Lake Fun, Arguments, Father- Son Dates!

This morning the weather was foggy and Un-flyable for a little bit. While it’s bad weather for flying, it’s a good morning for coffee and visiting as a family. Our children slept in a little bit this morning as they did not get up until around 7am. After many late bedtimes with friends here, it was good for them to sleep (I wish they would’ve slept a little longer). Some of our children were a bit out-of-sorts this morning. I know that’s surprising to you as they are such perfect little angels (I KID!) but grouchiness was rearing it’s ugly head today. Garett is by far our most easy going child, but today he was looking to get in an argument with someone. He was agitated, irritated, and just plain angry at the world. I know that feeling as that was me about a week ago. It’s a combination of tiredness and grief. Garett has been bottling up and holding in and today he was a Volcano. I’ll be the first to admit that my initial response to him was not helpful, but do you know what is helpful? Assuring him that he is loved, even when he’s a bear. We will pray our way through this as well. 

After Roger headed into work later this morning, we did some cleaning and organizing around the house. Our friend, Allison, invited us to come down to the lake for a swim. Our children do not have to be asked twice if they want to go swimming! They might move slowly for other things in life, but not for swimming! They gathered up towels, swim gear, fought over who lost the goggles last and managed to get out the door. Next time everyone is going to be required to bring different colors of towels! How is it that no one forgot a towel, and yet we didn’t have enough towels?! Anyways, we had a great time. I haven’t seen Allison since before we left for our Wisconsin trip, so it was good to visit with her. She’s a good listener and a prayer partner. I’m blessed to call her my friend. The kids swam for a couple of hours, and then we gathered up our stuff to go home. Somehow, we always manage to forget something! 

This afternoon the fog rolled back in across the islands, so Roger was able to come home a bit earlier than normal! He’s been trying to make the time to take the boys on a date with just him, and tonight was the night. Travis and Wyatt were happy to go together on a date with their daddy, and I was happy to see them excited to go out to eat together. Travis is quiet and Wyatt is quieter, but between them both, they’ll have conversations. I am thankful that God provided the younger boys some special time with their daddy. 

Last night Roger and I went to church to work on something. We left the boys and Emma at home, so that we could call it a date. We both treasure the moments where we can have uninterrupted conversations these days. While on the way to church, the song “Lord, I need You” was playing. It’s one of my very favorite songs, and I looked over to tell Roger about it. I saw unheeded tears streaming from his eyes. Roger is not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but tears these days often come at the most unexpected times...for all of us. One of the challenges has been that we are both very overwhelmed with certain situations in our lives...and sometimes the situations are different ones. Both us are aware of the burdens that the other is carrying, but it seems so unfair to unload more on each other. I’ve been writing more in my personal journal lately, drinking more coffee, and praying more often. Roger has been more quiet, his eyes show concern, and his step sometimes seems weary. Yet God is patient, kind, and loving. He gives us blessings every single day that show us that He cares. He is in control of everything, and we just need to rest in that. And Sometimes when there are no words, music speaks. 

I told a friend recently that this has been a season of praying and waiting. Praying and waiting. Praying and waiting. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that waiting is not my favorite thing! But it’s where we are in our lives, and I need to rest in that too. 

Moments, Memories, and Mayhem!

 

Eight years! That’s the number of years that I have been blogging for our family! It’s hard to believe that eight years have flown by, but perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that I am still writing! I’m not reaching a large audience (I never intended it for that); I’m not an overly exciting or great writer but I still write...why? I was having this discussion with Roger earlier this week, and it’s for several reasons. I began writing things down eight years ago because I wanted to remember certain events that happened in our lives. Now I sometimes write because it’s a habit or I write because I still want to remember events, feelings, situations or memories. But mostly I want to write because I want my life to be a testament to how God has worked in my life. God is at work in my life and in the lives of those around me on a daily basis, and I want to write a few of these memories (because I am going to get old and forgetful!)

This week is a different one for me as our head preschool teachers is away this week. So I’ve been teaching in the preschool room this week. (I work in there every school day, but generally, I’m just the aide). I have been enjoying the challenge, but I told Roger that I feel like I teach a lot these days. I’m currently teaching a preschool Sunday school class, teaching preschoolers for our children’s program at church, and teaching preschool at school! Not that I’ve minded, but it does make me appreciate adult conversations!


