few moments to re-group and re-focus over this Christmas break). We went to the Christmas Eve service this morning, and that is always one of my favorite church services as it’s typically full of more music and an opportunity to cherish a quiet moment of reflection.

The last few weeks have been busy as we’ve prepared for Christmas break. We were able to take in a singing event with our friends, the Harrison’s and the Everett’s. It was a truly wonderful experience to soak up the sounds of the season and listen to college kids sing about the reason we can celebrate- Jesus. It’s a tradition that I hope we will be able to continue with for years to come as it really was a great service and the kids all enjoyed it too. We’ve also hosted a cheerleading Christmas party, made 100s of treats to give out for Christmas gifts, gathered food and gifts for the kids school events, and even managed to get the art room free of Christmas ornaments! Whew! 

Those would be the highlights. The low lights would be helping our freinds, the Everett’s, clean their military base house as they prepare to move. I can’t even hardly type that without my eyes filling with tears. Laura has helped me coach cheerleading, loved our children, hosted us for more meals than I can count, and their family is very special to us. We will miss them more than we can express. Another lowlight would be last Sunday night. It was raining and Laura and I had taken Emma, Chandler and Ava out to get some items for our cheerleading party. On the way back home, some of the roads were becoming flooded. We turned on the road towards home, and about halfway through a very large puddle…we were stuck. I immediately hopped out of the car and the water was over my knees. We tried to push the vehicle out of the water, but that didn’t work either. We called our husbands, and they came to rescue us. I ended up taking Laura, Ava, Chandler and Emma back home in Roger’s truck with Garett, Roger and Justin tried to figure out the car situation. It involved calling a tow truck, a long night, and lots of water before the vehicle was finally out of the water. That adventure definitely put a damper on the night! I’m thankful that God protected all of us. We learned a lot, and God is still in control. I don’t understand why God thought we needed one more situation in our lives, but God is still good. It’s been a week!

Also this week the alternator on the van went out, so Roger spent the day after Christmas fixing that! Garett’s car bit the dust, and the repairs were going to be way too costly, so that vehicle went to the junk yard. Garett was pretty happy to get $400 for his car, and he’s beginning the process of looking for a different vehicle. He doesn’t have his license yet, which is partially on him, but mostly on us as parents. We aren’t quite ready for the hike in insurance prices, and currently he’s still going wherever one of us are going so it’s worked out. Yes, he’s missed out on a few things, but nothing that he’s seemed too bothered about. He’ll get his license…eventually! 

We took Jen to the airport on Thursday morning as she’s flying to Maine to see Hannah and Josh and their kids. Roger hasn’t felt well for the past few days, so he’s been home a bit more this week and I’ve appreciated that. Jen opened up her home to the Everett’s as their between homes right now without base housing or a house in the area that they are moving to yet. We celebrated Christmas with them on Saturday night with lots of yummy food, gingerbread creations, and a Christmas movie. The Everett’s are leaving to see family in Tennessee, and Roger’s parents are coming into town tonight. We are thankful for family. 

Continued (12/29/23) It’s now Friday morning. The presents are unwrapped and strewn all about. The cookies are eaten. Grandpa and Grandma have come and gone, and now we are trying to recover from too much sugar and junk food! We enjoyed our visit with Roger’s parents, and the weather was beautiful on Christmas Day. Roger, his dad and the kids went to the baseball park for a while, and I was able to get in a short walk. We visited on the phone with my parents for a bit too. We had a relatively quiet Christmas as far as gifts for our kids. Since we are going on a family vacation in January, we told the kids that they would just pick names for each other and they’d each get a gift that way. We all picked names for each other and the kids do the shopping for the name that they picked (with some help from mom and dad!). It’s interesting to me to see what they pick out for each other. As they’ve grown and matured, we progressed from picking things out at the Dollar Tree (nothing wrong with that!) to picking out shoes, a hockey stick, a doll, etc. I do enjoy spending time with the kids as we Christmas shop, and I hope that Roger and I have impressed on them the importance of the real reason for Christmas! Gifts, lights, cookies, treats, special events are all fun and exciting, but without Jesus we’d have no hope for eternity! I’m so thankful that Jesus came to be the “Light of the World”. 

