March News! (Nothing to do with March Madness!)

 Spring Break! It’s hard to believe, but we’ve made it through the long stretch of school from Christmas to spring break- Praise Jesus! It’s been too long since I’ve posted on our blog, so I’ll just give a few highlights, and post some pictures. 

Fine arts projects 

Kindergarten art

Fifth grade- warm and cool colors

Middle School-acrylics 

I love this man! He got up at 4:00am one morning to make sure that I had everything I needed for a project for art class. Then he went and visited his mom on her birthday - so thankful for him. Happy Birthday to Roger 

1) We finished up basketball season. Hooray! Basketball is a looonng season, and while it was a good season for the boys basketball teams, I am glad it’s over!

2) We’ve started the spring sports season. Garett is playing baseball, and while I think he sometimes wishes that he was playing on the golf team with his brothers, he is a good first baseman. The other three boys are all on the golf team. Travis is the youngest player in 8th grade, and he was a little nervous for their first match. Chandler, Wyatt and Travis are enjoying golf, and they’ll even go practice on days when there is not a practice. 

Baseball and Golf 

3) Achievement testing was last week, and we made it through! Garett and Chandler took the ACT testing,  and Garett was a little overwhelmed with that. Testing makes for a long week for everyone, and it makes teaching afternoon classes a little more challenging than normal. All brain power has been used up by the afternoon! 

4) Our junior high and high school students had their Fine Arts competition this past week. We sent 19 projects in the Junior High division, and we placed with 8 of those entries! I was thrilled with that, as it’s my first year sending art to this competition, and I had no idea what we were doing! Roger helped Travis get an idea for a wood working project. Travis’s project wasn’t perfect, but he did the work himself, and he did get a blue ribbon on his project! Travis doesn’t usually show a lot of emotion, but I am thrilled for him! I do feel like there are a lot of rules and guidelines for this competition, and reading through it all can be tedious. However, we did not get disqualified in an of our entries, so that’s a win in my book for this first year. 

Travis’s wood working project

5) Please pray for Garett’s car situation. He’s got a great little vehicle, but the engine needs replacing. The body of the car is in great shape, lower miles, etc, and he has the money to get the job done, but we are having a hard time finding someone to replace the engine. I’d really like for Garett to have a vehicle, as it’s a lot of hanging around at school waiting for practices to wrap up! 

6) Garett graduates from high school in about eight weeks! I asked Garett the other day if he was ready to graduate, and he said, “I am kinda ready to graduate, but this last year has really gone by quickly. I’m trying to enjoy where I am, but time is going by fast!” Get ready, boy! This is only the beginning! I’m trying to figure out how I got old enough to be the mom to a senior! Garett caught me in tears the other day, and he was like, “Are you okay? Mom, it’s just a graduation!” Awww, son! I cry often these days as I feel like my hormones are all over the place, but I am so thankful for Garett. He can get mad at his brothers in an instant, often butts heads with Roger, and can be arrogant and not know when to stop talking. But…he’s also one of the kindest and compassionate teenagers that I know. I am thankful for him. 

7) Roger’s birthday was yesterday, and I am so thankful for him. Roger is not flashing or flamboyant, but he is faithful, loyal and kind. He has been working many long hours during this fire season, and I don’t know of many men who would come home from a long day at work and then go play golf with their sons, or cut wood for their wife’s  art projects, or play a game with their daughter, or make lunches for school. We are so blessed to have Roger in our lives, and we are looking forward to a few days away this next week! 

Art Project Sculptures- still working on them! 

8) My friend and co-worker, Jennifer, and I hosted a book fair for the library during Grandparent’s day recently. It’s so fun to get new books for the library. The way we run our book fair is that we purchase books for the grandparents to buy for the library. They buy the book and a sticker goes in the book stating that so and so purchased this book in honor of so and so. It’s worked out fairly well in the years we’ve done it, and we were able to add 76 new books to the library. 

9) We are going on a cruise this week for Garett’s graduation trip. Everyone has been counting down the days, and we are looking forward to some relaxation in the sun! We’ve been planning, saving and scheming for a long time now, and it’s finally here. I know that not everyone likes cruising, but for us, it’s one of the cheapest ways to see different ports, and have lodging and food included! Our tribe likes to eat food, and they aren’t necessarily picky about food, but they eat a lot of it! For me, I look forward to reading books out in the sun, not having internet, and making memories with our family. From here on out, it’s going to get harder and harder to get all of us together to do these kinds of trips as Garett takes on a full time job or school or whatever God has for him. He was offered a job to work for the gutter company again this summer, so he’s going to do that. After the summer, he’s not really sure what God has for him, but we’ve been praying for wisdom and direction. 

10) As we pray for Garett to have wisdom and direction, we’ve also been praying for direction for me as well. Every year about this time, I feel like Roger and I are faced with decisions about “next year”. We are asking God for wisdom, direction and discernment as we navigate through changes, challenges, and adventures. 

11) I am so thankful for the faithfulness of God. I am thankful that He is unchanging, never grumpy or tired, and He never gets tired of His children. I am such a work in progress, and I often feel like I’m not consistent, tired and grumpy! I’m thankful for forgiveness and grace too. 

In our church in Maine, we sang a lot of Getty hymns. This one popped up on YouTube the other day, and it was a blessing to me. Enjoy. 

February - Basketball, Moments, Basketball, Memories, and More Basketball!