Last Thursday, Emma and I had coffee with our friend, Terri. It’s much harder to stay connected with people this year as I am at the school every day, but I’m thankful for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons with Emma. It’s our time to catch up with other friends, get caught up on chores around
our house, or just enjoy time with Emma. We enjoyed coffee and a walk with Terri and her dog,   Annie.


Last week the kids had a four day weekend. We had a teacher workshop on Friday, and no school on Monday due to Columbus Day. I worked a very full day on Friday between a workshop at school, and cleaning out in our classroom. Roger had the day off so he was able to be home with the kids. It was the first time in our fourteen years plus of marriage that I went to make money and Roger stayed home with the kids! (It was a weird feeling!) On Friday morning, we had a workshop at school for  the teacher and staff. The workshop was called “Darkness to Light” and it was on sexual abuse in  children. The seminar was very well done, but wow ...what a heavy topic! My heart hurts for those  that have been affected by sexual abuse. Did you know that the number of kids affected by sexual  
abuse is one out of ten?! Read that again! That’s horrific! However, I’m thankful for the opportunity  to be educated on this topic, and it makes me more aware of how Roger and I can protect our
children.

After the workshop on Friday, Renee and I spent a good amount of time cleaning out a room that has  harbored many, many years of preschool materials and supplies. It was a bit overwhelming, and we did not have enough time to finish the job. But we did make a good healthy dent in cleaning it out. Roger and the kids came in the afternoon to help me take stuff to Goodwill.

On Saturday, we did “family fun” (I.e. work) around the house and yard. Then we went  to a lake so that the kids could fish, or ride their bikes, or use their magnets to try to find stuff in the lake. It was a bit of a dreary day, but the kids didn’t seem to mind.


Roger had to work on Sunday, and I was playing the piano at another church. It always seems that  when I’m playing the piano at another church, Roger is working! I knew all the songs this time, so
that definitely made playing a bit easier. I enjoyed the opportunity, and I’m thankful for all those  years of lessons that my parents invested in for me. Side note: Wyatt is very dedicated to his piano  practice, and he has been excelling at his lessons. Garett enjoys lessons, but practice is not his   favorite thing.

This week on Tuesday, Emma and I had company for lunch. My friend, Ashley, is planning on going to Haiti with me on a missions trip. She had a lot of questions, and it was good to sit and visit and talk about the missions trip. Please pray that the situation in Haiti will calm down a bit as tensions are high, people are hungry, gasoline is in short supply, and the country is hurting. Please pray for the country of Haiti and for wisdom concerning the missions trip.

Roger has been busy working on an airplane that needs to be painted in the company colors. This  means that he has not been able to fly as much, and I can tell that her really misses flying. Garett  asked me, “Is Dad grouchy because he hasn’t  been flying much lately?”. I laughed, but told Garett that that just might be a true statement! I know that Roger will be glad to get back to flying soon!

Last week was a bit of a rough week for me, as I have several hurting friends. A college  acquaintance, who is 37 years old, had a stroke. She is the mom to two young children, and it’s just hard to imagine how their lives will be changing. My dear college cross-country coach was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.  This man was my coach for two of my four years of college running, and I learned so much from him. He encouraged me so much in my walk with the Lord and his faithfulness in the little things of life.  Thirdly, a dear friend messaged me that her husband had an affair, and their lives would forever be changed. It was a lot of sad and disheartening information for one week! I’m thankful that these things do not catch God by  surprise, and He never wonders what He should do next!  We serve a mighty, immutable, unchangeable God! Even in the midst of stormy  situations and circumstances, God is still faithful and true. I’ll cling to Him in the midst of a raging
storm!