It’s hard to believe that our Christmas break is wrapping up in just a few days. I wish I had had a bit more time to savor the moments, take longer walks, and do a few more things, but I’m thankful for the break from school. It was beginning to feel overwhelming and over stimulating those last few days of school, and I can recognize in myself when the tentacles of depression start to creep in. Roger and I have had some long conversations over break about the future and what that might look like for our children. With Garett approaching his last year in school soon, we are quickly recognizing that our time is running out to spend these amounts of time with him. I feel like there is so much more that I want to teach him or that I want him to be prepared for or informed about in life. But above all, I want each of our children to recognize their need for Jesus in their lives in a real and personal way. The burdens sometimes seem really heavy these days, but we can lean on Jesus. 

I do have plans to write an updated newsy letter for our family and send out a picture, but it’ll probably happen around Easter! I like to write the letter every year because I like to re-read them over the years. 

We hope you all had a wonderful Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Break!

 

After over a week of lots of sugar, rich foods, a different sleep schedule and lots of excitement, we are heading back to school tomorrow! We’ve  enjoyed some “down time” this past week with our family, extended family and friends. 

A little over a week ago, on Christmas “Adam” (the day before Christmas Eve), we went over to a friends house. We’ve become friends with the Everett family, and we always have good food and fellowship when we are together. We had dinner at their house as well as another family. Lisa and I went to school together - a long time ago! It was good to see Lisa again and meet her family. We had eleven kids between us, so there was a lot happening! It was a bit of a cold day (especially for North Carolina), but we went on a walk anyways! I wouldn’t say that all of the walkers were willing participants, but it was good to get out in God’s creation! It was good to see our teenage kids interact with other teenage kids with lots of laughter and fellowship for them too. We enjoyed a fun relaxing evening on the day before Christmas activities. 

Last Saturday (Christmas Eve), we were planning to go to Hickory to see some of my extended family. However, last week was cold in North Carolina, and we had a lot of wind come through our area. We had two trees that were blown down due to the wind, and just as we were getting ready to leave for Hickory, the power went out at our house! It was about 12 degrees, and we didn’t have any idea of how long the power would be out. It’s a four hour drive to Hickory, so we needed to decide what we were going to do. Roger ended up staying home to make sure the pipes didn’t freeze as well as he was the “on-call” patrol pilot for fires. We were disappointed that Roger wasnt able to come with us, but the kids and I had a good time anyways. It’s a bit of a hike from our house to Hickory, but we were there around eleven  in the morning. We enjoyed our time together, and my cousin, Brittany, and I even went on a walk. It was chilly, but I like to do something active every day if possible. We made it back home by around 9:00pm, and we are thankful for the Lord’s traveling mercies. 

This was our first year in a long while that we didn’t attend a Christmas Eve service, and I think that next year I’d like to find an area church that is having a Christmas Eve service and attend with our family. Christmas Day was a beautiful albeit still a chilly day for North Carolina. Our church was having a Christmas Day service, and we were looking forward to that. We opened our stockings, ate a delicious breakfast together, and then headed off for the 10 o’clock church service. I was surprised at how many people came out for the service! It was a good Christmas Day service, and I’m glad that we had the opportunity to actually be in the house of the Lord on Christmas Day! I do enjoy singing “Silent Night” with the candles lit, and I think there were even a few people that raised their hands for salvation during the invitation. It was a blessing to worship together. 

We spent Christmas Day gathered as a family at our home. We enjoyed a relaxed afternoon together, and we ate a lot of delicious food! (We’ve been eating lots of good food all week long!) 

