Day# Rain, Projects, and Rashes!

Fun at the Kalers

Fun swing!

Emma was sad to leave and her friend was itchy from the caterpillars! 

Brown Tail Moth Rash

We will be using a lot of these things over the next few days to keep the itchiness down! 

Wyatt’s night to make supper- tacos! 

                                                 Emma went out in the rain to check on her toad

Rain today! While I felt like the house was a little on the wild and crazy side today with the kids inside a bit more, we certainly do need the rain. It was a blessing to get some rain, and it helped me find the motivation to work on some inside projects!

Roger has had off the last two days, so we have enjoyed having him at home. Yesterday we had lunch at the home of some friends. We enjoyed our time at their house, and the boys and Emma enjoyed time on the swings and riding bikes outside. It was a good time of fellowship and fun. They do have a lot of these brown caterpillars at their house, so three of our children have a rash over most of their bodies. Emma and Garett were also outside and playing, but somehow they are both rash free! For the other three though, I needed to go to Wal-mart to get some stuff for their itchiness! When I asked the pharmacist about what I should use, she directed me to an end cap that had all the right ingredients to make a rash cream. She said that there has been a terrible problem with the caterpillars this year, so they’ve made a special area with all the supplies! Travis and Chandler went with me to Wal-mart, and the wait wasn’t too bad today. We waited in line for about 10 minutes, so the line went fairly quickly. 

We were supposed to have the elementary year-end school celebration today, but due to the rain it is moved to tomorrow. We do not have a whole lot of children signed up to come tomorrow, but we will have a good time with whomever does come. We are planning on crafts, games, water balloons, a chapel time, and lunch -sounds fun, right?!  Our children are excited about it, and I’m excited as it will officially mark the end of the school year. We’ve already started thinking, preparing and planning for next fall, and I am continuing to pray that God will do a mighty work and allow our students to return to school. Please pray  with me for a few more families, the right staff, and financial provisions for next year. We serve a mighty God! I am so thankful that He is faithful, true and mighty! 

I worked on creating summer school packets for our children today- they are not overly excited! But anyways with missing out on some actual classroom time and trying to prevent summer slide, I decided that summer work would be necessary this summer. It’s not a lot of work each day, but hopefully enough to keep what they know fresh. When I took Wyatt on a walk earlier this week, I asked him what was bothering him. He erupted into tears and said that he didn’t think he was ready for the next grade. I asked him, “Why ever not?” He said that he remembered multiplication, but he was having a hard time remembering how to do long division. Well, my son, you will probably be just fine! I told him that his teacher would help him as well as his parents. We prayed over it, and I’m hoping that he will have some relief from that concern. I dug through all our totes of remaining homeschool stuff from before we moved to Maine- it was a big job! There was material that I want to keep, material I need to donate, material to pass on to others, and stuff that needed to be tossed. It’s not completely done, but I am closer than I was before I started! 

Our governor issued another “emergency proclamation” yesterday...another thirty days and for the third time! It’s for the federal funds, and not because we have an “emergency” (that’s my opinion). We have friends that have been unable to collect rent from their tenants or evict them because that is not allowed during a “state of emergency”. It means continued restrictions on masks, limited number of people in establishments, and unnecessary power. The ramifications of these continued emergency orders will have long-reaching tentacles. Businesses are closing every day, and with the restrictions on summer tourism that will also continue to affect Maine negatively. I am ALL about protecting the vulnerable...I am not about governors that are over-stepping their powers, and restricting the movements of healthy and strong Americans! 

Maine has continued to see a decline in the seven day average of Coronavirus cases. The number of recoveries continues to outgrow the new cases. We have 505 active cases as of today. I have read that several states are seeing spikes in some areas. I think that’s to be expected, and is not a cause for alarm (again, just my opinion.) People are going to continue to get sick from Coronavirus, and it probably won’t ever be completely eradicated. However, that’s not to say that the American people should not be allowed to continue with their lives. I’d rather have liberty than the “safety” that the government wants to push on me. 

In the midst of continued uncertainty, I can rejoice in knowing that God is still on the throne. I sometimes become worried for the future and the uncertainty of it all, but God constantly brings me back to the fact that He is in control. 

Pains, Ultrasounds, Snow Days and Auction Day!

Pains, ultrasounds, snow days, auctions, and music classes! That about sums up our week! I bet some of  you opened this blog page thinking that we were announcing I am pregnant! No! Roger had a small zit looking thing on his hand last week, but by last Sunday night the swelling in his hand was intense as well as the pain.

