Day: Summer...Fun, Experiments, and Adventures!

Picnics, lake swimming, pool swimming, biking, running, and ice cream! I’d say summer is here at our  house! 

Yesterday God provided a beautiful day for the year end celebration for some of our school students. The temperature was perfect for an outdoor event, and the whole event was very relaxed. We had about 36 total people (students, staff and helpers) at the event. The students were happy to see each other, and it was a morning well spent. We had a short chapel time, and I have missed hearing the students sing. It was a special blessing to my heart to listen to them sing. 

After the morning event, the boys had a friend over to our house. They played outside, and later in the afternoon we took their friend, Calvin, home. Chandler stayed home as he had been struggling with a migraine most of the day. He came right home from the school event and climbed into bed for nap. Since we were taking Calvin home to his cottage on the lake, and Chandler did not want to go, I know he was not feeling well! Chandler very much enjoys fishing, and he really had a migraine if he was willing to stay home! Poor kid! The rest of us went off to take Calvin home. Garett and Calvin went fishing, while I visited with Ginger, and the other children swam in the lake! Brrr! It was a great afternoon, and I enjoyed visiting with Ginger. It’s a special blessing to have other mom friends that have boys around the ages of our boys, and I appreciate the opportunity to “pick” other moms brains for ideas and encouragement. 

Chandler woke up this morning feeling much better, and we spent the morning cleaning up around our house and yard-a never ending project! Garett had just loaded all the trash into the van, when my friend, Claire, sent me a text. She was asking if the kids wanted to go swimming for a bit, but only until 11am. It was about 9:15am. I asked the kids if they wanted to go swimming...of course! Garett said that he would take the trash out of the car so that we could go swimming, and then we could come home and he would help with the trash again...yes, he wanted to go swimming! So, off we went to go swimming! It was a spur of the moment trip, and I’m not usually like that, but every once in a while, it’s a good thing! It was a fun morning of swimming, and then we went to see Roger at the airport. Someone had given the business some lunch food, and so the boys were happy to be invited to eat lunch! As we were sitting there at the picnic table, Roger taxied up in the plane. He had a few passengers, and one of the passengers came over to the kids. He gave me twenty dollars and said that it was to take the kids to Dairy Queen for ice cream. You should’ve seen five sets of eyes light up! The kids are very much looking forward to having an ice cream treat! 

Chandler was busy this morning with a magnifying glass, an apple and a piece of wood. I know you’re thinking...what in the world? He polished the apple, and then placed it under the magnifying glass. While it never ignited, he did get the apple to start smoking! Weird! Then with the wood, he managed to get a small flame, and yes, this was on our porch under some supervision! I’m thankful that he likes to create and “see what will happen” experiments. Sometimes, I wish he wouldn’t make quite such a big mess doing things, but he is learning! 

Garett also learned a valuable lesson this week...he is not a bike mechanic yet! He recently purchased a very nice bike, And he has been extremely responsible in taking care of it. He thought it had a “clicking sound”, so he took something apart, and then something else...do you see where this is going? Well, pretty soon he couldn’t get it all back together. He watched several YouTube videos, and Roger helped him with it some too, but it’s a problem with a cable, brakes and gears. The bike needed to go to a bike shop. Garett was so bummed out, but it was a valuable lesson learned to  not “guess at what the problem is”, and to ask Dad about it first. However, it was a small victory in that Garett admitted that he had made the mistake and that it was his fault that the bike couldn’t go back together. Actually, this is a big victory! Oftentimes, I feel like explanations go around in circles around here as everyone tries to shift the blame! We are a work in progress. 

Tonight was Garett’s night to make supper. He made spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and peas and carrots. He did a good job, as it was a lot of pots to watch. However, his brothers told him “thank you” and that the food was good! And it was a delicious supper. 

Tomorrow I will be playing the piano for another church. I’m always a bit nervous about playing the piano at other places, so I’d appreciate your prayers. Also, the Maine DOE has said that the state will decide when and if students return to school in the fall, and not the local school districts. Please pray that  we will be able to return to school in the fall, at the school building. This is a big prayer request for us. 

I had a conversation with one of our teachers today. I had heard some positive praise about her teaching, and I wanted to pass it on. As in any profession, sometimes the negative gets passed on but the praise seems few and far between. I was happy to pass on what I had heard, and it totally made her day. It was also a reminder to me to be sure to praise and give out sincere compliments. It’s so easy to complain or to be negative, but yet a “word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”. I also enjoyed the opportunity to pray with my friend and fellow teacher. It was so good to pray over so many of the shared concerns, and I am forever thankful that God does not get weary of hearing from us! 