Also this week, I read a good article on dressing up for church...gasp?! Yes! I’m going to include a  link to the article, but the truth is that the article describes much of what is in my heart. I know that  God looks at our hearts, and He welcomes us just as we are every time. I know that sometimes there are situations where it’s just not feasible to dress up every time and a million other reasons. However, I also think that dressing up for church shows my family that it’s valuable to me. I wouldn’t wear pajamas to go on a date with Roger, and I wouldn’t wear my swimsuit to a wedding. Are pajamas or swimsuits evil? Um, no! There is a time and a place for those articles of clothing. But when I dress up for church, I am showing my children that I value this time with God.  I hope that I am  teaching them that we dress up for situations that we value, take seriously, and we count it a privilege to attend services with other believers. I hope you don’t feel like I am getting after you if you choose to not   dress up for church, I truly love you just as you are! Roger and I just realize that for our family, we want our children to know that we count it a blessing and a privilege to attend church. And it’s not killing any of our children to wear a button-down shirt and nice pants!  Church dress

In closing, I realize that this post jumps around a bit. So if you read the whole thing - hurrah  and thank you! I hope that you have a wonderful week. We love you all,
Sarah

OVER? ALREADY?!

 

Christmas break is flying by, and it is going way faster than I would like it to go! We wrapped up the last day of school for 2018 last Friday, and it’s been a whirlwind of activity ever since. Roger’s parents arrived on Saturday, and Rogers brother, Nate, was able to come up for part of the day too.

 

Sunday was the Christmas program at church, and the children did a great job. It is definitely not my nature to wait until the last minute, but everything came together amazingly well. The kids were glad that Grandpa and Grandma were able to be there. We did not have church services on Sunday night since we would be having a Christmas Eve service the next night. I have to admit I was quite thankful to go home, and work on some projects that I had neglected over the last week. My kids were glad that I made time to go to the grocery store! Roger took Wyatt Christmas shopping as Wyatt had picked my name in our family drawing of names. Wyatt has had my name for the past three years, and while he says having moms name is hard, he does enjoy the date with Roger. Roger’s dad went with them too, so they had a good afternoon together. It was a quick afternoon with grocery shopping, wrapping presents and time spent with grandparents.

Early Monday morning, I left to go to Portland to pick up my sister, Jen. Emma was up early, and she wanted to come along. We picked up Aunt Jen and headed home. Roger’s dad had gone with Roger to work on Monday, and the rest of the kids stayed home with Grandma.  I took the kids ice skating in the afternoon. Probably not an activity that I would have picked on my own, but I know how much the boys enjoy it, and Roger just hasn’t had very much extra time lately. They skated and played for over an hour, and everyone came home hungry! We had a quick snack before heading to the Christmas Eve service. This is always one of my favorite services of the year, and I love the soft lighting, singing of carols, and the Scripture readings. I was able to sing a duet with Garett for this
special service, and I’ll always treasure that memory. Garett has a good voice, and he was willing to
practice hard. I love the fact with he sang with such a willing heart. I’m praying that he will keep  that willingness to serve God with his voice even as Garett is approaching the time when his voice will change.

Christmas Day dawned upon us with excited kids and an early morning! Roger and I are early risers anyways, and we enjoyed a few moments with coffee, togetherness and devotions before our crazies woke up. It was such a fun day for our family. The kids received an abundance of gifts, so they will be writing thank you notes over the next few days. I was so blessed with the time with family, our
children’s delight, and just awe over the Christmas season. I always love the time with the presents wrapped under the tree the best. Once the presents are opened, I always feel a bit deflated. I guess I just really like the anticipation. Roger and I had all the kids pick names for someone else in our family, and then everyone had to pick out a gift and wrap it for that person. We’ve done our family presents that way for a few years now, and its always fun to see what a chid will pick out for someone  else. I will say that I help quite a bit with finding the present and the wrapping for the ones that Emma and Travis have drawn. We hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas celebrations, and that you took some time to reflect on the Savior of the World. Merry Christmas!

We had a great few days with Roger’s parents here. Roger’s Dad was able to go with Roger to work on one of the days, and Mom matched all my mismatched socks! Well, they weren’t all mine! But she found like fifty pairs of socks in the basket! We took a hike one day, played games, and ate...a lot! Time flew by!