On Tuesday morning we dropped Chandler off at the church building for his Freshman Focus trip. Chandler is not a big talker by any means, but he did tell me that he was excited about going on this trip with a few other freshmen in his class. Five boys went and four girls on a trip to Florida. They arrived back on Friday night so it was a whirlwind of a trip! Chandler said that he had a really good time, but he wished that the trip had been a little bit longer. He was just starting to become better friends with some of the freshman and then the trip was over. But it was a good experience for him, and God provided the perfect timing. It’s a hard adjustment on teenagers to move, and the rest of the freshman class has pretty much grown up together. It was a good opportunity for Chandler to get to know some of them a lot better as well as have other adults provide discipleship in his life. We are thankful that he had the opportunity to go. God is so good. 

Also on Tuesday, we went ice skating! Not outside- it’s not been THAT cold! Our friends, the Hardisons, invited us to come along with their family to an ice skating arena. Emma has the least amount of experience with ice skating, but we were all looking forward to going. The boys have missed playing pond hockey this year, and they were happy to see that their ice skates still fit them. We enjoyed the time together as well as dinner with the Hardisons afterwards. We are thankful that they thought to invite us, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know their family better. Emma was a little bummed as she was the only girls with six boys, but she survived! 

The weather continued to get warmer throughout the week, and  by Friday, it was about 65 degrees! We enjoyed a lot of time outside this past week. Emma enjoyed a play date with her friend, Cynthia, at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday. We had dinner at the Pastor’s house on Saturday along with another family. Emma was again the only girl with seven boys, but she’s used to it!  We enjoyed talking about many topics, and getting to know both the Pastor and his family better as well as another church family. It takes time to build relationships and friendships, and we are thankful for so many that have extended hospitality to our family. 

Sunday afternoon gave us the opportunity to host at our house! I was excited about having people over to our house, and while the boys were excited about having friends over, they were not excited about all the extra cleaning I made them help with!  But by three o’clock, we were ready for our friends to come. We had invited several families, but not every one was able to come. We ended up with 22 people at our house for a New Year’s Day get together. It was super informal, but I think we all had a good time! There were eleven young men, so they spend most of the time outside playing soccer and basketball until it was too dark to see. Emma and Cynthia were happy to have some teenage girls to interact with while the adults enjoyed fellowship too. We ate lots of food (again!), and played a bunch of games together. The Carillo Family brought over some sweet tamales, which is something none of us had tried before! We had lots of desserts, food, and laughter. Our last guests left around 10:00pm, so it was a good way to wrap up the night before our last day of Christmas break. Our kids went to bed encouraged by laughter and fellowship, and Roger and I had a great time also. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to have people over in our home, and no one even seemed to notice that the windows might not have trim or that the yard isn’t landscaped or that 100 other projects are waiting to get done. Instead we focused on building relationships, fellowshipping together and opening our home to our friends. My friend, Laura, and I sat at the kitchen table after everyone else had left and just spend some time talking and praying together. I think that the older I get, the more easily I cry! I cry when children are singing, or over someone’s heartache, or over a heart-felt prayer, or anything else! I’m thankful that we were able to have over friends that share our desire to raise up sons and daughters to fear the Lord and to be warriors in the Army of the Lord! We cannot falter or give up as we endeavor to press on to raise up a generation that will be steadfast, unmovable and abounding in Jesus! 

We also asked our children about some goals that they would want to set for the New Year. I’ll have to share some of those goals in another post, as I need to wrap this one up. We have another year ahead of us. Every day is a gift from God, and I certainly want to use each day wisely. God is so good to me and our family. We are so blessed. 

Happy New Year! 

 Photo credit; cdn.Shopify.com/files 

Merry, Merry Christmas!

 

Thankful for this dear friend! 

Christmas Break! The last few days before Christmas break are crazy every year, and even with Covid restrictions, the week was full! 

Last Sunday, we attended a small Christmas concert at our church. It was enjoyable and pleasant, and always nice to hear Christmas songs sung at night in a decorated church building. While it was not largely attended (due to our governor’s restrictions at the moment) the crowd that came was happy to be there. It was a fun way to finish out our last teen group meeting of the year. 

Do you know what one of my least favorite Christmas songs is? “Mary, Did You Know?” I know that there are a lot of people that really, really enjoy that Christmas song, but it’s definitely way down there on my list of favorite Christmas songs! Truthfully? Mary DID know! Maybe not all the things listed in the song, but she knew that a lot of those things would come to pass...um, the angel told her! Remember? Anyways, if you love that song- great! A few of my personal favorites would be “Joy to the World” and “Noel” and “Silent Night”. 