God is faithful! Thankful that we serve a God who sees and knows all. I don’t know about you, but the recent events that have happened across our nation is disheartening and discouraging sometimes. I am thankful that God knows exactly what the future holds. The end of the story is that HE REIGNS! 

Day# God at Work!! Blessings

Making supper 

Cutting up cucumbers and eating them!

This is the lady that God allowed me to meet yesterday. He is using the church property for His honor and Glory! 

Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes its hard to see God working. Oh, I know that He still is, and that He doesn’t abide by my timetable. But still, sometimes it’s hard to see tangible facts that God is working. I am thankful that He gives us reminders that He is still working in and through us.

Yesterday evening, Roger and I had a school board meeting. Roger is on the school board, and the staff/teachers were invited to come and give some input on a few things. It meant leaving our kids alone for a few hours, but I am thankful that they are old enough to  manage on their own for a bit. I left early for the school board meeting, and Roger was going to meet me there after work. I wanted to get some more work done on our preschool room, and I had some things to do to get ready for a preschool celebration that happened today. Anyways, as I drove into the church parking lot, I noticed a lady drive in behind me. We often have people drive through the church property as it is a beautiful spot right on the ocean bay. Last week when we had prayer outside, we prayed over the church property and the cross that sits on our church property. I made several trips in and out of the church building carrying things, and I noticed that the lady had gotten out of her car and was kneeling in front of the cross. It looked like she was praying. I didn’t want to interrupt her private moment, but I did want to see if I could help her with anything. After I put away the things in the church, I started walking towards her and she came towards me. She was probably about 45ish, and I could tell that she had been crying. I mentioned that the cross was a beautiful spot to come and reflect, and she started crying. She just looked like she needed a hug so badly that I could not help myself. I know all the social distancing rules (they’ve been shoved in my face the last few months!) but this lady needed a hug. I gave her a hug, and she broke down crying. She said that on Saturday her son would have turned 25 years old. She was really struggling with his death this week, and she had spotted the cross on the property. She apologized for trespassing, but said that she found comfort in praying. I asked her a few questions about her faith, and she opened up about how she had trusted in the Lord and that she was looking forward to Heaven. Apparently her son had died when he was sixteen years old. She had come up to Maine to help with her in-law, and this week had been rough. I really didn’t have any great words of comfort, but I can be a good listener and I can give a hug. When we finished our short chat, she mentioned that her name was Jennifer   (I have a sister named Jennifer), and she replied that she had named one of her three daughters Sarah -coincidence? I don’t think so! As I hugged her good-by, she mentioned that it was so good to have physical contact. She had come up to help her in-laws and her husband had stayed behind in the state they came from to help their daughters finish school. She hadn’t been hugged or even had a friendly touch in over three months! Just throwing in my two sense here, but that is not a world I want to live in! We need physical contact with people! Anyways, it was truly a God-ordained moment. I don’t know that I made her pain any easier, but she has certainly been on my mind and I’ve prayed for her often today. God brought her across my path, and He directly answered our prayers from last weeks prayer meeting that God would use our property for His glory!

Today we had our school-end celebration for our preschoolers. This event was optional as not everyone feels safe and comfortable being around people. We had six preschoolers and their families show up. While it was a smaller group than I had been hoping for, it was a great morning. I brought my three younger kids. (After not getting back from last nights meeting until 8:30ish, and then knowing I’d be gone again this morning, I wanted to bring the younger three with me.) They were happy to come and play with the preschoolers, and as a few other families had brought siblings with them, it was a fun morning. It was very good to interact with the parents and children that came. These parents that came this morning are very concerned about school in the fall- aren’t we all?! While we really don’t have a lot of information right now, it was good to hear the concerns of some of our families. The more we know our families, the better we can serve them. I am thankful for our small Christian school, and we continue to pray that God will work out all the details for the fall. (As with any small Christian school, the needs are great. And the money is lacking! If you know of anyone that would like to be a benefactor to an amazing Christian school, just let me know!) I am thankful that I have the opportunity to see God at work in an amazing way every school year, but sometimes it’s a challenge to wait while He works out all the details. Thankful that God is faithful!

The boys are each taking a night to cook the supper meal over the summer. Chandler cooked supper tonight, and he made bacon, lettuce and cheese sandwiches with cucumbers on the side. He did a great job cooking, and all the kids said it was good food! (They are easy to please.) On Monday, before I went grocery shopping, I sat down with the boys and they picked out their menu. I steered them mostly towards the ingredients we already had in the pantry or freezer, but they did their own final choosing. Garett is making spaghetti tomorrow with peas and garlic bread on the side. Wyatt is making tacos. Travis hasn’t come up with a plan yet, but he said he might make leftovers...um, that plan only works IF we have any leftovers! I’m happy to help the boys learn to cook, but along with that comes the clean-up process!