 

Championship Game! That’s where we found ourselves on Saturday as we watched the JV Boys Basketball Team compete in the Championship game for the second year in a row! This probably wouldn’t be so exciting for me, but Wyatt and Travis played on the JV Basketball Team this year, so it was very exciting! Wyatt has really had a great season, in my opinion, and he has become a much better basketball player in the three years we’ve been in N.C. Travis played on the Middle School team this year and the JV Boys Varsity Team. Travis got a lot more playing time on the Middle School team, but unfortunately they lost several games due to snow days and bad weather, but Travis did enjoy playing on the Middle School team. As Travis says, “I was a good water boy to Wyatt on the other team.” Haha! He didn’t get as much playing time, but he did seem to enjoy the season, and he enjoys watching the team play. On Saturday, 2/15, the Championship game was held in Newport, NC, which is a bit of a drive from our house. But we were excited to watch the boys play in the game. The team was actually playing the exact same team that they played last year for the championship game. Wyatt and Travis had to be there early for the game, so Emma and I went to visit a thrift store instead of sitting in the gym. My friend, Tamela, is always up for visiting thrift stores too, so she came along. It was a good way to spend a few minutes, and the thrift store was having a sale of certain tag items for .49- now that’s my kind of a sale! We came back to the gym to watch the girls championship game, which went into overtime, and then it was the boys game. The game wasn’t as close as I would’ve imagined it to be, but it was fun to watch the boys team play. It was a long day, but a day spent with family and spending time together. 

Roger’s brother, Dale, came to visit for a few days. It was good to see him and to catch up with him for a few days. Roger was able to get off a little early on Friday, so he went golfing with the older two boys and his brother, Dale. The weather hasn’t been exactly warm, but at least it wasn’t raining! Chandler was able to golf with Ava, and while it was an interesting Valentine’s Day for Roger and I, we are at the place where we are happy to go get flowers on the day after Valentine’s Day when the flowers are 50% off! I know that’s not the way everyone would choose to do it, but it’s worked for us for many years now. I’m thankful for Roger as he expresses his love for me every day in many ways. He’s willing to help pack lunches, do dishes, help with chores, make coffee, bring me coffee when he can, work hard and he loves me. I am very, very thankful for him, and I am so very blessed. I was at the game watching the JV Boys in their playoff game, so we weren’t together for most of the day, but ya know, love is an action that we need to express to each other every day and not just on special occasions. 

Last Saturday evening, Chandler and Garett went to a teen activity. It was a “Thrift Shop” dinner where you’re put in pairs. One partner goes to one thrift store and one to a different thrift store, and they buy outfits for each other. I wasn’t sure how the night would go, but both of the boys said that they had a really great time. The pictures from the event are absolutely hilarious, and it’s a memory for sure! Travis spent all of last weekend sleeping on Aunt Jen’s couch! He asked Roger to take him over to Aunt Jen’s right after his JV game last Friday night. He ran a fever all weekend, and thankfully Jen offered to keep him at her house for the weekend. His fever finally broke on Sunday, and he turned a corner to start to feel better. It’s very unsettling to see Travis so still, so I am glad that he is feeling better. I had suggested that he stay home from school on Monday since he was just starting to feel better, but he really wanted to go to the basketball game on evening. He went to the game, but he sure did look pale! Wyatt told me after the game, that he wasn’t feeling too great, and his throat really was hurting. Wyatt stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Travis stayed home again on Wednesday as he was running a low grade fever on Tuesday night. Thankfully, both boys seem to be feeling better, and no one else has gotten sick! We are praying that it will stay that way! 

These last two weeks of school have felt really long to me. I think it’s because the weather has been kinda chilly and damp, the nights of basketball are long, there’s a lot of big upcoming events in both art and library, and it feels like a long time til spring break! But there’s always something to be thankful for in each and every day. Every day gets us a little closer to Garett’s senior trip, and we are all looking forward to that. Garett has been praying and thinking about what to do when he graduates, and we would appreciate your prayers for him.

Emma has been doing some academic testing to try to figure out how to best help her learn. Is she learning? Yes! Is it slow and painful at times? Yes! I am concerned about her progress and how we can best help her learn, develop and grow. I would’ve never have chosen for three of our five kids to struggle with school, but it definitely helps me have compassion on my students that I teach that don’t “get it” the first time around. Garett is a young man who doesn’t always “get it” the first time around, and I can say that for the most part, he is becoming a fine and capable young man. He really works well with younger kids, he has lots of patience with others (just not his brothers), and he has a general idea of what ideas he wants to pursue after college. Hard work and character will get him far in life, I’m sure. I used to think that I prayed a lot when my kids were toddlers, but these teenage years have proven to me how shallow my prayers were back then! So. Much. To. Pray. For! 

This week, in my art classes, I spoke about God’s love as we approached Valentine’s Day. It’s so easy to quote John 3:16, and almost everyone knows that verse. But, it must be real and personal to each one of us. We have to acknowledge that “For God so loved Sarah, that he gave his only begotten son, that if Sarah believeth in him, she would not perish but have everlasting life.” I am so thankful that eternal life in Heaven is mine. I also shared my personal salvation testimony with my Middle School Art classes, as it’s good to talk about what God has done for me personally. I hope I never lose sight of God’s amazing grace, and His love for me. What an amazing God we serve! 

Started on 2/5/25 

Ya’ll be amazed because it’s only been a little over a week since the last post! I feel like so many things are happening in our lives so quickly these days that it’s hard sometimes to keep up on a daily basis much less a weekly basis! 

Last week we had a short week at school due to the Marriage Retreat that our church plans every year. Roger and I had planned to leave early on Friday morning and make the most of the day, but that’s not what happened. Roger was called to a fire on the Western side of the state on Thursday, and then on Friday morning, he had to go into work. We had hoped that he would be able to get off early, but he didn’t get home until around 5:30pm. While it wasn’t the way that I would’ve picked for the day to go, we did get a lot done around our house. The boys went golfing, and a friend went with them. They spent a good chunk of the day outside as the weather was beautiful! (It’s hard to believe that we had two and 1/2 snow days the previous week, and this week the temps reached into the 70s!)