 

 

 

 

By Monday morning, Roger could hardly move his hand. He decided to go to the clinic while I held our one-hour Christmas program practice. The clinic prescribed a pretty intense antibiotic to help with the infection and pain. He picked me up from school, and we went to get that prescription.  By the time we picked up Emma at 11:30am., Roger was practically white from the pain. We went home and he rested while I worked on finishing up some auction details. I picked up kids from school, and we made a pumpkin roll for Mr, Kevin’s birthday, which was on Tuesday. After school on Tuesday we were planning to go out to the airport to have a small party for Mr. Kevin’s birthday. Roger spent Monday afternoon soaking his hand many times, and trying to make sure no one touched it.


Roger was supposed to work on Tuesday, but if you can’t squeeze your fingers, it’s difficult to fly the plane! The weather wasn’t great either, so Roger stayed home with Emma on Tuesday. Although I know Roger wanted to be at work, it did work out really well that Emma could stay home while  Allison and I worked on auction projects. We had several errands to run before getting started on organizing all our auction donations. Neither of us were especially eager to work on that project!  We had coffee together, went to the bank, picked up some groceries we needed for hot lunch and the auction dinner, went to get the bidder cards from the auctioneer, and then finally...when we couldn’t come up with anything else that needed doing except the job of organizing, we headed to school. We were both just a wee bit tired of this project! However, once we did motivate ourselves, we got a lot
done in a few hours. I was actually able to go home and check on Roger and Emma, make a pan of
 Mac n cheese for the auction, and then come back to pick up our boys. The boys came home and  
 immediately started creating birthday cards for Mr. Kevin’s birthday. It was so sweet to see them all
 at the table coloring, writing and drawing out cards. Garett and Travis both took money from their piggy banks and gave  Mr. Kevin a dollar. I know, right?! A dollar? Yes, and since they were so eager  and willing to give, I certainly wasn’t going to discourage that. Chandler and Wyatt didn’t have any dollars at home as their money was in the bank, but they were very supportive of the other brothers giving money. Emma scrounged around and came up with two cents to put in her birthday card for Mr. Kevin. It’s so great that he’s such a good sport, and the boys were delighted to give him their cards. Roger came with us to the airport for the birthday party, but he was pretty miserable all day. His hand had actually gotten quite a bit worse over the day, and we were worried about the spreading of the infection. We only stayed a short while at the airport due to Roger’s hand, and it being a school night, and the week of the auction. After putting the boys in bed, I told Roger that I thought he should
 just go ahead and go to the Emergency Room. In our area, we don’t have an urgent care clinic or
walk-in care. Basically, it was either go to the E.R. on Tuesday night or go on Wednesday morning. His hand was basically getting worse by the hour and the pain was spreading into his finger joints and up his arm. I would’ve gladly went with him, but since all our kids were in bed, off he went on his own. The pain was getting to the place where Roger couldn’t sleep, eat or think, so it was time to do something. I don’t relish the idea of owing the hospital, but I like the idea of Roger losing his hand even less! God has always shown Himself strong, and He is going to continue to do so. I tried to wait up for Roger, but I couldn’t stay awake. I finally went to bed, and heard Roger come home around two am. He was exhausted, and he needed sleep. I asked him on Wednesday morning what they had done at the E.R. He said that they had give him pain medicine, done an ultrasound to make sure the blood flow was good, taken lots of samples of blood, prescribed another antibiotic, and the had lanced and drained the infection. I’m thankful for numbing medicine because I can’t imagine getting that thing lanced and drained!