Today we reached our 100th death from Coronavirus in Maine. We have 18 new cases but 101 new recoveries! That’s right! 101 new recoveries! Our governor has come up with a plan that she says will help people coming from out-of-state avoid the 14 day quarantine. If a person who wants to visit Maine can prove that they’ve had a negative COVID-19 test in the past three days they can avoid the 14 day self-quarantine. It sounds better than it is, in my opinion. Now all the hotels that were hoping, preparing and planning that she would relieve the 14 day quarantine by July, still have to deal with that all summer long. Many hotels have stated that people are just cancelling reservations right and left as getting a COVID-19 test is just another reason not to visit Maine. They might as well go somewhere else for vacation...and that is bad for Maine- for all of us!

In a world that is full of darkness, fear, paranoia, chaos, and confusion - take hope! The God of the universe is watching over us. We need not fear the darkness when we know the LIGHT!

Day # Thankful for Sunshine!

Today I don’t having anything overly exciting to share except....I survived the day, and so did you! I don’t think anyone really knows what day of “stay-at-home” this is anymore anyways, so congratulations on making it through the first week of April!

I am thankful today for sunshine! God gave sunshine and warmth today, and I was able to get in a quick little run. Roger was home today so he was able to help with some of the schooling, monitor the yard-pick up crew, and then take the boys fishing after lunch! Chandler caught one small fish today, and the other boys got a few nibbles. Nothing to bring home, but they still enjoy going fishing! (I think after several unsuccessful ventures, I’d be done. But the boys keep on wanting to go!) I’m thankful that Roger has the opportunity to take them. The boys ask Emma every time if she wants to go, and she always says “no, thank you!” Apparently, once was enough for her!

       I love Chandler’s expression in this picture! He is so delighted to play outside and use his imagination.

Emma and Garett both had classroom meetings at the same time this morning, and we managed to make both meetings! Whew! I am thankful for an Ipad that one of the kids could use, and a computer for the other student. Along with everyone else, I’ve had a huge learning curve in technology this week. From filming preschool lessons, to Google meets, to attending online staff meetings, to figuring out how to put a video on YouTube...craziness! But God has been faithful, and He continues to give grace-lots of grace!

I was blessed by several people today. A friend, Ashley, called to say that if we needed help delivering Easter meals, her husband would be happy to help. It’s always a blessing to have friends to be there to help! My friend, Renee, said if I needed any extra desserts or anything for the Easter dinner she would also be happy to help. Roger was given a turkey from someone, so that was a blessing. And we have fifteen meal confirmations for Sunday! I think that’s awesome! I am happy to cook for however many meals are needed/wanted, so it’s not to late to message me about an Easter meal! I’m thrilled with how its coming together, and I just ask for prayer that I’ll be able to find every thing I need when I go grocery shopping later this week.

Also today, I got a call from an older lady in our church. She was calling to check-in on US! Usually, I’m the one calling to check in on our older folks, but she called me. She just said that she couldn’t get us off her mind, and if there was anything we needed to please let her know. Here’s a dear sweet widow that is already in the high-risk category reaching out to me to see if there is anything that we need! How sweet! My heart was touched by her thoughtfulness.

Other than that I prayed with two dear staff ladies, helped with schooling as needed, did laundry (never ending) and made food! I’ve taken to tell my kids that they have to drink a glass of water before they ask for a snack! I know that they are playing outside a lot, and that they are burning a lot of energy, but woah! Garett polished off half a pan of enchiladas last night along with salad and grapes. Emma ate two eggs and a bagel, and the rest of them are part piranha, I’m sure! I am thankful that we have food to eat, clothes to be washed, and a bed to sleep in. We are blessed.

Maine news: We have another 20 cases of Coronavirus in Maine, and two additional deaths. We are over the 500 mark, but 176 have recovered. I keep praying fervently for God to stop this virus, but also I plead with Him to give me patience and grace as we wait. I’m not always great at the waiting part, but I’m learning!

We all need to be united in prayer these days. It doesn’t matter what your personal opinion is of the President or his cabinet, but I do ask that you uphold them in prayer. Ask God to give them wisdom, direction and discernment. Our President has a very difficult job these days, and it seems that the American people as a whole have laid down our freedoms in the name of “safety”. I ask that you pray for God to remove this virus from our land in a way so great and mighty that it can only be called an “Act of God”. I would ask that you pray that the American people can get over the fear that seems to be griping them, and turn their hearts to God. He is our Rock and our Deliverer. Trust and Rest in that today!