 I wondered if we should still go to the marriage retreat since we had missed the whole day, but we decided to go anyways. It was already paid for and Myrtle Beach is only a little over two hours from our house. Now that Garett can drive, he was able to take his siblings over to Aunt Jen’s for supper after golfing. Emma, Travis and Wyatt stayed overnight at Aunt Jen’s, but Garett and Chandler came back home. Roger and I got on the road a little before six pm., and we made it in time to go out to ice cream with some of our friends after the session! :) It would’ve been nice to hear the session, but I”m not a fan of coming in late and then having to sit on the front row! We checked into our room, and then met up with some friends after the session was over. It was good to visit for a bit before heading back to the hotel. 

Roger and I got up early on Saturday to take a walk on the beach before breakfast. I do enjoy the sound of the ocean waves! We ate breakfast with Tamela and Stephen, and then we had the last session of the marriage retreat. The speaker was good, and I did prefer his speaking over last year’s speaker, but I do wish that sometimes more practical ways of how to actually do things would be discussed. There were a lot of stages of marriage discussed in the session. But, I already know that we are in the trenches of marriage. I know that we are in some hard years of parenting kids and that kids take time. But how do families decided between the “good” and the “best”? I know what works for one couple may not work for another, but sometimes it’s good to hear success stories on how others made their marriages or families stronger. I also know that most people don’t have four kids in four years and then another one three years later! But, I also know that I don’t want “good kids”. I want Godly kids that will love and serve Jesus, and the outcome will be “good kids”. And it’s not enough for us to just influence our own kids, we’ve got to think about upcoming generations.  There are two things that I’m really concerned about right now in our own kids lives. Those things would be “entitlement” and “apathy”. Whew! Those are some big and powerful words right there! I tell our kids often that you don’t have to have a lot of stuff to be entitled as it’s an attitude of the heart. I can tell them to do their devotions in the morning, and that they must read the Bible before anything else, but I can’t drive apathy out of them. Oh, how we need Jesus! 

After the marriage retreat was over, Roger and I visited a few thrift stores and puttered around in the Myrtle Beach area before heading over to Conway. Roger’s aunt and uncle recently moved to Conway from California, and we’ve been wanting to stop by and visit with them. I hadn’t seen Uncle Bob and Aunt Carole since Chandler was a baby so that was almost 17 years ago! We visited with them for a bit, toured their beautiful home, and then we went to supper with them. It was good to sit and catch up (or try to) on each other’s lives. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures of them, but still, we did have a really good time! 

Our friends, the Hardison’s, had also gone to the marriage retreat. Tamela knew that we weren’t planning on being home until later on Saturday evening. She invited the boys to come over to their house to watch the Duke basketball game. The boys were excited to go over to their house to watch the game as they also have three boys. The boys had a great time, and Roger and I were able to get in a visit with Uncle Bob and Aunt Carole. It was a good weekend, and it’s always to get away with just the two of us. 

January- School, Skiing, Homecoming, and Chandler’s Birthday!

 

Whew! This has been a fast week at school! We had Martin Luther King, Jr. day off on Monday, and we had snow days on Wednesday and Thursday. So, needless to say, the week has flown by for our family. But I want to back up a few days/weeks in this month to share a couple of highlights for our family. 

Early in January we were invited over to our friends, the Guelfis, for lunch after church on Sunday. This was a special treat for our family, but especially for me. It was so nice to be invited over for lunch at someone else’s house, and to have fellowship and laughter. We enjoyed our time together, and it was a great start to the first Sunday in the new year. Laura has a contagious laugh,  and I always enjoy spending time with her and her family. 

We hit the ground running when we returned to school on Monday, January 6th. The weeks have been full with basketball games, practices, and all the other school/church events. Our school has a “Homecoming” event every year in which a boy and girl representative from each class (7th-12th) are chosen to represent their classes. It’s a kinda formal event, and while I’m happy that two of the boys were chosen to represent their classes, it made for a very, very long night last Friday night (1/17). 

Last Thursday, Garett collected all the items of clothing that he would need for Friday evening. He went to Aunt Jen’s to iron his pants and shirt. Travis had basketball practice, and when he came home on Thursday  night, I asked him what his plans were for clothes for the homecoming event. He said, “Oh mom, it’ll be fine. I can wear the suit I wore last year.” Keep in mind, that the last time he worn this suit was 11 months ago! I told him to go try it on, and I messaged my friend, Tamela, to ask about borrowing a white shirt from one of her sons. Travis came back out with his suit and pants. The pants were a little short, but they were salvageable with black socks. The pants were pretty tight in the waist, but Travis was not worried. He replied, “I just won’t sit down in these pants cause it pinches my stomach.” Oh great! But ya know- if we can get by without buying anything, I’m all for it! Garett was the polar opposite in this as we had gone shopping with him the week before. He had originally thought that he wanted a suit, but those were expensive. He eventually decided to purchase a sport coat and two pairs of dress pants. It wasn’t quite as dressy as a suit, but I do think he will get a lot of use out of the sport coat and pants. Garett was excited about his new dress clothes, and Travis probably would’ve worn shorts if it was allowed!

Friday (1/17) was a very full day for us. I had been asked to help plan for the student pep rallies, so that meant some significant thinking and planning on my part. Garett is my Teacher’s Aide in the mornings, so he helped me with a lot of my ideas, and I tried out several game ideas on the 7th grade gym classes. I like to try things out before assuming that the game will work out correctly. And I am glad that I did because one of the games was an epic failure! While we were prepared for the pep rallies, I still spent most of the day with my stomach in knots, as it takes a lot of energy to get a pep rally going. However, the grace of God sustains and carries me, and both the pep rallies went smoothly. We did pop an air mattress on one of the games that we played, but no one was hurt, and most everyone seemed to have a good time. The cheerleaders did a great job on their routine, and then it was all over and behind us- Praise the Lord! 