Roger was running a fever on Wednesday morning, and I didn’t really want to leave him while I   taught music class. I gave Roger some pain reliever, and the fever did go down. Roger decided that he would just drop me off at music class, and then he would get his medicine filled, and he would rest in the car until I was done. Roger hasn’t been able to drive his car this week since you can’t drive a stick shift car with one hand! I taught music classes, which is a challenge to do when you’re tired! I finished a bit early, and Roger was taking a nap in the car. We needed milk (no surprise there), so we decided to go to the grocery store and pick that up before getting Emma. Roger stayed in the truck, and I ran in for milk. I came back out, Roger tried to start the truck, and it wouldn’t start! Frustrating! The truck has been limping along for a while now. Every morning the boys have to go out and put air in the tire and make sure the truck will start. Two of the windows won’t roll down, one of the doors has a broken spring, but it’s still drivable! Usually we have our little battery pack in the car,  but  today it was at home on the counter. charging. Poor Roger! He only wanted to go home and relax and we were stuck at the grocery store! Well, I called Allison, who was at church. She came over, tried to help us jump start the truck, and when that didn’t work, she took us to the airport. I called the school  to let them know I would be late picking up Emma. Kevin loaned us one of the vans, and we picked up Emma. Then back to the grocery store to try to get the truck out of the parking lot! We were able to get it jumped since the van has a bigger battery, and finally...home! Roger fell asleep as soon as we got home, and Emma and I worked on a few things around the house. I went to go get the boys and left Emma and Roger at home. After school on Wednesday, the boys helped with making Chex Mix for our baked goods table. Wyatt talked me into making Chex muddy buddies for him. We already had such a big mess in the kitchen that it really didn’t matter, and it’s not been an easy week for our kids either. We spent time making that together, and then cleaning up our big mess! Roger is a bit short in patience this week since the pain has been so intense. He definitely doesn’t like being  dependent upon someone to help him with his socks, shoes, zipping up his coat, etc. I’ve been driving most every where because Roger hasn’t been able to drive his stick shift car. His hand is healing, but it is a slow process. God is giving us strength to get through one day at a time.

Thursday was another very full day. Allison, Claire and I planned to spend most of the day at the school numbering and organizing our auction items. Allison needed to go to the grocery store before we got started, so I went with her. A the grocery stores, she said, “Aren’t you going to get a cart?” I replied that I didn’t really need anything and I had just come along to spend time with her. She gave me a surprised look and said, “Aren’t you supposed to buy rolls for the lobster tomorrow night and the hotdogs?” Oh yeah! That would be me! Yes, I’ll get a cart! We went to get coffee (yes, it’s that kind of week to have two coffee dates in it!) and headed to the school. Thankfully once we got moving in on the project Claire, Allison, and I were able to get a lot done. It was a day for a lot of heavy sighing as we were all tired, but we got it done! Claire supervised and helped with the picking  of  70 lobsters. Another school mom, Annah, helped with that job along with two folks from our church Sharon and Neal. It was a big job, but they got it done quickly! The best part was that we had enough done that when school was over, none of us had to stick around after school! Hooray for home!

Friday...auction day! Oh, and our first snow day of the school year was also on Friday! Now what? Since school was cancelled due to snow should we try to reschedule the auction?! Claire, Allison and I had many, many texts going all morning, but around nine am. Allison got ahold of the auctioneer. He suggested we go ahead with the auction as planned. Since all weather reports seeemed to indicate that the weather would get better throughout the day, we decided that we should move forward. After all....we had a lot of lobsters already cooked! Once it was decided to go ahead with the auction, God just gave peace at every turn. We knew that He had already helped us get this far and that He would bring the right people to the auction. We met at the school at a bit afte one of, and worked hard on  setting up chairs, auction items, a few decorations, getting started on kitchen work, printing out the auction lists, writing out bidder cards, and preparing for the evening.  A few other parents came a bit later  to help set up the kitchen and get the Mac n cheeses baking, and by 5:30, we were ready! The fellowship hall was full! We had to set up extra chairs for folks to sit in, but we had plenty of food and plenty of fun! God showed Himself strong in a way that only He can do! It made the hours and hours and hours of prep work, chasing down donations, and being exhausted seem worth it. God provided enough funds to supply our needs, to be able to give the teachers a Christmas gift this year, and to continue on with hot lunch. I am so very thankful for the parents that helped, those who bought our auction items, and those who came to show their support...we couldn’t have done it without them!

Saturday was a day to just relax. My kids were so excited about the auction, but also that the auction was behind us! We spent the morning talking, drinking coffe, and taking trash to the dump...exciting times! We wer invited to a friends house for supper on Saturday evening, and that was a big blessing.  It was nice to have fellowship with Nick and Hannah and their little ones. It was especially nice for me to not have to think about having a plan for supper. After a crazy week, it was a nice way to unwind.