Recitals and Moments

And just like the snap of our fingers, the month of February is here! This month we will have a birthday party for Chandler, enjoy winter break from school, and hopefully,  sneak in a winter getaway as a family to go snow tubing. We will also have our 100th day of school celebration, and lots of classroom Valentine parties! Roger and I were discussing that our family gives a valentine to every student in our school and to one classroom twice!! Since I help in the preschool classroom, I’ll give those students a Valentine, and then each of our kids will give valentines to their classmates. Since Travis and Wyatt are in the same classroom, we will give those students a Valentine twice! I’ll be having simple valentines this year! But having mostly boys in our family, it’ll be a food Valentine. Travis says all the valentine cards are dumb, and  he just plans to give food to his friends...no note or card, just food! Sounds like a boy, right?

Last Thursday night, we went to a piano recital for Wyatt and Garett. They were by far the most inexperienced piano players at the recital, and they were the first on the program. Garett gave a huge grin of relief when he finished up his songs, and Wyatt was relieved too. They’ve worked hard this past semester, and we were thrilled to go to their recital. The rest of the recital was a bit long and uninteresting to the kids, but they had good manners. I had warned the boys that there would be some voice performances at the recital and to not making any faces! They did very well, but Chandler  let out a huge sigh when we made it back to our vehicle! He said, “English is a hard enough language to speak and understand, why on earth would anyone want to sing in Latin or German or some other  language that no one has any idea what they are singing?!” Well, I don’t know, but he does have a point. Of course, to be honest, I feel that way about some Christian music. Honestly, if I can’t understand the words that they are singing to “praise and worship the Lord”, I’m not too interested in listening  to the song again. I totally realize that not everyone has that opinion, and that’s okay too!

On Friday afternoon my friend, Allison, and I were able to get away to the hospital to visit a brand new baby! You forget how tiny they start out!!! Baby Ruth is an adorable little squish, and it was so nice to see her and her mama for a few minutes. We did not stay long as Claire wasn’t feeling well, and she needed to rest. Allison and I were able to have a quick lunch together before the afternoon was practically over. I’m thankful for Allison as this year has been full of changes and transitions for me, and she has provided a listening ear or a hug on more than one occasion!

By Friday evening, Roger and I were both emotionally drained. We had gone to a meeting earlier in the week, that had left us with quite a bit of information to process. With Rogers work schedule and having our children getting older, it’s harder to find moments when no one is around to overhear our conversations! As my dad used to tell my mom, “I’d tell you something, but the ears are in the cornfield.” Meaning, us kids were around and listening! We really needed to have a date, but that just wasn’t an option. We were able to have a few moments of conversation early on Saturday morning before Roger left for work.

I had a wonderful conversation with one of my dear friends from Wisconsin last week, and it was so good to have a deep conversation about things on my heart. Jenna and I have a friendship that is one that can be picked back up whenever we both have moment. We might go weeks....or even months, without really corresponding, but then when we do it really is an “iron sharpenth iron” friendship. I am very thankful for her.

Roger worked on Saturday, but Garett was able to spend part of the day with him. We are so thankful for a job that provides an opportunity for our kids to spend time with Roger. Roger was done a bit early due to the weather and a slow schedule, so we went bowling on Saturday evening. The bowling alley wasn’t too crowded, and it was fun to bowl with our kids. They have the opportunity to go bowling through the school, so they are all better bowlers than I am! Chandler was in the lead for most of the game, but Garett managed to pull off a win in the last frame. Chandler tends to be a methodical and smooth bowler, while Garett puts a lot of power behind his ball. They are such different bowlers, but yet they managed to stay within a few points of each other. It was a fun night, and fairly cheap family fun!

Travis was having a rough time in school, but then his teacher gave her students a “fun” learning day! They were still learning but they didn’t realize that they were learning. She played learning games with her classroom, did her teaching a bit different, and that seems to have helped Travis out tremendously! He seems to have turned a corner, and he is back to enjoying school again. I am so thankful for teachers that are willing to “think outside the box”! Travis and Wyatt have a great teacher who works very hard to teach her students, but yet sometimes uses different approaches to learning. We are so blessed to have our children attend such a great school.

Life is full of mountain too experiences and valleys. These opportunities are each designed to draw us ever closer toward our Heavenly Father. I might not always appreciate the challenges as they come, but I know that Gods ways are not my ways. Emma’s Bible verse this week is Psalm 103:14 “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” I’m so thankful for mercy!

Love, Sarah

Fall Beauty in Maine (and falling in Maine!)

If you’ve ever tried to plan a quick getaway as a family, and you have a large family, you know the struggle! It’s a struggle to find something for a large family to do on a shoe-string budget! Our boys are getting bigger, and it’s nearly impossible to fit us all into one small hotel room. Then there is the food cost factor on top of the lodging factor that makes planning a family getaway seem a bit daunting!