 We had gotten an email from the school stating that Travis and Garett needed to be in the library for pictures for Homecoming at 8;00pm. The boys were dressed and ready to go by 7:30pm, and we headed to the library around 8:00pm. The boys were the only ones in the library besides the kindergarten representative. It was a LONG evening! The Homecoming events don’t start until after the basketball games, and when the boys basketball game was barely started at 8:00pm, we knew it was going to be a long evening! Shortly after we arrived in the library, the 7th grade boy representative showed up. I’m pretty sure that Aiden and Travis were praying that the Rapture would happen anytime before they had to walk out on the gym floor with a girl on their arm! Garett was one of the representatives for the 12th grade, and it was fun to see him excited about it. We didn’t do great about taking pictures that evening, but I’m thankful for the memories. It is an honor to be chosen to be a class representative, and I’m thankful that Garett and Travis were chosen. I’m also really, really thankful that we have four sons cause those formal dresses are not cheap! When the time for the event finally rolled around, the technology didn’t work! Each student that is chosen pre-records their salvation testimony, life verse, etc, and it is played while the student walks out on the court…but it didn’t work. On one hand, it was a real bummer because it would’ve been nice to have heard some of the kids testimonies that I haven’t hear before. But on the other hand, it really sped up the event and it was already 10:15pm at night! I had forgotten to tell Travis that I wanted to take some pictures after the Homecoming was over, and when I found him, he was already in the hallway wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt and asking if we were going to stop for something to eat on the way home! A senior boy and a senior girl are chosen to be Mr. FCA and Miss FCA. Garett had told me that he really didn’t think he would be chosen as he’s only been at this school for three years. And he wasn’t chosen. While part of me is a little disappointed, the young man that was chosen to be Mr. FCA is a fine young man also. And while it is an honor to be chosen, I already think that Garett is a pretty special young man. :) 

We headed to the mountains on Saturday morning to meet up with Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ryan. They had invited us to spend a few days in the mountains with them, and we were all looking forward to the opportunity. It was a great few days in the area of Blowing Rock, NC. The boys and Roger went skiing on Sunday afternoon/evening. The snow was blowing and it was cold, but the kids were so excited about going skiing and snowboarding again. They had a great time! Roger and I had thought about taking Emma, but we decided against it with the blowing snow and cold. I enjoy skiing, and I’d have welcomed the opportunity to do it again, but I didn’t think I was worth the money of the ticket and rental costs. I just wanted to go for a little bit and take Emma, but it’s expensive so Emma, Aunt Jen, and I went to the swimming pool instead! It was a great visit with family, and it was really nice to see the beautiful snow in the mountains. Emma enjoyed swimming and sledding with Lainey (Lisa’s granddaughter), and I was thankful for a playmate for Emma. 

While on the way home on Monday morning/afternoon, we listened and watched the Presidential Inauguration. Garett had messaged our State Senator about getting tickets to the event, but apparently Garett isn’t important enough to attend :) He would’ve enjoyed the opportunity to go, but I’m glad we were able to go to the mountains. Our kids were fairly interested in the events of the day, and I’m thankful for technology that allows us to watch important events like these. President Trump spoke about bringing back an “era of Common Sense”. He also stated that the United States would recognize two genders…male and female. That is a huge stance that made some people very unhappy, but it’s a Biblical stance. God created male and female in His image. 

Tuesday brought about our return to school for one day. Then on Tuesday night the snow began to fall. It was beautiful and pretty, and apparently very unusual for this area! While our kids did get out and play in the snow, I don’t think that they recognize it for the rarity that it is in this area. Snow is beautiful, and we weren’t complaining about the snow day! I was surprised when we got a second snow day on Thursday, but it was nice to stay home and work on some projects around the house. Sometimes it’s just good to sit and soak it all in, and not have to run off to the next thing. We are so very blessed. 

Roger left for work early on Friday morning as he had a flight to make to Asheville, NC. He was flying the Commissioner of the state of North Carolina to a meeting with President Trump in Asheville. Of course, we all wanted him to get pictures of the President. Roger wasn’t able to do that, but he did get some pretty cool pictures of Air Force One. It was exciting to see the pictures. 

Today (1/26) is Chandler’s 17th birthday. Where have the years gone?! I tried to pull off a surprise party for him, but I wasn’t completely successful. We invited a few families to come over for lunch after church, and just told Chandler that the Everett’s were coming for lunch. However, he told me that he was suspicious by the amount of food I was preparing for just a few more people than normal! Oh well- it was fun anyways! My sister, Jen, created a beautiful ice cream cake for his birthday that was immensely enjoyed by all. We did have a bit of a moment when it was time to light the candles, and we couldn’t find matches or a lighter! Stephen and Jen figured it out to turn on the oven and light a piece of paper and then light the candles- it was a bit of a redneck moment, but it worked! I think we ended up with 22 people at our house and a lot of boys! They played outside almost all afternoon with basketball, golf, rc cars and who knows what else! I’m thankful for friends that come over to help celebrate our kids birthdays and for those that invest in the lives of our children. Chandler is a junior this year, and he is praying about what God wants him to do with his life. He plans to go to college, but he doesn’t know where yet. We are praying about several different Bible colleges, and asking God for wisdom for Chandler’s future. We are thankful for the young man that he is becoming, and we pray that he will continue to grow to love and serve Jesus. 

There’s a lot more that has happened this month, but I’m about out of time to write about it all. We do need wisdom about a car situation for Garett. He bought a vehicle for a really good price, but it has developed some interesting issues. We need wisdom about what to do about that situation. Garett has been selected to go on a missions trip to Chicago this summer, so please pray that God will use him in a mighty way. Garett is still praying about what to do after graduation, and we are praying with him on that. He needs wisdom, direction and guidance. 

We appreciate your love and prayers. 

September Moments and Memories

 The first day of fall has officially come and gone, and today we are experiencing temps in the high 80s! I’m not sure we’re ready for flannels, boots and pumpkin spice, but all those things are out in full force! 