On top of Roger’s hand, the busy week with the auction, the vehicle problems, the looming Christmas program, also Roger’s grandpa is dying. Just a few weeks ago his grandma passed away (Rogers Dad’s mom) and this week his grandpa is dying (Rogers mom’s dad). To say that it’s been a rough month would be a gross understatement! God has been faithful and strong, but it’s not been an easy month for our family. We are thankful that both of these grandparents know Jesus as their personal Savior. They both were and are ready to meet Jesus. While we do and will miss them, we know that we will see them in Heaven again some day. One of my favorite memories of Roger’s  grandpa is from about six years ago at the family reunion. Grandpa had come along to Roger’s  family reunion,  and it was my first opportunity to really get to know him. We often found ourselves the first ones up that week and sat together in the kitchen over many cups of coffee and studying God’s Word. Grandpa lived out his life for Jesus. Through his life , he pointed people to Jesus. I don’t think he would want people to just say he was a great guy or a wonderful person , I think he would want them to know that he’s different because of a personal relationship with Jesus. I’ll never forget that week at the family reunion where an older man encouraged my walk with Jesus, took time to listen to a young mama, and encouraged my heart. I look forward to seeing him in heaven someday.

In closing, our family could use your prayers. Every week brings new challenges, but this past month has seemed that satan has just brought one obstacle out in front of the other. It brings to mind the verses from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”

We serve a great and amazing God! I can’t imagine my life without Him. At the end of my life, I don’t care if people think I’m crazy (probably I am), but I do want them to know that I had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, that I had confessed my sins to Him and asked Him to come into my heart, and that I was passionate about serving and loving Him.

Grins and Giggles

Do you ever come to the end of a week and look back in amazement at all the blessings you've experienced? Truth be known, we should live our lives being thankful for so many things, but it's easy to get bogged down by the cares of life. However, this was a full week of many blessings and memories. My heart is full. We've been blessed by friendships, family time, memories, birthdays, and several laughs along the way this week.


I started off the week with the blessing of playing the piano for Sunday church services. As usual playing the piano blessed my soul and prepared my heart for worship. It was a blessing to me. As a family, we started off the week by getting away to a cabin.  Some friends of ours have a cabin on a lake about an hour away, and they offered to let us use it. We've been trying to coordinate this all summer, but with Roger's work schedule it's been impossible to make it work. We had wanted to stay for two nights, but that wouldn't work as Roger needed to be back at work on Tuesday morning. Instead we left after church on Sunday afternoon. Before heading up to the cabin though we made a visit to a local farm market. This farm market was hosting their annual neighbor night which included a free meal! Whoo hoo! We went with another family that we've become friends with recently. We had a great time enjoying each other's company, watching our kids play, and feasting on a delicious meal that I didn't cook!


We had beautiful weather for our overnight stay at the cabin. It's a beautiful spot on a lake in Maine, and we had such a good time together. The boys slept out on the screened in porch...even though  there were plenty of beds in the cabin! We had told the boys that they couldn't go outside in the morning without one of us as we wanted to be aware of where they were at and what they were  doing. A few minutes after six am, Garett comes into our room and whispers (loudly) "Dad, we need to go fishing. Can you come outside?" No time to waste sleeping, the boys had things to do! Roger  went outside with the boys to go fishing. Within ten minutes a lure was stuck on a rock in the water,  and the fishing quickly escalated to swimming! The boys didn't catch any fish that day, but we did enjoy swimming, boating, water tubing, and the three older boys tried water skiing. The boat motor was a little small to pull Garett, but he did attempt the water skiing. Chandler managed to get up on the skis on his second attempt. He was so excited about that! Then Wyatt wanted to try. Wyatt is quite  competitive against his older two brothers, and it doesn't seem to phase him that he's quite a bit smaller and younger! Oh well! He tried hard a water skiiing, but after seeing him swallow a bunch of lake water, he thought he would be done with that! It was a fun day with lots of memories. I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to go up to the cabin as I knew the rest of the week would be busy for Roger.

      

 

On Tuesday Roger went back to work, and life went back to normal. Actually, I have no idea what normal is so I just go with whatever the day brings! We needed to do grocery shopping, and that's always exciting with five kids. I've learned to try not to go grocery shopping when someone is hungry, needs a nap, or take all the kids. However, usually I don't manage to meet all three of those criteria, so I just deal with it. We managed to stay on budget at least so I'm considering that a win!

We hosted a family get together on Tuesday night as well. We invited several families, and ended up with two extra families joining us for supper. We had eleven kids and six adults, so it was one of our smaller supper gatherings. When you get families with a bunch of kids, that's when the numbers  escalate quickly. I'm happy to have people in our home though, and we had a great time of fellowship together. The kids played together nicely outside and inside, and Roger was able to get home to eat   supper together with us. We've really come to enjoy fellowship with this family from New York City that is here for the summer. They have four boys, so they will be missed when they return home after Labor Day.