However, God is so good to us! He gives us unexpected blessings and surprises at every turn just because He loves us. Roger has a friend that has a small cabin up in Northern  Maine. When I was lamenting to Roger about struggling to find a place that we could get away as a family for a night, he thought of his friend. This friend had offered up their cabin to our family if we would like to use it for a day or two. This fit into our budget quite nicely, so we decided to do it! We planned a spur of the moment trip to Millinocket, Maine. We left on Friday afternoon and we came back on Saturday evening. It was a quick trip, but a beautiful one! The cabin was quite lovely, and it was right on the lake. Chandler was up at 4:50 am. On Saturday morning to go fishing! All the other kids slept in...until 5:20am! We enjoyed the lake sunrise, and the boys did catch some fish. Most of them were too small to keep, so we put them all back.

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you have two left feet?! That was definitely me on Saturday morning! First of all, I went to try out my own magnet fishing experience. Roger had tied my magnet to some paracord (50 feet), and I was anxious to see if I could snag anything magnetic. Well, on my very first attempt, I forgot to hang on to the string, and promptly threw the magnet and the rope into the lake! My boys were just in awe of how I managed to do that! Chandler managed to snag the rope with his fishing rod, and we rescued my magnet. I then decided to tie my rope to the tree so that I couldn’t do that again! The boys were fishing off the dock, so I decided to climb down on some rocks to use my magnet. All was well for a few moments until I leaned over too far, and fell into the lake! I was soaked from head to toe! My boys gaped at me with open mouths for a few seconds, and then they all burst out laughing! I must have looked a sight with water dripping off everywhere...it was so cold!!! I managed to haul myself out of the lake with Roger’s help. (He wisely refrained from asking me how that happened!) I waddled back to the house, any thankfully my clothes from the day before weren’t too dirty! I managed to hit my shin bone pretty hard on a rock, and it’s been a bit painful for a few days! It was just that kind of a morning!

We enjoyed God’s beautiful creation, hiked on some great trails, went down into an ice cave, and made some wonderful memories together. Garett and Chandler did miss out on an opportunity to go on a teen active, but sometimes you just can’t do it all! We chose to do this as a family, and I am so glad that we did.

 Roger has had some rough days at work as he prepares a plane for paint. He is missing being in the  plane, and he is ready to get back to that.  My friend, Allison, and I were able to have lunch together last week, and I certainly enjoyed that! Since she has a daughter in high school, and I’ve been working, we just do not have very much time to spend together! I’ve been missing our deep conversations and laughter together. Hopefully, we will be able to find our routine, and we can get back to sharing a bit more time together.

I had a meeting with Garett’s teacher, speech teacher, and several others today to discuss Garett’s education process. Garett is a slow learner, but he is progressing. His teacher reports that he is a hard worker, and his speech teacher gave him high praise also. Out of all the speech teachers that Garett could have gotten, God gave Garett a wonderful Christian lady to give him lessons! She has been such a blessing to us, and we are so very thankful for her work with Garett. I’m thankful that Garett
will be able to continue to receive speech lessons twice a week, and we are looking at getting him    
  some additional help in reading. Garett is a hard worker, and a great kid. We will continue to pray for God to work in his heart and life.



And now for pictures...lots of them!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Break, Birthday boy, and Life!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

I always have such good intentions when it comes to posting on the blog. But then the days start to run away from me, and I have to lay in bed thinking about what we did when! You'd think by now I would write things down on a more regular basis, but alas, I forget! 

 

Time spent in the woods = time well spent! 

Anyways that's enough whining about what I don't do, so now I will tell you what I DO! Last Tuesday afternoon, as in April 11, we spent the afternoon out with the Pastor and his son shooting guns on their property. Now, we use every precaution in teaching our children about guns, but it is important to use that they learn how to handle firearms responsibly and correctly. They can understand that a gun does not go off by itself, and that someone is responsible for pulling the trigger.  We are blessed to live in a country where we can own firearms, and it's not a right that I take lightly. Anyways, we had a good hike out to the shooting range through the mud and across the creek. The boys enjoy spending time with the Pastor's son, and it was a good afternoon for all of us.

The kids had a short week last week in school as we had a half day on Thursday. Since Thursday is one of the morning that Emma has school, I had a bit of a free morning. Shortly after I dropped the  kids off at school, Roger called to see if I wanted to go on the mail flight with him to one of the islands. I picked up coffee for us, and I hurried out to the airport to catch a flight with Roger. I am so thankful that he has a job in which I can come along to when I have a free moment. It was a beautiful morning to be flying, and I can see that Roger clearly enjoys what he is doing. I am also thankful that  I don't have to take multiple flights across the water every day. It's not that I was overly nervous or . uncertain, I just happen to like being in the ground better than being in the air across a body of cold water! It was a morning well spent, and I am thankful that I was able to go along with him. I picked up the kids at 11:30 am., and our week of spring break vacation began! Hooray!  I am excited about having a little freedom in our routine and schedule although I definitely appreciate a routine and schedule! The weather was absolutely beautiful last Thursday and Friday, and the boys were begging to set up the trampoline. However the ground is so wet that we would have such ruts in the yard from the trampoline. We will need to wait a few days for that. We instead took a hike down to the beach where the boys tested out how waterproof their boots were as well as looked for treasure on the beach. We had to do a little grocery shopping too, and I realize that I have gotten kinda spoiled about shopping while the kids are at school! They do very well, and they don't ask for everything, but we have quite the train with a  cart and five kids! Oh well!!