The rest of the week was also a flurry of activities! On Monday, our parent group hosted a Christmas shop where students in the school could shop for others. It’s a favorite event for the students, and I always love to see what the little ones pick out for their moms and dads. One little boy was totally convinced that his grandpa would want slime for a Christmas present! Another little girl picked out a journal for her mom. I asked her if her mom liked to write, “No, she doesn’t. But this is so pretty!” Oh, okay! They are just so cute as they pick out gifts for others. It was a busy and full afternoon with helping with that, but thankfully having fun mom friends to work with makes it even more fun! It’s a good experience for the students to think about others. 

Tuesday morning found me a bit frazzled as I realized that the Christmas shop needed to be moved so that gym classes could be held in the space where the Christmas shop had been. Since the kindergartners still needed to do their “Christmas shopping”, we needed to have the items accessible for them to shop on Tuesday morning. So by 6;45am., my boys, Emma and I were moving items from the Christmas shop into another space! It was a bit crazy! On Tuesday afternoon, one of the boys from Travis’ class came home for the afternoon and evening. Ethan stayed overnight which was a super special treat for the boys. Normally, I’d never allow that on a school night, but by Tuesday our whole schedule already felt off, so it was all fine! It was a fun time for the boys. 

We had special music classes on Wednesday that the parents could attend if they wanted to come. Since we were unable to have a school Christmas program this year, we decided to have a special music class that the students could perform a Christmas song for their parents. It was not the same, and it made me really sad to do it this way. However, it was better than nothing, and the parents seemed to appreciate the opportunity to hear their child sing, play an instrument, etc. It also provided an informal opportunity to meet some of the parents, so I did really appreciate that. But....it made for a crazy afternoon of tuning instruments, preparing, and presenting with the students. Both of the classes that I teach did very well, and I was thankful for their efforts. 

Snow day! And it was a real snow day! We have computers so that the students can be taught remotely in the event of a snow day, but I was delighted to hear that Thursday would be an actual snow day (both as a parent and as a teacher!) Every time I start to think about remote learning, I feel my blood pressure start rising, my palms getting sweaty, and a bit of nausea sweep over me. It’s due to thinking about educating my class as well as helping five kids at home get done what they need to get done! However, God gives us grace for every moment, so if we needed to do that, He would help me through it. BUT, please keep praying that we can keep going to school in person and at school! “Lord, please continue to keep us protected and healthy!” We spent our snow day outside, making gifts, laundry, preparing for our class Christmas party, and getting ready for a crazy Friday morning at school. 

Oh, crazy, chaotic Friday! It was a wild morning! The students were wired, and excited for their gift exchange and party. In our kindergarten class, they worked on wrapping their gifts for their parents. I loved how the gifts that they created reflect their personalities. We didn’t get done everything that I wanted to get done before Christmas, but from talking to other teachers, I know I’m not the only one who feels that way! It felt like we were moving into the school when we arrived a little before 7:00am. We had laundry baskets with gifts, food for parties, supplies for games, gift wrapping supplies, and it felt like everything but the kitchen sink! It was a cold, brisk December morning, but a quick one. I personally like the structure and routine of a regular day, but I know how special and fun these party days are for the students. A party day leaves me feeling a bit exhausted and messy (or maybe it was from the “snow” that we created for our sensory bin!?). All the students were dismissed at 11:30am, but it was closer to three pm by the time we arrived home. I needed to take down my classroom Christmas tree so we could use it for a church event, and I wanted to leave my classroom fairly neat and tidy over Christmas break. The boys and Emma were good sports about sticking around after school. They played outside for a few hours,  Came in and ate some more food, helped me sweep and straighten up, climbed into the church attic to find Christmas program costumes, and then ate some more! At least I didn’t have to worry about bringing a lot of food home! 