Wednesday was lake day with the Philbrook's at their cabin. The boys enjoy the water, Emma enjoys playing with different toys, and I enjoy the visiting. The Biddy family the family with four boys, also came to the lake. Allison also had other family members at the lake, so we had fifteen kids at the lake. Just another day of fun and memories as well as lots of craziness and food!

Thursday was the open house at the school. Emma had an open house for her preschool class in the morning, and the boys had an open house in the evening. So between the two, we spent quite a bit of the day at the school. Emma is very excited to go to school, and she waltzed into her classroom, gave  the teachers hugs, and immediately put on some dress up clothes! She would've spent the whole day there, but I needed to work on a bulletin board. The boys helped a bit with the bulletin board, and cleaning up a few things, but after a couple of hours, it was time to go. I didn't finish everything I needed to do, and I could've certainly made the kids stay and endure the time there. But sometimes it's better just to go and come back later. I had kids that were getting hungry, and that is a volcano waiting to happen. Do you get tired or irritated when hungry? Well, that is about one hundred times worse in growing boys! It was time to go home.

After everyone was fed, it made the afternoon a bit better. The boys had a rough day together today, and no one had a good rest time. It was just one of those afternoons where there just isn't enough coffee to make it all better! We survived it. The boys were excited to go to their open house, visit with their teachers, and see their classrooms. Roger was unable to get to the open house, but that's just the way it is right now. Roger called me shortly after we left the school to say that he was wrapping up work and would be home soon. Since we were already in the area, I decided to drive out  to the airport. At least that way some of the boys could ride home with dad. I know the boys love me, but it's probably tiring for them to have mom parenting them a lot! It's goo to have time with dad too, so we try to figure out ways to make that happen. Sometimes it means being creative and driving out to the airport at 8:00 on, so the boys can spend time with Roger. Roger's boss was still at work also, and we had a good visit with him as well. Long hours are hard on everyone, but it's just one of the  ways of the summer. In the winter the hours will lessen, and we will be thankful for that too.

Travis turned seven on Friday. How is that even possible?! I remember the day he was born and thinking, "Another boy?" We had the four boys in four years, so when Travis was born Garett was still three. We had three kids in diapers and one in pull-ups! It was a crazy adventure for a few years,  and it's hard to believe that those years passed so quickly even though the days were long. Travis is a fun loving, sweet boy. He delights in annoying his little sister, and he is just to quick to love her the next moment. He struggles with school, but he is all about outdoor play! And in the picture below he has on blue gloves...why? It's what he picked out at the dollar store and he has been delighted with all ten pairs! He's filled some with soap, made a few balloons, and has had a wonderful time playing with those. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are the funnest!

We had some friends over on Friday morning also, so the boys were excited about that. Wes and Levi won't be returning to school with the boys, so we will have to be consistent in maintaining that friendship. The boys had a great morning repelling out of trees, jumping on the trampoline, eating, and enjoying ice cream cake in honor of Travis' birthday. I enjoyed visiting with Bethany, and it was a fun morning.

I had made an appointment for Chandler with the doctors office that morning. They were able to get him in at 4:15pm. He has a toe that seems to be infected, and it's been getting worse. I was able to take the other three boys to the airport, where Roger's boss graciously allowed them to stay there while Chandler, Emma, and I went to the appointment. Chandler has a toe that has the beginnings of a staff infection, and it is painful to walk on. However, it also hasn't stopped him from climbing trees or being adventurous, so it can't be that bad! We did get a prescription to prevent further infection, and  he should feel improvement soon. After the appointment we went back to the airport to get the other boys, went to get the prescription filled, and snagged a quick snack.