September has been a busy month for our family as the boys have played on the school soccer team, Emma has been playing a little volleyball on Saturdays, plus all the other activities of the school year and season of life.  

The boys have been working hard a school and playing soccer. Roger has sacrificed a lot to be able to coach the boys soccer team, and while I don’t think the boys recognize that to the full extent, it has been a mostly good experience. We are not happy when we lose, and with four boys and a soccer coach all in the same house, sometimes we have to walk away from each other after a lost match! We have one son that is fiercely competitive and wants everyone else to be equally competitive and play the game with the same tenacity that he does. We have one son that is also competitive, and he works hard to become a better player in whatever sport he’s competing in. We have one son that really enjoys the sport, and probably thinks he’s better than he actually is at it, but he enjoys the game. We have one son that is fairly decent at soccer (actually quite good for his age and size), and he shows up and works hard at games and practices, but is often run over by larger players. And we have one soccer coach that wants all his players to do their very best, encourage each other and play the game. Whew! Yup, it’s a lot! We’ve learned a lot this season, and I’m reminded at every game that this is Garett’s final season playing for the team. 

We had several games that have been canceled due to rain, and this past week we had two games back to back. We don’t typically play on Mondays due to the cross country players, but it was necessary this week. The team played terrible on Monday, and no one was happy. However, the team showed up to play the game on Tuesday, and it was a great game to watch. I feel like the soccer refs have been so inconsistent all season, and we never quite know what will or won’t be called. Roger tells his players all the time, “to play til the whistle blows”, and they did just that. There was a lot of whistle blowing at Tuesday’s game, and we ended up with a yellow card for the first time in a long time. A yellow card in soccer is just a warning, but it’s not something you want to get either. I think the ref gave out two yellow cards in the first half so that was a little unusual in itself. In the second half, Garett ended up with a yellow card! I think I was more surprised than he was as that is not Garett’s personality at all. He and another player had been going for the ball, and the ref said that Garett was too rough. Garett got a yellow card for “retaliation”. Now, if this was against his brothers- absolutely! But anyone who knows Garett knows that is not his personality at all. He’s like the gentlest teenager I know, except when riled up by his brothers! But oh well, he got one. Later in the evening, while the team was having supper, our Athletic Director came over to talk to Garett. All yellow or red cards have to be recorded, so he asked Garett about the yellow card. Stephen then told Garett that there was a $75.00 fee per yellow card, and Garett would need to bring the money to school on Monday. Garett looked so crestfallen, but he nodded his head and said, “Yes, sir. Okay.” Stephen pulled it off with a straight face and Garett swallowed it- hook, line and sinker! It was a funny moment, and I’m thankful for laughter and smiles! 

This month I’ve been working hard at preparing art for the regional agricultural fair. I’m teaching Middle School art this year, and whew- that’s a lot of prep, PowerPoints, and trial and error! I wanted the middle school to submit some art to the fair, but we found out that all the art for Middle School and High School had to be submitted two weeks prior to the fair! I was able to round up a few art projects for the fair so at least the school will be represented, but next year we will be better prepared. Our elementary students also submitted art for the fair, and all that had to be dropped off this past week. I breathed a huge sigh of relief to have it all dropped off at the fair! Kaycee (my art assistant) and I matted 24 pieces of art for the elementary art exhibit, and it’s hard to pick out four from each grade when there are 40 kids in some of the grades! But we are excited to see how the art places at the fair this week. 

Any other elementary/middle school art teachers on here? How do you get it all done?! I have a curriculum, but the PowerPoints for each lesson need to be created so that I can use them for future years. Then there’s the prep time for the lesson, the cleanup time, capitalizing on the lesson, while also teaching them about one of the names of God. Throw in preparing for library classes on top of that, and sometimes I think all I dream about it is school! Thankfully, I have a great assistant in both areas, but the amount of time to prepare and plan is sometimes overwhelming. My goal is to get to the place where each class does their own art projects each year and there is no crossing over of lessons from grade to grade, but we aren’t there yet! And I love curriculum and following a lesson, but it doesn’t take too long to figure out that not all the lessons will work for either the supplies on hand or the students. Life is an adventure and teaching can be a wild ride! I never, ever envisioned myself teaching art classes (and I’m sure my family didn’t either) but I’ve actually really enjoyed the challenge for the most part. I know that even my first graders can tell you the three names of God that we’ve learned about this year and that there are 7 elements of art! (We are a work in progress!) I love it when my kindergarten class can tell me that “Elohim” means “mighty Creator”, and my upper grades can give a Bible verse to go with that. I know that education is important and learning art it’s important, but the most important thing that I can teach them is about Jesus. I want each of my students to have a deeper relationship with Jesus when school ends in May than they do right now. And so while it’s a lot of hard work, I am thankful for the opportunity to invest in the lives of these students right here and right now. (But, I’d also appreciate your prayers for wisdom and direction.) 

Per usual, we’ve been busy! I worked a Saturday at the farmer’s market earlier this month, and Chandler worked at a pumpkin stand last Saturday. This week we have three days off of school due to fall break, and we are all working at various places the next couple of days. Wyatt, Chandler, myself and Travis are going to be working at an event and then the fair grounds. Garett will probably be able to get a few days working on gutters, and Emma is coming along with someone! Garett is a senior this year, and we are working hard to pay for a senior trip for our family over spring break. All the kids are pitching in a certain percentage of the cost, and we want to pay cash for this pretty big trip…so we work! It’s really been nice that work has been available for our children, and because they’ve worked hard this past summer, they’ve been able to “get their foot in the door” so to speak on jobs for the future. The jobs we are working this week are a direct result of working this past summer. We’ve already picked out Garett’s senior trip, and we’re looking forward to spring break! 