Roger had off on Saturday, so that was a nice day for our family. The boys were invited to an airsoft party at a friends house, so they spent three hours tromping around in the woods playing air soft. Emma had a hair cut appointment with Roger, and I went to visit an older lady in our church and take her some cookies (she wasn’t home, but I tried!). Then the kids had Christmas program practice. The boys were about as excited about having practice as they were about going to the dentist, but we went anyways! Sometimes we have to do things we don’t necessarily want to do but its to bless someone else. I feel that way as an adult, and we are trying to teach our children that the world does not revolve around them! (There are some adults that also need to learn that lesson!) 

Sunday before Christmas?! How did that come up so quickly? It’s been a busy last few days for sure, so it was a blessing to watch the children participate in a simple Christmas program this morning. Is there anything more cute and lovely than watching a bunch of children participate in an old-fashioned Christmas program? You know...the kind where bathrobes are used for costumes, and half the children’s outfits are held on by safety pins and sashes! Garett was a huge shepherd boy, and I know it was not his favorite thing to dress up and be in a children’s program, but he did it with a willing heart. While we butt heads on occasion, I do love his laid back mannerisms around other people (just not his siblings!). Chandler and Wyatt were part of the wisemen crew along with the pastors son. They were just as rag-tag, but super cute...just don’t tell them I said that! Travis was also a shepherd, but he was okay with that as long as he had a staff to carry! Emma played the part of Mary and she was a very exuberant singer! We had a small Christmas party for the children after the morning service. We played a game, fed them food, sang a carol, gave them a treat baggie, and sent them on their way! Merry Christmas! 

This afternoon (Sunday) our family went to visit the lady from yesterday who wasn’t home. Wyatt and I were the only ones who went to the door because you just don’t know how people feel these days about seven people on their door step. We both wore our masks, but she was delighted to see people. She invited us right in and wanted us to stay for tea. I felt bad when I told her that we couldn’t stay long, but I promised that I would return sometime after the new year to visit with her. I have plenty of things to do every day, but when you start to interact with these older people you can almost feel their desire to have a conversation with people. I told this dear older lady that I would be back, and I would bring my friend, Allison, with me. At least Allison and I can laugh (most of the time) at our adventures together, and hopefully spread some good cheer.  People are lonely, some of them are the loneliest they have been in years. Many are afraid and fearful, but some of them just desire fellowship and conversations with people. We were not created to be an isolated and introverted people! We must be diligent to pray that God will give us opportunities to connect with people, and to encourage other around us. I know that I am often discouraged these days, and I’m never faced with hours and hours of quietness! 

Monday night we had Christmas with Hannah and Josh! Lots of delicious food, good fellowship, and a fun time by all! It was good to catch up with them for a bit before we meet up together in Haiti next month. 

Tuesday afternoon found us hosting a living nativity at our church. While the night was cool, it wasn’t overly cold and it wasn’t raining! It was a crazy and long afternoon trying to get everything set up for that, but at six pm, Mary and Joseph were in their places. (The shepherds, wisemen and Angels might have been a little wound up, but oh well!) While we didn’t have any living animals, the event was lovely against the night sky with white lights. We had carolers, cookies and cocoa, and the community seemed to appreciate the event. We handed out tracts, interacted with people, and hopefully pointed people to the real reason for the season - Jesus! What I pictured in my mind for a living nativity, and what happened at certain moments throughout the evening did collide at several points! However, all I had to do was catch Allison’s eye, and I had a hard time holding back laughter at times! It was a fun memory for 2020...for the most part. My friend, Hannah, kept some of our kids for the afternoon and that was really helpful so that our children didn’t have to spend all afternoon/evening at the church property. People helped to take down and put things away, so it was not as late of an evening as I expected. I’m thankful for those that still have visions and desires to reach out to our communities...of course, we need to do things wisely and smart, but Covid 19 does not give Christians a free pass to bury our heads in the sand and do nothing in the name of “safety”! Need to be careful? Yes! Considerate? Absolutely! Impassive and disinterested? Never! 