 

The rest of the week was filled with family time, lots of food, skating for the boys, and fun. I will admit that the anticipation of Christmas break did not live up to reality! I envisioned quiet days at home, sweetly playing children, and long talks with Roger. I didn’t even really see much of Roger, I am a bit “peopled” out, and my children are acting like that are going through withdrawals...and they are, it’s called a “sugar withdrawal”. By Saturday morning, I was a bit of a grouch. And I knew it because my children start acting grouchy too! I took down the Christmas decorations, and sent the kids outside to burn the Christmas tree. That kept them occupied for a few minutes, and I was able to have a few moments of quiet. One of my advent devotionals, which Ill still be reading next month, was on singing. It really spoke to me as I love music, but I am very picky about music.   The opening paragraph of the devotional states the following: “What better reason to sing than this: the Savior is born to live, die and rise again to fix what sin had broken.” Take a moment to think about that! We sing phrases of songs, listen to songs, have songs as our phones ringtones, background music is in every store and restaurant, but what song is in my heart? There will never be a more important song to capture my heart than the song that Jesus fills my heart with rest and satisfaction and He reigns supreme! Psalm 95 is just one of many passages of Scripture that reference singing...what song is in your heart?

Roger’s parents left on Thursday evening, as they needed to get an early start on the road on Friday morning. Josh and Hannah came down on Friday afternoon for our family Christmas. Jen and I took the kids to Portland on Sunday for some fun with Aunt Jen and a hotel with a pool! How fun for the kids! I am thankful that Jen was able to come out for a few days to spend time with us. She’s  probably ready to head home for some peace and quiet! We had a little snow over Christmas break, but really not very much at all. The kids have been able to do more ice skating this year, but we are  missing the snow.

The week flew by, and it went too quickly in my opinion. I’m not ready to head back to teaching music classes, schedules and routines, and school life. I’d like a vacation...oh, wait, I’m the mom! Truly I am so blessed to be the mom to these five kids, and I do rejoice in that. God is faithful to give grace, patience, and all the other character traits that I need! Unfortunately, I often open my mouth before applying the character trait needed for the situation! I’m thankful for forgiveness.

Spring Break, Birthday boy, and Life!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

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

 

Time spent in the woods = time well spent! 

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

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


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


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

God is so good to me! 

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

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

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

 Coins that the kids have been saving 

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

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

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

 Wyatt is 8!! 

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

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

We love you all!
Sarah

 Fun with friends on Monday of spring break week! 

Another Week in Page

Update: I thought I had posted this last week, but apparently I forgot! So, you'll be reading into our lives for last week. :) 

We've been here in Page, Arizona for a little over a week now. The heat becomes a little easier to take everyday, but it is still very hot! I'm still trying to figure out what people actually do when it's this hot! I guess if we had our own home with a washer and dryer, and we had friends, it would probably take up more of our time. But for now, we are just working at keeping the kids busy and not letting them over do it in the sunshine. Everyone does take a rest time here in Arizona! Our schedule is much different than in Wisconsin. Because of where we are in Arizona, it actually gets to be a comfortable temperature around seven. We usually don't eat supper until after seven, and then spend the remaining time outside either biking, hiking or swimming. I usually get up early to go for a run or a walk before it gets too hot. This morning it was 101 degrees by 7:00a.m. 

We are trying to adjust our schedules and routines to do what is best for our family, our young kids, ourselves, and our marriage. It's a challenge for sure! 

I went to do laundry on Thursday evening. I took Wyatt and Emma with me as Wyatt wasn't feeling good. Roger took the other boys to look into getting a fishing license. Last week while at the laundromat, Travis had to go potty. I told Chandler to take him, but they came back a few minutes later. Chandler reported that the sign stated that the bathroom was for laundromat costumers only. I assumed that he read the sign wrong and told him to take Travis to the bathroom. However, this week when Wyatt needed to go to the bathroom, I happened to glance at the bathroom door. Sure enough...there in bold letters the sign stated, "Restroom is for laundromat costumers only"! Chandler had read the sign correctly! The moment brightened my day, and I still chuckle about it! 

We had the two other pilots over for supper last night (Thursday, July 2) While their company was enjoyable, it was a little out of my league. I don't know all that much about airplanes or aviation, but Roger enjoyed the visit. And I was happy to cook a meal for company! :) 

Chandler has been asking Roger every day if they can go fishing. Roger doesn't have a fishing license yet, so we told Chandler that he would need to wait until that happened. This morning the boys again asked about fishing. Garett suggested that Roger "Go right away this morning to get a license, Dad. It's not too hot yet. It's only 103 degrees." It's amazing how their perspective of what's hot has changed in a week! 