 We had plans to meet up with a few other families at a church activity at one of the local churches. The boys were excited because their friends where coming, but I don't think I realized all that this activity was going to be! The announcement had said that the doors would open at 5:30 pm, and the event would start at six pm. I took that to mean that we should be there early to get a seat. I arrived with the kids at about 5:45 pm. We were greeted at the door and told to sit anywhere and someone would be by to take our order for refreshments. (Yay for food, right?!) There were plenty...plenty...of open seats, so we picked a table  and waited for our friends to arrive and for someone to take our refreshment order. This was a "coffeehouse" event that a local church was hosting. The idea is to give a commmunity event and invite them to hear gospel singing, enjoy refreshments, and get to know people.  After sitting there for over twenty minutes and still waiting for our friends and for refreshments, I was wondering what we had got ourselves into. The first hour was the "open mic" event where the church people are invited to sing, play instruments, etc. Then at seven pm., there was a main event singer who is a professional singer. Our first friends arrived at about 6:15 so that helped the children enjoy it a bit more. The waitress also arrived to take our refreshment order...hooray! Unfortunately, she just asked our friends what they wanted, and I had to ask her if we could also get something. (At the beginning of this event, the host had announced that refreshments were free and to enjoy as much as you'd like.) She told us that there was nachos, popcorn, root beer floats, and various other drinks. Now take in mind that the waitress was a sweet older lady, so it was probably a bit confusing with those orders! She came back with three root beer floats, but we had seven children at the table. Oh dear! Chandler and Travis were among those that didn't get a root beer float. We received some nachos to share and bowls of popcorn, but we were still missing a few root beer floats. We asked the waitress about the root beer floats to which she replied, "oh, we are getting more ice cream." (Like out of the freezer or at the grocery store?) Meanwhile another of our friends arrives  with their four children. The waitress comes back and the kids are multiplying! While all of this is going on, various church people are singing in the front. So we are trying to manage small amounts of food, eleven children, and be quiet!     As well as having children whisper in my ear, "mom, where is the rest of the food?" "Mom, they said we could eat all we wanted to, and I'd like some more." "Mom, is this it? This is what we came to do?"

And all things considered, I thought the eleven children we had there did very well for being in an environment that wasn't their favorite! (And I can be pretty picky about good behavior!) Around seven, the host event announced that the serving of food would stop when the main singer was singing, and they would serve food during intermission. It was then that we realized that this event actually was scheduled until nine pm!  I politely stayed for several of the main singers songs, which she did a great job at singing, and then excused myself to take our tribe outside. I had eleven delighted children outside, and I was also thankful to be out of confinement. I don't think I do a terrible job at single parenting, but it's not my favorite,  and I miss Roger at events like these. The  adults stayed inside a few more minutes, but then they came outside to join us. Another family had planned to come to the event, but they were delayed by an activity at their own church. By the time they arrived with their four kids, we were already outside! But now we were up to fifteen kids, so it was time for a walk. We walked towards the harbor which meant walking through downtown. I can't imagine what the tourists were thinking as fifteen kids,  all 12 and under, and seven adults paraded down the sidewalk towards the harbor! It was a good chuckle, and the kids were delighted to play in the harbor for a bit. All things considered, it was a great evening. Much of that was due to the laughs and giggles as memories were created with our friends and family. Poor Travis was a bit disappointed about his birthday evening, but he said that was mostly because, "Mom, the food was good. I just wish they had given us more!" As usual with the boys, it's not the event they remember, it's the food that went with the event! We have plans to do something as a family when Roger has a day off of work again to celebrate Travis' birthday.

On Saturday we enjoyed the morning at home and then attended a birthday party in the afternoon. The party was at a lake, so the boys enjoyed swimming with their friends. I'm glad that we've made friendships over the last year that provide opportunities such as this one to get together with our friends. This has been a very busy week for Roger, so I'm looking forward to enjoying his days off next week.

Today marked the beginning of yet another week. Since the pastor's family was away on their vacation, I had the privilege of playing for the church services. Roger and the three older boys went to a local air show this afternoon. Travis and Emma stayed with me, and although Travis was disappointed at first, we had a good day together. We were invited to have lunch with our friends from New York City, the Biddy family. We enjoyed lunch and fellowship together. Travis, Emma and I spent some time just being together as the three of us, and it was a good opportunity for me to interact with them on a more one-to-one level. Roger and the three boys had a great time at the air show and it was a good time for Roger to spend time with the boys...they've missed him!

Tomorrow marks the last day of summer break! School resumes on Tuesday, and everyone seems ready to get back at it. I'm looking forward to seeing God at work in the lives of our children as well as our lives this school year. God is so good and faithful, and we are so blessed.

Our love,
Sarah

Emma's Report!

Praise the Lord! We are shouting and singing the praises of our King today!

We arrived in Milwaukee about 12:00, found the Children's Hospital, grabbed a bite to eat, and arrived early for our appointment so I could nurse Emma. Our appointment was for 1:15pm., and the clinic was very prompt to call us back to the exam room right on time. The nurse weighed Emma, took her height and head measurements, and then we waited. Thankfully, we did not have to wait long!