There is darkness and gloom all around us in our fallen world. Yet, we have the greatest hope ever offered to mankind...the best that ever was and ever will be! Our hope is in Jesus Christ! That baby that came into the world did not come to stay a baby in the manger. He came to be the Saviour of the World, oh thank you, Jesus! Our prayer for you is that you will be encouraged this Christmas season. It probably looks different for you this year. Christmas is certainly looking different for us this year as has the entire year of 2020!  I’ve cried, fought depression, anger, feelings of injustice and  faced overwhelming floods of emotions this year, far more than any of the other years of my life. Yet through it all the steadfast love of our Lord has never faltered or changed. He is the Giver of Hope, the Peace Bringer, the Light of the World, and He is my Lord. Regardless of what the future holds or what changes, our foundation is on Jesus! Rest in that, dear friends! Merry, Merry Christmas! 

Hustle & Bustle and Quietness!

 

                                                             Beautiful Snow! 

                                                        Asleep by the Christmas tree! 

As the flurry of activities and festivities swirl around us, I’m thankful for quiet reflective moments in God’s Word each morning. I’ve been reading through Paul Tripp’s advent devotional again this year, and I am enjoying my time. We are also reading through the book of Luke as a family, and I treasure those moments with our children.  (I cling to the fact that God’s Word will not return void as twice this week Travis and Emma have fallen asleep while we’ve been reading!) 

I’m also thankful for family moments...getting a Christmas tree, making cookies, Christmas shopping together (which mostly consists of mom giving out ideas to each child about the person they are shopping for!). A few years ago, we decided that each of us would draw names for someone in our family. Roger and I set the limit on how much to spend,  but this way it involves our children, and it doesn’t feel like Roger and I are doing all the gift shopping. Garett and Chandler both have enough money saved that they buy their own gifts for the person who’s named they’ve drawn, but the younger three still get help from mom and dad. Garett had Emma this year, and he came to talk to me one day about a gift for Emma. He handed me twenty dollars and said, “Mom, I know Emma will want something pink, sparkly and probably messy. I know that you can make this twenty dollars stretch really far in gift giving so will you help me?” It was so sweet. We found Emma a pink tent and a very fuzzy pink jacket that Garett thought was terrible, but he knows Emma will love it! 

Travis picked out Rogers name this year, and he’s come up with all kinds of wild ideas! I love hearing his thoughts on what dad might like...usually, he’s right, but way, way out of the budget! Travis did get a wallet for Roger, and he picked out some heat warmers. Travis didn’t realize that they lost their heat and couldn’t be reused, so at first he was going to wrap a whole stack of ones that he had already opened! Haha! Oh, the memories! 

Last week on Friday, I went to a ladies Christmas party. It felt like such a “normal” Christmas thing to do in a year that has been so “not normal”. It was so fun! Garett and Chandler watched three young boys at our house (they are working on raising money for their Haiti missions trip). Allison, Ashley and I all rode together to the Christmas party. We did a Christmas mug exchange, and all the mugs were so different but fun! (Only two mugs out of 16 were the same ones, which isn’t bad in an area where there are not many places for shopping) Our friend, Robin, hosted the party and we had a wonderful time laughing, fellowshipping, and of course, eating! It was a good time of renewing and strengthening friendships. 

                                                              So very thankful for this friend! 

Last Saturday, our family went Christmas shopping. This consisted of a stop at Mardens (a fun discount store) and a discount grocery store, and dinner at Taco Bell. All of our children like Taco Bell, except Emma. The biggest bummer is having to eat a fun dinner in the car. We don’t get to go out to eat very often, and sitting in the van with seven people eating Taco Bell is it’s own kind of adventure! But the boys said that they had a fun time, and even Garett put up with shopping for an afternoon. I’m pretty sure he feels like he’s done his shopping for the year! 