Lest anyone think that all we do is work, we don’t! Roger’s brother, Nate, came for a weekend with two of his kids earlier in the month. While Nate was here, all the boys and Roger and Nate played in a golf tournament for church. Each of our boys was on a different team, but they all seemed to have a really good time. Roger and Nate were on the same team, and it seems like a good time was had by all. Emma and Karis spent the day grocery shopping with me, playing with Sam, and making mud pies in the yard. 

Another weekend this past month, the kids and Roger went to Virginia to visit the Everett’s. I stayed home as I had already committed to work at the farmers market, but it was really nice to have a quiet evening at home. While I missed the opportunity to visit with the Everetts, I was very thankful for the time spent at home by myself. 

After fall break, we have the wrapping up of the soccer season in October, and then then next sport right around the corner! We are planning on going to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving, and all the boys are dreaming of deer hunting and time spent with Nana and Papa. 

We’ve had some very warm days in September, but it looks like cooler weather is coming soon. We had a lot of rain this fall, and that was a blessing for Roger. It’s easier for him to take off of work to coach the soccer team if fires are not blazing. And since we’ve had a wet fall, it’s been quiet at Roger’s work. 

We have three names of God that we’ve been working on learning in Art classes. Elohim, Jehovah, Adonai. 

“Elohim” - Mighty Creator. Genesis 1:1

“Jehovah” - I am Who I am (God’s personal name and a reminder that He is enough) 

“Adonai” - The Lord is my master (Even the mountains will melt like wax at the name of Adonai) Psalm 97:5 

Spring Sports, Missions trips, and “Christian Education”

 The month of February felt like a year long, but March is steaming full speed ahead! We’ve begun spring sports, had revival services at church, survived with about half of the school being sick, began spring yard work, and are enjoying some warmer temperatures this week! 

Wyatt and Chandler are both on the golf team, and they are enjoying that immensely. The boys had their first match yesterday and while it wasn’t their best game for either of them, their team placed fourth out of seven. So it wasn’t terrible! Both boys are relatively new to the game of golf, and I know about nil! I didn’t know what a “boogie” was or if it was a good or bad thing- I still don’t completely know! I’ve decided that I need to learn to play golf as all the boys seem to enjoy it, but I’m a fair weather golfer. It can’t be too hot, too cold, too buggy, too muggy, basically I guess I’ll learn when I feel like it! Haha! I’ll learn eventually! My friend, Laura, and her daughter, Ava, went to watch the boys play their golf game yesterday, so I’m glad that she was able to go and take some pictures. With both boys playing, I think I’d need a golf cart to get around the course. I gather that it’s a shot gun start with different players at different holes on the course. The teams are all split amongst each other and keep track of another players score. Since Wyatt and Chandler can’t keep track of each other’s score as their on the same team, they were at different holes on the course yesterday. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot about golf over the next six weeks! 

Garett is playing baseball this spring. He likes golf too, but he decided to play baseball this year. He likes baseball, but his mama doesn’t like the long practices! Wyatt and Chandler are generally done with golf practice around 5:00pm, and Garett isn’t done til about 6:30pm, so it makes getting everyone home a wee bit interesting! We are working on figuring it all out, and hopefully Garett will be getting his license in the next couple of weeks. Garett’s first game will be on Friday, and the weather looks like it will be beautiful, I also like watching baseball when it’s warm and sunny! I guess I’m a fair weather fan! :) 

Travis is anxiously waiting his turn to play spring sports, and that should start happening at the end of the month. He will be playing youth soccer, and he is very excited about that. Emma is happy to have warmer weather, and more time outside. Spring is a fun time of year!

We’ve survived a week of feeling like everyone was either getting sick or getting over being sick! Last week, I took Wyatt to the walk-in clinic as he was running a fever and his throat was hurting really badly. I’m not one to run off to the doctors, but there have been several cases of strep throat going around! He had the flu, but not strep. He missed a few days of school, and Emma was sick for a day or two, but so far the rest of us have remained relatively healthy! We praise the Lord for that! I’ve felt very tired, but daylight savings time also has that effect on me. 

Two weeks ago, we had grandparents day at school. This event is for the elementary students, and they sing or say a poem for the grandparents that attend. We host a book fair where the grandparents can buy a book for the library. They purchase the book in honor of their grandchild, and the library gets a few new books! My friend, Jennifer, and I host the book fair for the library. This year we set out 59 books to sell, and at the end of two hours we had five books left over! It creates a lot of work to get the new books barcoded and labeled into the library, but it also helps bring in new books for the library. We live in an era where kids are not reading nearly enough, so we try to incorporate ways for the students to enjoy reading. I enjoy reading, but I find it hard to engage a lot of students in books these days. If you have any suggestions about great books for young readers, we are always open to ideas! 

We are still waiting to hear back about the opportunity scholarship for our children. Originally we were supposed to receive word in March about whether or not we would get any scholarship help, but now that date has been moved into April. Please continue to pray with us about this scholarship. It would be a huge blessing to our family. God has always provided, and we are so very thankful for that!

Garett and Chandler have the unique opportunity to go on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic in just a little over a week! We are so excited about this opportunity for them. Garett has been to Haiti a few times on missions trip, but that is a very unsafe country currently. God opened the doors for the boys to go with my sister, Jen, as well as my Dad on this trip to the Dominican Republic. We are praying fervently that God will work in their hearts. The boys are praying that they’ll be able to host a little soccer clinic down in the D.R., and our athletic director from school gave the boys some old uniforms to take with them. It would be an exciting opportunity to incorporate sports and the Good News of the Gospel, so we are praying that God will make a way for this to happen. They will also be helping with work on various projects, helping with Vacation Bible school, and whatever else needs doing. If you feel led to help them financially, I am including a link in this post. This link is for Chandler, but the money will go towards both boys. We appreciate your prayers for our sons as they travel, serve, and bless others during this week in the D.R. The link below is the donation link for the boys trip. 