Both Wyatt and myself are having the hardest time adapting to the heat. I tend to get really bad headaches from the heat, and Wyatt has been struggling with stomach cramps and throwing up. I'm sure it's partially because it's not exactly cool in the trailer either. Although the swamp cooler is working again, it can't keep up with the tin roof and poor insulation. If it's around 100 degrees outside, it will be about 87 degrees in the trailer. Is it cooler than outside? Yes! But it's not exactly cool either. However, it could be much worse, so we aren't complaining. (At least, we are trying not to complain!) 

We have all the bikes up and running again! We bought a gallon container of green 'seal-a-tire' slime, and Roger has put it in eleven tires! So far, it has made a huge improvement. The boys are thankful to have their bikes to ride again, and it makes it easier to go places together. Usually Emma and Travis will ride in the bike trailer, and the other boys will ride their bikes. I don't have a bike, so I just do lots of walking! :) 

While we have been loving the time together as a family, we need the flights to pick up a bit. Roger has only a few flights for July. We are thankful that we are on salary pay and not on by-the-flight pay. However, Roger needs to get more flights to build the hours so that he can pursue getting a better job in the future. And it's expensive to live in Arizona, so even the tip money from some of the flights helps out some. Please pray that business will pick up so that Roger can continue to build his hours. 

Saturday, July 4

Happy Independence Day! We are so privileged to live in this country, and we are working to raise our children to be responsible, Godly citizens. So in light of that, we discussed our flag this morning and that when the flag goes by in the parade we should stand to honor it. 

The parade was at ten this morning, or at least that is what we were hoping. The website for the city says ten, the Facebook page says eleven, the tourism website states eleven, and the word on the street is that it's at ten! So, we are off for a ten o'clock parade...we think! :) 

The boys walked to the parade, while Roger hauled the bike trailer with the chairs and water in it. We probably looked like some red neck family as we trotted off with the chairs bungee corded to the bike trailer. Wyatt was perched on top of the chairs, and Travis was hanging off the back! 

It was actually a very nice day today with the temperature at about 94 degrees. Because it's a dry heat, it was actually very comfortable compared to the 100+ degree days we've been having. 

The parade started at ten! It was a fairly short parade, but I think that's due to both small town participation and the heat. The kids were able to collect quite a bit of candy, so they were happy, delighted, sugar-high children! One thing that is really different from back in Wisconsin is the fact that the trash after the parade was out-of-control! People just left their candy wrappers, water bottles, soda cups, etc, right on the street. Although we certainly couldn't pick up all of it, I did make the kids help me pick up a grocery sack full of trash. I realize that the city employees will come along and clean it up, but it certainly didn't hurt our children to work at it either. 

After the parade we came home for leftovers and nap time. It was so different not having any friends or family over for the holiday. I missed having a houseful of company, or going to a friends house to fellowship. But this is where we are so we will rejoice and be glad in it. 

After rest time, we thought about taking the kids swimming; but because of the holiday, it was crowded everywhere! The boys were disappointed, but there will be other opportunities to go swimming next week. 

So, we spent a quiet afternoon playing games, taking a walk, and visiting together as a family. As the sun prepared to go down, we gathered up the kids, the bikes, and the chairs to head to the fireworks. The boys rode their bikes, while I carried Emma, and Roger hauled the chairs. We found a good place to watch the fire works about half a mile from our house. We set our chairs up and waited for the fireworks. Several other families joined us in the empty lot we were siting in, and we had a nice visit with a grandpa and grandma that came to watch the fireworks also. It was a late night for the kids, but it created some different memories for us. We've never had a Fourth of July quite like this one, so it'll be a memory for us. 

Roger has a flight tomorrow morning, so we will probably have to rethink about our church hunting excursion. The church we are planning on visiting has Sunday school at 8:30 and the worship service is at ten. We will probably just go to the worship service as we would like to do this as a family. I'm looking forward to finding a church that will be a good fit for us. God will continue to guide and direct us. 

Monday, July 6

Two weeks ago today, we pulled into Page, Arizona. In some ways the time has flown by and in other ways it has dragged out in more ways than I can count. But God is still good, and He is always faithful. Roger was supposed to have a flight today, but it was cancelled. That is disappointing for him as well as for us. God knows how hard Roger is working to try to build these hours, but it's just a slow month! 