On Friday night we had over a few families from school. The kids have made some good friends, and Roger and I have enjoyed getting to know some of the parents better as well. We had eleven kids here and six adults. We feasted on lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and brownies and ice cream! The kids were exhausted by the end of the evening, but it was such a good time of fellowship and laughter. I'm   thankful for opportunities to interact with other families in the school.


On Saturday I went to do a few errands for a few groceries for Sunday's dinner. I also went to JCPenny to look for an Easter dress for Emma. It's certainly not a necessity, just something that would be nice for tomorrow. However, the cheapest church dress there was $25.00 and even with my ten dollar off coupon, I knew that a $15.00 dress was not in the budget...it was definitely a want and  not a need. I told Emma that we couldn't get the dress, but then the Lord reminded me of some totes of clothes down in the basement at home. I had forgotten that when we left Wisconsin a few friends had given clothes to Emma that were too big at the current moment. I told Emma that we could go home and look in the box. As soon as we arrived home, she asked to look for the box of clothes! And did God ever provide!! Wow!! We found a whole box of 4t clothes that she can wear now. She now has about  ten beautiful  dresses and plenty of summer clothes! I love these memories that are a reflection of how good God  is to me!

God is so good to me! 

Sunday was Resurrection Sunday! Praise the Lord...He is risen! We had the opportunity to go to a  sunrise service at church...at five forty five am! We did end up being a few minutes late, but we did make it there. The sky was overcast so the sunrise was not amazing, but celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ is definitely a reason to rejoice! After the service, we ate breakfast with our church family. I had originally planned to make biscuits and gravy. But my common sense caught up with me and I decided to bring fruit and yogurt! We helped clean up from breakfast and headed home by about 7:00 am. I put on the ham for lunch, set the table, and prepared for the morning service. We   went back to church for Sunday school and worship service, and the day was turning out to   be  beautiful weather! It was good to worship with other believers and it was exciting to see so many visitors at church this morning. I helped direct the children's choir, and I thought they did a great job.  Emma went up front to sing along with the children, but about halfway through the song she hopped  off the step to tell me that Aunt Hannah was here! Emma was very excited that aunt Hannah was at church and apparently she felt like she needed to let me know immediately! We headed home shortly  after church and enjoyed a lunch of ham, asparagus, fruit, fresh bread, and corn. The kids convinced   Roger to set up the trampoline, so that kept them busy for the afternoon. Hannah and I enjoyed a nice long walk in the beautiful weather.  Sunday was a bit of a long day, and the kids were ready for bed  early. However, it was truly a privilege to attend church this morning and to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

Monday was another beautiful day although it was not quite as warm as Sunday. The boys were up  early as in about 6:00 am., and immediately they went outside to jump on the trampoline. I let them jump for a while and then called them in for breakfast, Bible time and chores. As soon as their  responsibilities were done they bounded back outside. We did have to run a few errands this morning to take lunch to Roger, pick up milk, and shop for their Easter baskets. Roger and I usually give the children small baskets of treats on Resurrection Sunday such as kites, new toothbrushes, small toys, etc. However, we have been working hard on our budget, so we decided that we would give them their baskets on Monday night. 😊 It might seem like a terrible idea to you, but it actually worked out very well. I gave each child a name to shop for and told them the amount they could spend. Then we went to Walmart and each child shopped for a sibling. Since all the Easter stuff was 50% off, they had a great time finding small gifts for their picked sibling. It just might be a tradition that I will continue with over the years!

On Monday afternoon we went on an impromptu hike with some friends from school. I met Allison and her two girls for a hike down to the Saint George river, and the kids walked along on the waterfront collecting sea glass, and testing out how wet they could get without actually getting in the water. We decided to continue our outing at the lighthouse a bit farther down the road. The fog was  really thick along the ocean, but after we were there for a bit, the fog burned off. The kids had a good  afternoon with their friends, spending time outside, and combing the beaches for sea  glass.