The neurologist doctor came in asked us several questions about Emma's progress, how she ate, slept etc. Then she felt all over her head, and said that she was looking for ridges that would show the bones are fusing together. But since Emma's head is shaped right, her forehead is flat, and Emma's head is showing signs of growth, the doctor said that she believes that there is nothing to be concerned about at this time! YAY! She said that Emma has tiny and petite bone structures, and with lots of hair, it's easy to wonder if the soft spot is the way it should be at this time. Praise the Lord...it is exactly as it should be! We have no follow up visits, no future trips, and nothing that is raising concern in the doctor's eyes! We praise the Lord for answered prayer, for all of you who told us you were praying, for my parents who watched the boys, and for wonderful friends who stormed the gates of heaven on our behalf...THANK-YOU!!

On another happy note, since we were already in the Milwaukee area, we were able to visit with some dear friends. Jared and Beka Longsine have been our dear friends and graciously offered to assist in any way that they could be of help. Since the appointment was so short, we were able to meet up with them and spend some time visiting together. They thoughtfully included us on their ninth anniversary dinner, and we enjoyed visiting and fellowshipping with them. All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with rejoicing and God's blessings. Our hearts are full and overwhelmed with gratitude to the mighty God we serve! Thank-you!

Roger and Sarah

Baby Robertson #5 is a....

Well, we had our ultrasound for our newest addition…and guess what? Baby #5 is a….baby!  We chose not to find out so, we’ll discover sometime in August what God has given us. It was a hard decision, as part of me wanted to know and part of me didn’t. But in the end, we decided not to find out, and I’m fine with that too. Baby is growing well, the ultrasound showed no abnormalities or concerns, so we are thankful for that. We realize that each child is a gift from God, and we are blessed to once again be welcoming a child into our family. The boys are praying for a “girl” baby, but I’ve been trying to gently tell them that God might give us another boy. Garett wants to know why God would do that…”We already have enough of those, mom!” Well….I’m just trying to prepare you! 

I’ve been staying active with this pregnancy, in part, simply because I have four other children to take care of also!  I’ve really been trying to exercise and eat right but the scale still seems to be winning at a horrific rate!  I need to just come to the conclusion that I need to do my best to eat right and exercise, and I’ll ask God to help me get the weight back off when the time comes! I’ve been having a lot of back pain with this pregnancy, but that could be due to the fact that I have other children that want mommy to pick them up and cuddle them! 

Spring has been slow in coming this year. This week was full of rain, snow, sleet, and moments of “cabin fever”! I ran out of creative ideas, and today I was tired of the increasing questions to “Can I go outside?” So, the boys went out! We went through multiple pairs of went socks, pants, and gloves, but they had a great time! The laundry is never ending anyways, so I might as well let them add to it! We built forts, made craft projects, played in the basement, and even took an excursion to the McDonald's playland! BUT...I'm ready for some sunshine!!

Last Saturday, I was able to go grocery shopping and run some errands without all the boys. I just took Chandler, and we had a “date”. I truly enjoy spending time with them in this way as when I have all four of them along, it's a tad overwhelming for all of us! It's amazing how much talking he likes to do and how fast he's growing when I have those one-on-one moments. I loved it! Tomorrow is Garett's turn and he is VERY excited about his “date”! I treasure the time I'll get to spend with him, and am thankful for an amazing husband who cheerfully and willing watches the other boys, so that I can enjoy these moments. I am blessed!

I realize that every family has different struggles at different times, but as spring-time approaches, I've been discovering that our boys have a struggle of learning stewardship. I don't want the boys to think that life is about “stuff”, or keeping the house picked up, or not tracking in mud; however, I want them to realize that we are to be wise stewards of what God has blessed us with. This seems to be difficult to teach! I feel like I am constantly reminding them to put things away, or to go back and hang up your coat, put your boots away, etc. It gets tiring for all of us, but lately I've just been setting the timer for them to pick up. I look at the mess and estimate how long I think it should take them to pick up. Whatever isn't picked up, becomes mine for however long I feel necessary. The older two lost their bike privileges (but this week they couldn't ride them anyways!). I feel overwhelmed with all that goes into teaching responsible stewardship. Did you take it out to the car?...you bring it in! Did you wear it? ….hang it up! Did you play with it?...put it back! Part of the problem, is that with four close in age, you often feel like you repeat yourself constantly...and I do...but usually it's to a different child! So, on we plug with trying to be consistent, setting a good example, trying to maintain patience and grace when I'd rather just do it myself because it's faster and easier! So, in keeping it real...that's been our struggle of late!

April has also given me the urge to do some spring-cleaning. I've been moving furniture, emptying out closets, throwing away junk so much that when I asked one of the kids to bring me a garbage sack earlier this week, he asked what I was going to put in it very suspiciously! I managed to get one rather large piece of furniture stuck on the stairs to the basement so badly that Roger had to finish moving it when he came home from work. He says he doesn't like coming home in the dark for fear he won't be able to find his bed because the furniture is moved around! :) Pictures of our progress will be coming in a later post!