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/0a8c5c8a-10ea-418a-8f8e-ed635f6b3e3a

We are also looking forward to spring break! We have about two and half weeks til break, and I am very much looking forward to having a break from school. I always have a lengthy list of things I think I’m going to accomplish over break, and I never complete the list! However, it’s good to dream big! 

In art classes, we are doing lots of spring art! Since tulips are one of my favorite flowers, we are doing a lot of “tulip” art. I have a great art assistant, Kaycee, who willingly helps me with whatever messes we are creating in art. I’ve been blessed to work with her this year, and God knew it would be good for both of us.  We are also trying to drive home to our students the importance of loving God with all our hearts, glorifying Him with our lives, and being intentional. It’s a big job to teach young hearts and minds, and I don’t take the opportunity lightly. 

Recently, I needed to write out my philosophy of “Christian Education” for something I’m working on. I reflected back on what I had written in college, and while I’ve taken some of that through the years, I was very young. :) I  believe that the importance of Christian Education is to glorify God. If we were created for His glory, shouldn’t that reflect in our teachings to our students? As a Christian educator, my calling is to point my students to Jesus as well as to educate them to the best of my ability in their academics. This should be done whether I’m teaching art, library or anything else. Because we live in this world, I also need to prepare my students to reach certain academic standards, but Christlikeness  should be seen in both my educational teaching and my interactions of with my students. Both should reflect a desire to glorify God as that is why I was created and so were my students! There are certainly a lot of educators doing “Christian education” in our public school systems, and we need that. We need teachers to pray for their students in those classrooms, point them to Jesus through their actions, and disciple them. I’m thankful that I can pray out loud with each of my classes, correct them with what the Bible says, point them to the Scriptures, and pour into their lives. I don’t know how long God has for me in Christian education, but if ever I lose that passion and desire, it’s time to be done. For now, I’ll do my best to teach intentionally and glorify God. Obviously, my Christian education philosophy is much longer than those few sentences mentioned, but the gist is there. I learned so much about “Christian Education” from being mentored by a fabulous older and wiser teacher. Garett and Chandler both had the privilege of being taught by Mrs. Becky Martz in their junior high years. She taught them academics, but she taught them so, so much more than that. Through her example, I learned so much about how I wanted to have my approach to my students when the opportunity presented itself. Oh, teaching kindergarten is different than junior high, but loving Jesus and pointing kids to Jesus is the same. I’m so thankful for her investment in the lives of all our children, but especially Chandler and Garett. 

As Resurrection Sunday approaches, I hope and pray that you take some time to reflect on what Jesus has done for you. God loved you so much that He sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sin and mine. But- praise the Lord- Jesus rose again! The invitation to accept Him into your heart is open for all of us, and I hope that you’ve taken the time to accept the free gift of salvation. We certainly cannot get into Heaven on our own, and our only hope is in Jesus. Praise the Lord for salvation! 

February Victories, Memories, and More!

 Another month is almost over, and I always think that February is the longest short month ever! February seems to stretch out for a very long time, but we are getting closer to wrapping up this month. 

Early in the month, Roger and I had the opportunity to attend a marriage retreat. It was good to get away for a few days, and we’ve had to do some serious soul searching lately regarding some decisions that will have to be made regarding our children, the future, finances, and so much more. 

This month also brought about the completion of JV Basketball, JV cheerleading, Varisty Basketball, and Varsity cheerleading.  Two weekends ago,  Wyatt participated in the JV tournament for basketball, and the JV cheerleaders also participated in the tournament. We had eight JV girls on the cheerleading squad, and it was a season to remember. Some of them were completely new to cheering, so they had a lot to learn as far as stunts, routines, cheers, and chants. They worked hard, and we are proud of them. Laura came down for the tournament on Friday, so that was a huge help to me. It’s always a relief when she’s at the games as she brings a depth of experience to coaching that I don’t have. The JV boys basketball team made it to the championship game, which was played on Saturday afternoon. 

It was an exciting JV game to watch as it was pushed into overtime twice! Wyatt made a few mistakes in the final quarter of the game, which resulted in his coach pulling him (as he should’ve!). Wyatt can tend to be defined by his mistakes, and we’ve been working on overcoming that tendency. His coach spoke with Wyatt, encouraged him to do better, and a few minutes later Wyatt went back in the game. He was able to overcome those earlier mistakes to shoot a three pointer that helped the team tie the game to go into overtime! Roger and I are thankful for Wyatt’s coaches who helped him, encouraged him, and put him back in the game. It was a close game, but after double overtime, the JV Boys basketball team pulled off a victory! That was an exciting way to wrap up the season, and this mama was glad to have another sport behind us! (Basketball and cheer are loooong seasons!) 

Many of you may already be aware, but the state of North Carolina recently changed the Opportunity Scholarship guidelines for private education. Previously, you could only apply if you were military, a child in k-2nd grade, or your children were coming from public schooling. There was also an income limit, but that was never our concern. Only one of our children has the opportunity scholarship and that’s Emma. Emma was able to get the scholarship because she was moved back to 2nd grade last year. This provided some financial relief for at least one child, and we’ve been so thankful for that! However, when the guidelines were updated to include all students regardless of grade entry, we knew that we wanted to apply. The application process opened on February 1st, and I was definitely all about applying on February 1st! I don’t mind working, and I like working, but this year has been A LOT! It would be hard to keep up this projectory rate and be as present as I need to be for our children. We have no idea how long the funds will last for the scholarship money, but anything would be helpful. However, when I went to apply for our other four kids, I was smacked in the face with something unexpected. Since I have worked so much this past year, we will not qualify for the first round of funding for schooling. We are 4K over the limit of how much can be made for our household size, so we will be in award tier 2 of funding. (It can be kinda confusing, but there are four different tiers for the school choice funding. We’ve always been in the first tier, so Emma has gotten 90% school tuition coverage.) I know this sounds crazy, but I cried. We’ve worked our tails off, and to realize that because I have worked so hard to help provide Christian education that resulted in being pushed out of the first round of funding, was hard to take.  We fall into the second tier of funding, which will be disbursed if there are any remaining funds by a lottery to those that have applied. God has ALWAYS, always, always provided for our children’s education, but I really wanted to try to be more present for our younger kids next year, and we can’t seem to find balance. I know that God has a plan in and through it all, and this is another opportunity to trust Him. God is molding and shaping us to be a vessel for His glory. So we continue to press on, move forward, and trust in Him. (And I continue to pray that perhaps, by some miracle, we will get some some funding assistance for the kids education.) 