When we came home from our shopping adventure last Saturday, Roger had a phone call. One of his friends was calling to see if our family was interested in any hunting, fishing, camping supplies. Chandler’s eyes swelled up really big, and said “Yes!”. So Roger took Travis and Chandler to go look at some stuff that was free if the boys wanted it. Oh my! Our boys were so excited! I don’t know why I’m amazed sometimes, but God cares about the smallest details in our lives! We weren’t looking for hunting, camping or fishing stuff, per se, but we sure do have some boys that are interested in that! Gary and his wife were so generous in giving to our family. The boys came home with sleeping bags, camping chairs, deer scent (nasty), a tent, fishing lures, and enough treasures that the boys spent hours and hours in the basement this past week looking over their treasures! It was like a Christmas present for the boys. I did nearly have a meltdown when I went into the basement later in the week and saw the stuff e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e , but we managed to get some type of order to their madness. They were thrilled, and I know they’ll talk about “that time when Mr. and Mrs. Peabody gave us all that fishing and  hunting stuff”.   God is in the little things also! 

                                                   The boys are excited and eager to try out this ice fishing equipment! 

It’s been a hard year for most of us, and our family is certainly no exception. I found myself feeling the same kind of depression that I felt back in March. Between the Presidential election, our state governor, and several other disappointments, it’s been quite the week. But one of my dear friends reminded me, “We have Emmanuel! God with us!” Yes, I’m discouraged, disappointed that our country seems to be surrendering to evil, overwhelmed  with concerns for America and our children, but...God is still with us! I can find peace in that. And I will continue to pray, fight against evil, call our senators, and beg God to show Himself strong and mighty! 

We are in our last week before Christmas break! We’ve stayed in school thus far, which is due largely to the fact that so many of you are praying for God’s protection on us. Please, pray that our school will be able to continue with in-person learning, that God will continue to protect us, and that we will be a witness for His honor and glory to those around us. God is faithful. 

We head into a week of busyness with classroom activities, fun events at school, and preparing for our own Christmas. Our church is planning a living nativity for December 22, and we need some animals. Will you please pray that God will help us find someone who can bring some animals? Please also pray for our nation, our states, our church and pastors, families, and the elderly who are especially lonely this year. Also, will you please pray that we can get Chandler’s passport for his missions trip to Haiti? I know that I’ve been convicted to write more cards as of late, as there are so many people who need encouragement. God brought along several people to encourage me this past week. I pray that I can also encourage someone this week. 

BREAK! And an Island Christmas Party!

Oh Praise Jesus! Christmas break is here! It was a week FULL of excitement and activities as we dove Into the last week of school before Christmas break. Between making food for class parties, helping with teacher Christmas gifts and notes, working in the preschool, and trying to get ready for our Christmas, it was a full week!

Every year our school has a Christmas gift “shop” where students from our elementary classes can come and “shop” for others. They can shop for up to five people, and it costs $1.00 to shop for each person. It’s a fun event for the students, and I love to see what they pick out for others. Because we run our Christmas shop on a budget (read-stuff given to us or found on great clearance) , we sometimes end up with some very random items for gifts. The kindergarteners are hilarious to watch as they make decisions about what their parents would like! Let’s see...a small decorative bird house for a little brother (the kind of birdhouse that goes in a garden pot); another child desperately wanted to get bubblegum toothpaste for their daddy! I mean, I try to help, but this is their opportunity to shop for others! I just hope the ones opening the gifts find joy in the effort to think of them and not in what the gift might be! Personally, I always enjoy the things that my kids pick out for me. I’ll never forget when Garett picked out a Christmas present for my mom during his preschool years. He picked out a ginormous wine goblet! My mom doesn’t even drink! It was so fun! Anyways, that’s what I did on Monday afternoon. We had several older ladies from our church that came to help wrap gifts for the students, so that all their packages could go home wrapped.

On Tuesday afternoon, my friend, Allison and I were able to squeeze in an afternoon together. We went to the discount grocery store so that we could find treats for our kids stockings! I can buy a lot more fun food items for our kids if the packaging is damaged or the food is slightly expired. Cheaper food...yes, please! It was a fun afternoon with Allison, and one of the things I’ve missed since taking on the preschool position is time with her. I’m thankful for lots of laughter! We went into one clothing store that had a lot of sweaters and coats as well as Christmas decorations and household items. I was browsing the sweaters and trying some of them on. I found this cape sweater in gray that looked quite nice, as I was slipping it off the hanger, I realized that I was about to try on the tree skirt!! Oh my word! The fancy tree skirts were all on hangers and the rack was not too far from the clothes. I hadn’t noticed that I was now looking at Christmas decorations, and I was going to try on a tree skirt! Don’t mind the crazy lady trying on the tree skirts! I quickly replaced the tree skirt and walked away! Ha ha!