 Coins that the kids have been saving 

We had told the kids at the beginning of the break that we could do something special for spring  break. We had collected $134.00 in our coin jar, and it's time for us to do something special as a family. The boys had been asking about going swimming at a hotel, and we gave them two choices  for options. We could either go to a hotel for a night, or we could do two separate things during the  week instead. They chose  the two separate activities for the week. One of the activities was getting a day pass to the YMCA and going swimming at the pool there. Roger has had to work most of the week, so I knew that this would  be a "mom and kids" activity. Those aren't my favorite as they are a lot of work for me, but I also knew that Roger would be home too late to join us. I decided that we would go to the YMCA in the afternoon...after nap time. Travis insisted that he was not tired, but he was asleep within ten minutes of laying down! We headed to the YMCA about three pm., and we played in the playground gym, and in the basketball gym,  and then got read you to go swimming. Unfortunately the YMCA had a disagreement with what the paper schedule said and what was  actually happening in the pool. But we were able to use the big pool while we waited for a water class to finish. Garett and Chandler both took the swim test and passed. Wyatt  wanted to take the swim   test, but I felt that he wasn't ready for it. Once the water class was done in  the family pool, we moved over to that pool. The water was much warmer, so I liked that  much better! However the slide wasn't open, so that was a bit of a disappointment for the kids. We did have a good afternoon at the YMCA, and I'm glad we did it. I hope that if we ever do it again it will be  on a day that Roger has off! I am reminded though of how much easier it is too take them swimming than it was four years ago. Everyone can get themselves dressed, and for the most part, everyone can keep their head above water. Emma needs the most help, but the boys are good about watching her also. It was a tiring afternoon, and I was thankful  that I had put supper in the crockpot before we left!

Wednesday was a day of appointments for the three older boys. They have  had an appointment scheduled for the orthodontist for the past five months, and today was the day! The appointment was in Bath which is almost an hour away, and since Roger was working today....well, five kids came  along! The one perk about going to Bath is that the McDonald's has a playland there which is exciting if you are a kid. We left our house in plenty of time so that we could play for a bit first. Of course the playland was quite busy since it is spring break week. We arrived in plenty of the time for the appointments which was a good thing because I had a bunch of paperwork to fill out! The waiting room held nine chairs, and we walked in with six people. The waiting room was a bit tight to say the least. However, it is my pet peeve when people talk about you like you can't hear them. " Wow, what  a bunch of kids!"    " I  wonder if all those kids are hers?"    " And four boys and one girl?"  Hello....I am right here!  Oh well, we survived the appointment with a smile, and it looks like Chandler will need braces in a year. We will have to come back in about nine months to find out for sure. Wyatt and Garett have some spacing concerns. But since it is  unlikely that our insurance would cover their spacing issues, it will have to wait. It was quite the afternoon, but now that is behind us. Hooray!

Thursday...today is Wyatt's eighth birthday. I remember the day that boy was born. He was our biggest son at eight pounds, eleven ounces. He arrived at 11:54 pm. I am so very thankful for this boy with a sunny smile and a ready hug. He challenges me to think about my responses to him, he forces me to cry out to God for grace and wisdom, and he loves with every bit of his heart. I am blessed to be his momma. A year ago, I missed his birthday as I was in Maine viewing the house Roger had put an  offer on. (That is a story in itself!)  My friend, Gretchen, made Wyatt his birthday cake last year, and Wyatt wanted to know if they could come this year. Oh how I wish! But Wisconsin is a bit far to come for a birthday dinner, so it will be our family for tonight. Today I am missing Wisconsin. We've  adjusted well....I think. But sometimes I long for the friendships that I've had for years, for the friends that understand and love our children, for cups of coffee and long talks on parenting failures and challenges, and for the deep friendships that developed through long talks. I know those relationships will come here in Maine with time, and the truth be told, I think I am working on those  friendships. Good things take time.

 Wyatt is 8!! 

Friday was a day that Roger had off of work. The kids have been anxiously waiting for Friday  to come a week they had big plans for the day. They have been wanting to go to the trampoline park in Portland, and this was the day that we were going! It was a good day to do it, as the weather was overcast and rainy. The kids had such a good time, and I'm glad we took the opportunity to do it. Emma enjoyed it as well, but she did tire before the boys were ready to go. Roger stayed with the boys while Emma and I went to Sam's Club. Sam's Club is one of my kid's favorite places to go...maybe that's because they have icees, pretzels, and yummy samples! It ended up being a late night for the kids, but it was an enjoyable day as a family. I missed being at the ladies Bible study this morning, but I'm also recognizing that my time with our kids is getting less by the day! I feel like we  have so much more to teach them, character traits to work on, and things they need to know to stand strong  in the name of Jesus Christ. Oh my....just writing that down makes it seem like an insurmountable challenge! However, being a parent  to these five children has made me realize that parenting is a moment by moment cry to my Savior for mercy, grace, patience and wisdom.  I fail at this parenting business every.single.day. But I can also rejoice in the fact that  the mercies of God are new every morning. I find that children forgive easily, and I work on having open, honest, and clear relationships with each one of them. I am finding out that parenting actually gets harder as our children get older because they are experiencing new challenges and struggles, and each child is different and unique. I am learning so much from them about by own weaknesses and failures. But I can rejoice in the victories  such as a child telling the truth when it was hard, a child who stayed in  their bed, and a  child who was terribly naughty all day but at night time announced, "I love you, mommy." I can rejoice in the the faithfulness of God, and I trust His Word.