Blessings on you all,

Sarah

Catching up in a nutshell!

I never seem to have the time to write on here like I'd like to, but I consider this blog like my online journal of my family life. Hence, I am playing catch-up! The summer is officially here, with Garett finishing his year of 4K, a family camping trip over Memorial day weekend, plus a canoe trip with friends, running a 5K, and Chandler's surgery (tonsils and adenoids removed). All that to say, I've been very, very busy! And next week starts Vacation Bible School at our church. I'll be teaching the 3-4 year olds, and I definitely feel out of my comfort zone here! I have my own children in this age group and know how much time and effort is required to help them grow, so I'm a little overwhelmed. I do not want to waste 2 1/2 hours every night for five nights, I really want this group of little people to learn something!

My awesome husband and Travis

On May 19th, I ran a 5K in our local town. It was a very warm day, about 90 degrees, and the race was at 11:30am. Another friend from our church, Jared, ran as well. My husband walked around with the kids and cheered me on. I placed 6 out of 215 women and third in my age group. I ran a time of 23:54, which in college, would have been awful for me, but 7 years out of college...I'm very happy with that! 

The friend that also ran in the race... he's lost over 100 lbs.!

Also, on May 19th, we took a canoe trip with some close friends of ours, the Longsines and the Schuberts, and a family from my dad's church. It was the perfect length for children as the water was high and moved along quickly. All of our kids went and seemed to have a great time!

The final week in May wrapped up school for Garett, followed by a camping trip with other families from our church. We went to a little campground in the Dells, and we had a great time! Saturday was a little rough as it rained off and on, and the mosquitoes were terrible! But, Sunday was beautiful! After church, we went down to the water and played water games. The mosquitoes were not nearly as bad making the day much, much better!

Getting ready to go swimming!

Loved the water

Travis has lots of little mothers!

Following the camping trip, Chandler had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. I was really dreading the whole affair...not necessarily the surgery, but the aftermath of the sore throat and a possible very whining child! He came through the surgery with flying colors. He had the surgery at 8am, and we were home by noon. That was with a stop to Wal-mart to get Popsicles and ice cream, and McDonald's for french fries...yes, he ate french fries the day of his surgery! We are now on day five following the surgery and other than acting a little more tired and asking for extra fluids, my boy is the same! We are supposed to try to get him to rest and relax, but also let him take the lead in activities...so he's been riding his bike, climbing trees, and eating more Popsicles...I think he'll be fine!

Before surgery...he didn't want to wear the gown, "It's a dress!"

After surgery...resting, cuddling, and drinking

Already the summer is looking full with lots of fun family times planned. First is Vacation Bible School, then I'm taking the kids to North Carolina to see my sister and other extended family. Followed by one of my best friends from college coming to visit for a few days, then special meetings at our church. After that the family reunion with all of my husbands side, plus a few camping trips, canoe outings, and whatever else we find to do in the summer! I'm looking forward to the future, and all that God has in store for us. I know that the summer will be busy and full, but I treasure these moments with my family and the memories we are creating for a lifetime!

Ready, Set....STOP!

Ever have those moments where you feel like maybe you attempted a little too much? Well, this week has seemed to run along that line. I've signed my name on the dotted line and I'm committed to seeing a goal accomplished this Saturday (Lord willing!). I am planning on running my first 1/2 marathon on Saturday and am feeling way outside my comfort zone! Yes, I've run many, many miles (310 miles since February 1st to be exact), and I've tried to eat healthy, but I'm still second guessing myself. "Can I do this?"

I ran cross-country in college for four years, but the races in college are only 5k races, not like a 1/2 marathon which is 13.1 miles! Not to mention, college is 7 years behind me now, as well as having four kids in four years! Yet, when one of my friends from college decided to train for one, I was determined to at least try. And, so here I am three days from attempting something I've never done before in my life. I've run in snow, wind, through knee pain, mild shin splints, and now I'm pumping up the Vitamin C in an attempt to not catch this cold/sinus sickness my children have managed to aquire! I'm excited, nervous, and feel a tad overwhelmed. But, I've seen God give strength when I've had none, He's given rest when I'm weary, blessed me with an amazing husband whose support has been phenomenal, and I know my confidence and strength come from Christ alone!

Wyatt and Mom