After school on Wednesday, I took all the kids out to find Roger at his job. We needed to get our Christmas picture taken, and time is running out! Roger gets home after dark, so I decided to bring the kids to him. We found one of the pilots to take our family picture, and Chandler took the one of Roger and I. They aren’t fancy pictures, but we did it! And I found a Groupon for staples holiday cards. I made them into a New Years greeting card, since I know I won’t get them all mailed out before Christmas! We put together Christmas gifts for the teachers on Wednesday night. Having five kids in a small Christian school means that every teacher gets a gift from the Robertson family! Each gift is different depending on the teacher and how interested the children are in helping to put together a gift. Our gifts are never crazily awesome (at least not in my opinion) but after being the teachers aide this year, I realize what a blessing just a simple card or gift can be. Teachers don’t teach because of the gifts, but what an encouragement a simple card or gift can be in the life of a teacher! Anyways, Roger put the kids to bed and I finished up the teacher gifts. We are so very thankful for each teacher and staff member in our school. God has continually provided for our children’s education, and I just am in absolute awe of His goodness!

Friday was party day for all the classes! I did not feel very “merry and bright” on Friday morning as I tried to help the kids gather up all their stuff needed for their class parties, tried to remember the things I needed to remember, and try not to forget a child! Rogers car decided not to work on Friday morning, so I took Roger to work. I totally did not mind, but it did mean that the morning was a bit more rushed! However, we straggled into school early, and by the time school started, everything seemed much smoother! I know that part of the problem is the sugar overload that our children are on. It’s like a buzz! I bagged up a bunch of cookies and other treats and put them in the freezer for another day. I made salad, green peas, and fresh berry salad for supper one night, and the kids gobbled it all right up. I know that our bodies crave healthy food! After school on Friday, I took the  kids caroling. We stopped at a few homes of older folks in our church, and sang a few songs to them.  The kids weren’t exactly delighted to go, but once we got going, they did a great job. They were certainly a blessing to me, just hearing them sing carols to the older folks!

I am certainly not ready for Christmas, but I do enjoy this time of year. I have a great advent devotional book that I am reading, and children certainly add excitement to the holiday! My sister, Jen, is coming from South Dakota for a few days, so we are looking forward to having her. We spent some time on Saturday getting ready for her, and then we took a plane out to Matinicus island for a Christmas party out there in the afternoon. It was such a special time as a family to fly out there, walk down the snow covered road to the party, enjoy wonderful food, visit with friends, and walk back in the dark laughing and talking together. It was a special memory that I will forever treasure. I hope our children will treasure the memory also. As we walked down the road to the party, the kids were running and jumping all over the road. Travis found a broken bathtub beside the road. He asked me to take his picture in it. He said,”It’s the best kind of bathtub...a broken one!” Oh dear! That kid!

Roger and I spent a long time talking about how the snow covered dirt roads, darkness, and the feeling of community reminded us so much of our Christmas in Alaska in 2012. Time flies by! I’m hoping that our children will remember these memories as well. I don’t remember very many presents that I received from my childhood, but I do remember delicious food, eating in the living room, Christmas caroling, and ice skating memories! Family is important. And we are working hard to teach our children that life is not about “stuff”, but rather it is about living our lives for the glory of God.

I hope that you all are looking forward to making some special memories with your families this Christmas season. We have so much to rejoice in this Christmas, but the most important reason for rejoicing is that Jesus is Lord! He didn’t stay a baby, but rather became a man who would bear the sins of the world on the cross. He died for my sins and yours, and he rose again. Now that’s a reason to rejoice! Merry Christmas!