The weather was beautiful today! It was about 85 degrees and low humidity! We spent much of the day outside hiking, biking, swimming, and walking. Today was the first day in over a week that Wyatt didn't throw up in the afternoon. He drinks lots of water, but I think he might be having a harder time adjusting to the heat than I anticipated. 

We also had the other pilots over for dinner tonight. There are now three additional pilots here for training to finish out the season. (I don't see what they're going to do except sit around with the rest of the pilots unless business picks up!) Roger made enchiladas for supper, and we had a good time visiting with them. These pilots are about 23-25 years old, so Roger and I are definitely the "old" ones in the bunch. (No worries...we can out hike and out walk them!) :) Roger and I are missing our close friends that we fellowship with often, but these are doors of opportunities for us. Maybe God just wants our family to be a shining light to these pilots? We can do our best to point them to Jesus Christ. Since the weather was so beautiful today, we went on a hike after supper. The kids go to bed much later here, but they've also been getting up a little later and taking naps during the day. We have lots of physical activity! 

Many, many thanks for all your love and prayers, 

Sarah 

 

School, Flying, Camping, and a Date!

November 5,2014

About once every two or three weeks, we have a day at school that just seems crazy. Today was that day! I felt like the older two couldn't remember the simplest of the phonics rules, and the youngest wanted to be anywhere but at school! Know what, though? We made it! :) 

Since it was a long day (at least it felt long!) at school, I required everyone to take a nap. Only two out of five actually fell asleep, but it did improve my outlook on life! :) 

Roger was gone for the majority of the day flying with a flight instructor. He flew to Green Bay and the instructor said that he felt that Roger is close to being ready to take the test for his instrument rating....YAY! 

When Roger came home, I was cleaning the living room. Every year before the holidays, I get into this cleaning mode. I want everything to be picked up and tidy before we get the tree, decorations, etc. So, when Roger walked in the door, the house looked like it had thrown up! Thankfully, he just said, "well, this looks like a project!":) 

The living room looks great, at least for today! :) I've finally given up in trying to have the toy room downstairs in the basement, as the boys just want to be wherever we are at. Instead, we just have a box with a lid so now the toys are at least contained! (Honestly, I don't mind having their toys in the living room as then I can interact with them more and help them sort through their problems, besides it's only for a few short years!) 

With everyone's help we managed to put the living room back together in time for our date. A wonderful couple at church approached us on Sunday about going on a double date with them. They had already found a babysitter, paid for the babysitter, and wanted to take us out to dinner! Umm....yes, please!! That's the first time that has ever happened, and it was a great experience. We had a great time getting to know Rick and Molly better, and the fellowship was great! The boys had their favorite babysitter watch them, so they all were more than willing to stay home! :) 

November 6, 2014

It's family night tonight! I am very excited about the opportunity for us all to spend time together as a family, especially with daddy! Travis has been asking about going rock climbing, so that is what we are going to do...except Emma! :) 

I also have a craft project picked out for the boys to do, so that will be interesting! :) 

Several hours later...the better side of common sense side that we would all enjoy a craft project much more if we did it another day! After rock climbing, walking on the track, and playing on the soccer field, the kids were worn out. We have one child that becomes a bear when he gets tired and overly run down. He was having a difficult time getting along with anyone, his mouth was getting him in trouble, and everything was wrong in his world. Well after several late nights at Bible Conference this week, school, and lots of play today, it's time for an early bedtime!

So we bought the stuff for the craft project. However, Hobby Lobby was out of one of the colors of beads we needed for our little project, but I was secretly relieved! (It was a good reason that we couldn't do it!) I like the store, Hobby Lobby, but the aisles are narrow, and there are lots of breakable things in there! Did I mention that there are lots of breakable things?! The boys did very well about not touching, but with winter coats on, everyone is fluffier! We did find some items that I needed for a Christmas project I'm working on, and the items were 50% off! :) Thankfully, we survived the experience without breaking or damaging anything, but I think Roger and I both breathed a little easier after we left! 

So instead of doing the craft, we did pizza and the "Air Bud" movie. While the pizza was cooking, we had Bible time and prayer time...we were maximizing on time. :) 

Well, we succeeded! It's 8:10 and five small children are in their beds! 