Two  weekends ago, during the JV Basketball tournament, the Everett’s came down to spend the weekend due to the tournament and Justin had off of work due to President’s day. Roger and the boys went golfing with Justin, Brody and Ava, while I was able to do some house cleaning, make supper, and enjoy time with Laura. There’s been a lot of changes in both of our lives in the past six months and more seem to be coming. Sometimes we just need a friend to talk it through with and someone to cry and pray with. Raising teens is not for the faint-hearted! I’m thankful that God gives us new mercies, wisdom, and lots of grace! And so often we feel like salmon swimming upstream! I get that we are a bit “odd” in our parenting in that only one kid has a cell-phone, none of them have their own vehicles, none of them have social media accounts, etc. I know it’s all “weird” to some, but it not weird to us. We’ve never done parenting before, and it’s not something that we get a “re-do” on! We’re not doing it perfectly, and sometimes it feels like more failures than good, but we really do want to pour into our kids and point them to Jesus. I want them to be men and a woman of valor and character that love Jesus passionately and fervently!

This past week we wrapped up the Varsity Basketball and Cheerleading season! Praise Jesus! It’s been a long 16 weeks, and while we’ve had some really great and fun experiences, but regardless, it’s still very long. We left Thursday morning around 9:00am for the tournament. The boys team played at 11:30am, and the girls played a game at 2:00pm. Since we hadn’t been sure of whether or not the teams would win or lose, obviously, hotel rooms had been booked for Thursday night. Roger was originally planning on coming to Chandler’s game on Thursday, but with fire season starting up, it was impossible for him to get away. Laura and her girls ended up coming to the tournament, which was a huge blessing to me, and Laura and the girls stayed in my hotel room on Thursday night. A lot of the girls ended up driving home with their parents, so I was only responsible for about five girls at the hotel, which makes it all around easier! The tournament went through Saturday afternoon, so it was a long three days. The boys varsity team ended up in fourth place and the girls varsity team ended up with second place- so that was exciting! 

It’s hard to believe that it’s all over and done. There were moments in the cheerleading season that I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and over stimulated! However, by the grace of God, we made it through! Laura’s help was invaluable to me as she planned most of the stunt routines, and she continued to do that even after they moved to Virginia. I don’t have the experience that she can bring to the team, so I am so thankful that she stuck with it to the end even with the many hours of driving back and forth. We worked through a lot of new experiences together, and while not every experience was pleasant, I hope the girls know that we really did love them. We wanted to pour in and point them to Jesus. Roger also encouraged me numerous times throughout the season, and he made a lot of meals! My sister, Jen, took kids home with her so they didn’t have to hang out a school all evening. She helped with homework, meals, and even had the kids overnight several times during the season. I am so thankful for Roger, Jen and Laura! 

I’m excited about eating supper at a more reasonable hour every night, spending more time with our kids, and getting back into running as spring is coming! I have a lot to be thankful for as I reflect back over the season. And I feel tired enough to sleep for a week! 

Garett is planning on playing baseball this spring. Chandler and Wyatt are hoping to be on teh golf team. Travis didn’t want to play any spring sports, but he’s been asking to play soccer through the city recreation team. We decided to sign him up to play. He’s one of the youngest players on the school team, so hopefully this will provide a little more playing time for him this spring. We’ve been in dire need of a different vehicle. Garett is ready to get his license as is Chandler, but we just haven’t had a vehicle for them. Roger’s truck has been on its last leg for the past several months, and it has over 300,000 miles on it. We’ve been looking for a while, and last night we purchased a new vehicle! New to us, I meant to say! We found a Toyota corolla with 113, 000 miles on it. It’s a 2008, so it’s not fancy or updated, but we are praying that it will run for many, many, many miles!! We are thankful!

Some of you have been praying about the boy’s upcoming missions trip to the Dominican Republic. Guess what?! We got the passports for the boys this past week! Praise the Lord! The passports arrived 3 1/2 weeks after our appointment, and we are so very thankful for that huge answer to prayer! The tickets have been bought, and now we have the passports in hand. The boys have been given $250 each towards their missions trip, and we are grateful for every penny. They are still looking for some weekend jobs to earn a bit more money for their trip, so we’d appreciate your prayers that God will provide those opportunities. 

We are preparing for Grandparent’s Day this Friday, so Kaycee and I have been busy in the art room creating Patriotic art with the students. It’s been a hot mess at moments, but I’m happy to try to instill a sense of patriotic pride in these students. 

In closing, Roger and I are earnestly seeking God’s direction for some upcoming decisions for our children. I never knew how hard parenting teens would be, but here we are, and I wonder what I am doing! We need your prayers for patience, mercy and grace as we pour in and point them to Jesus. We aren’t always doing it well, that’s for sure! 

It’s been a long month, and I’ve struggled through some depression, feeling overwhelmed, and feeling like I’m failing. But, through it all, I’m thankful that God continues to love me, protect and provide for me. He’s not surprised when I feel all knotted up inside or distressed, and He patiently waits for me to rest in Him. I hope I never lose sight of all the Christ has done for me. He is worthy to praised! He’s already won! This song has brought me peace and compassion, even when Laura and I seriously thought we were going to drown trying to get through the cheer season! God is still good!

Christmas Memories!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We hope you all had a wonderful Merry Christmas!