A few blog posts ago, I asked for prayer for an unspoken request. We are still in need of prayer on this as we have some decisions to make concerning our budget and how to make everything work.  We need wisdom  and peace, and we are asking you to continue to pray with us and for us on this request. Hopefully  I will be able to give you bit of an update soon, but please continue to pray.

We love you all!
Sarah

 Fun with friends on Monday of spring break week! 

Welcome to 2015

This year is going to bring lots of changes for our family, and we certainly don't know the extent of them! For one, Roger has been working on getting his instrument rating and that test is scheduled for Thursday! We would greatly appreciate your prayers for this test, and for Roger to have peace of mind and confidence. Please pray that I can encourage him and that Roger will do well. This is a big prayer request for us. Once this test is behind us, we will begin to apply for jobs while Roger works on his commercial rating. (I'll be so glad to get all this behind us!) 

Thursday, January 8, 2014

We've been so busy getting back into the school routine, fighting colds, and the extremely cold weather, that I haven't even had a moment to write on the blog! However, Roger was unable to take his test today due to the blowing snow and limited visibility. He rescheduled it for Monday, so now you have more time to pray! :) 

It's been a challenge to get back into our school routine, but we are almost to lesson 100!! The boys have been working hard and it looks like we will get to have a few field trip days this next semester. :) (Field trip days are for the moms!) :) 

We enjoyed dinner with a couple from our church on Monday night, played family games and ate leftovers on Tuesday, had dinner at church with several families before church on Wednesday, and played in the snow and inside on Thursday. The boys have still been going outside ever day even with the wind chill at -20 degrees. I'm so thrilled that they can all get themselves dressed warm enough, come in when they're cold, and love to be outside! :) Both Chandler and Garett have commented this week that "this is like Alaska weather, Mom". :) 

Roger has spent a lot of time studying this week, and I know he wanted to get this test behind him...me too! But God had another plan, so Monday is the big day. Once this test is behind us, we will be able to figure out how Roger's going to get his commercial license done. This is all taking so much longer than we originally anticipated, but it has helped me in one area in particular. When Roger first started his training, I wanted to stay in Wisconsin near our family and friends. Now, I'm ready to move wherever God wants us to go and where a job is for Roger. Although I still wouldn't mind if God allowed us to stay here, I'm willing (I think) for wherever we end up. 

                         

We've been able to spend quite a bit of time playing games with the children this week. Since the weather has been unusually cold, they've needed a few more things to help them occupy their time. I'm not the greatest at craft time...usually it becomes a big mess! (Roger is much better in the craft department.) I found the boys a game called "Bible Sequence". It's very similar to the game "sequence", but the pictures and cards are all based on Bible stories. What amazes me is how much more fun it is to play games with the boys than it was a few years ago! :) The boys can actually grasp the game and are pretty good at playing it. Emma is NOT a good game player, and she makes a mess in a hurry!

Usually my funny moments come from my children, but this week I've been the one providing the laughter for my children! I haven't been feeling good, and I've made a lot of unthought decisions this week. Just to give a few examples, I made myself a cup of coffee in the Keurig...except I forgot to put the cup under the spout! I opened a cupboard door and then turned to help someone. As I turned back around, I ran my head right into the corner of the cupboard door! I still have a bump on my head! I emptied out my purse looking for a gift certificate that I knew I had in there. After several frustrating moments, Roger said, "You already used that the last time we went there." Yes, it's been a long week! 

Although Garett had a fun moment this week, so I'll have to write it down. :) The boys were watching a documentary on alligators on my iPad. After about twenty minutes, they left and went downstairs to practice being the alligators. I asked Garett to please bring my iPad to me. (The iPad was still playing the documentary on the living room floor.) After several minutes of searching around the room, and in the dining room, he asks me, "where is it, mom?" I couldn't help it...I laughed. :) (Sometimes it's the obvious things that might bite you!) 

We are one week into January, and although I've been working on my goals and resolutions I haven't posted them. However, last week I did get together with two of my good friends, and we set goals and resolutions for the new year. Accountability is a good thing! I've been working at keeping up with my goals, since I know that my friends are going to ask me how I'm doing. :) 

So, have you written out your goals for 2015?