Roger will have a full day of flying and training tomorrow, and we have a college/career activity in the evening. I enjoy the activities with this age group, but it's a challenge with all our young ones. Sometimes we get a baby sitter, but lack of funds along with Roger just getting home, they'll be coming with us tomorrow. 

November 7, 2014, Friday

Today is one of my favorite days of the week! It means we completed another week of school, the weekend is here, and I have a few extra minutes for other projects that have been waiting patiently all week!

Roger was gone almost all day today flying. In some ways it's harder on the kids when they don't see him, but know that he's back. They are struggling to understand that daddy is home, but his time is still very limited. One day at a time! 

After school and after Emma's nap, I took the kids with me up to Sam's Club in Appleton. This is one grocery store that they don't mind going to because of all the free samples. The free samples have actually worked out well for me because I often discover things that the boys really like or things that I'm glad we haven't boughten! (No one was a fan of pop tarts or chocolate drizzled popcorn, but everyone like the salmon and yogurt samples!) 

The reason that we were going to SAMs Club is because I had bought a membership very reasonably priced through an online deal. However, I'm notorious for picking lines that are slow, checkers that don't understand something, and apparently, I'm good a picking the new worker. What should have taken about ten minutes, took a good twenty five minutes! The worker kept thinking that I still needed to pay for the membership, but I already had a voucher. Finally, someone was able to come an rescue us all, or maybe they had pity on the mama looking a little frazzled with five small children! :) Once we made it past that hurdle, it was smooth sailing! The boys do very well with staying with me, helping me load the cart, and trying to keep Emma happy. (Although I often think she would rather just have them out of her face!) We had two different people ask us if all those children were mine...ummm....yes! (Do they know someone who gathers up bored children to take them shopping?!) One mom made the comment to me that I was one brave mama, but I don't really feel that way. I just know I love my kids, I love spending time with them, (although I like to get away too!), and if I work with them on manners and being polite, they are a lot more enjoyable for everyone! 

After Sam's Club, Roger was done flying. We met back up at the church since we had a college activity tonight. Thankfully, our friends, the Shuberts, were willing to watch Emma, so that made the activity a lot more fun for all of us. We played volleyball at the church. I picked up pizzas, dessert, and a veggie tray. I way overestimated the pizza, so we might be eating leftovers for a while! It seemed like the college kids had a good time, and I know we did. The boys did very well playing in the gym nicely...for the most part! :) 

                          

Tomorrow Roger is going to try to cut wood, I'm going to try grocery shopping with coupons again (it's been a while!), and we have Children's Church to get ready for as well. I'm also making a snack for the teen church on Sunday, so I guess I'll look and see what's in the freezer! It will be a busy day, of course, but I'm hoping to start it off with children that sleep in past seven thirty, and a good cup of coffee! :) 

November 8, 2014

The good news is that we had a lot of fun at the college activity last night. Other good news is that I took the three youngest ones home while the older two stayed with Roger. The bad news is that 11:30pm is very late for small children...so we have a few grouchy little people today! 

However, more good news is that Roger wasn't able to go woodcutting, well, I guess that's good and bad news. Good news because he gets to stay home with us this morning, but bad news because we need to cut wood! 

It was a profitably morning with lots of chores done, lots of visiting and talking, and lots of coffee! Roger had promised the boys that they could have a camp out in the living room last night, but by the time we got home it was too late for that! So, we are having a camp out tonight! Roger set up the tent in the living room, the boys found blankets and pillows, and they've been excited about bedtime all day! :) 

 I was able to take Wyatt on a date this afternoon. I had such a fun time with my little man. He held my hand everywhere, talked about all kinds of things, and I just savored the memory! We went grocery shopping and a few other boring errands, but I did take him to lunch at his choice. He picked SubWay for lunch, and after we finished our errands we squeezed in a trip to Fleet Farm to see the Toyland! :) It looks like tractors and farm equipment are on his list for Christmas! He hardly looked at anything else just tractors, farm equipment, and animals! :) 

After we came home, put away our groceries, at supper, and had baths, we did one more errand as a family. I can't tell you what it is because it's a surprise for someone else,  :) but it had to do with being thankful, giving, and helping others. I'm thankful for the time spent together today as a family, the memories we created, the time to spend one on one with Wyatt, and for how God takes care of us!