OCTOBER- Is the Month Finally Almost Over?!

 October was a really long and full month of activities, events, “last moments for Chandler”, my parents visiting and a whole host of a lot of other things that happened in our lives. I’ll admit, I’ve felt a bit like a “failure” mom as I haven’t posted many pictures of Chandler’s last senior moments to Facebook or even shared a whole lot of what’s been happening in our lives. But the blog is the story of our lives, and I’m trying to keep most of our memories and events in one place…even if it’s currently at a once a month post! 

Photo credit: Chance Howard 

All good photos- credit to Chance Howard! 

Photo credit: Chance Howard

We started off the month of October with a visit to the regional fair. The boys had soccer practice so Emma and I had the opportunity to go to the fair with one of Emma’s classmates (Cynthia) and her mom. Emma is quickly learning that there are some advantages to being the only child to attend certain events! Emma and Cynthia had free student passes, and I had free fair passes from entering art at the fair, so the we didn’t have to pay any admission fee. Maria and I decided that Emma and Cynthia could get wristbands for the rides, and the girls  rode so many rides in the 3 hours we were at the fair. We did take them into some of the show barns to see the fair art, but we walked quickly. Maria and I had many conversations while the girls were busy on the rides, so it was a good evening for me too. After the fair, we took the girls to McDonald’s for supper, and they were thrilled with that too. It was a fun and full day for them. 

When I went to pick up all the school art work from the fair the Monday after the fair ended, I about had a panic attack as one of my high schoolers was missing his art piece! I was about to probably cry when one of the fair workers came by and said, “Oh, I think his piece is in the front office.” I was a bit confused as I was worried that it had been broken or something, but no, he had won “Best of Show” at the fair, and his project was heading to the North Carolina State Fair! Well, praise Jesus! I was so relieved and thrilled! Kaeden’s project continued on to the state level, where he won “Best of Show” at the state fair! I had nothing to do with the project, and I only coordinated the efforts of getting it to the fair, but I am so proud of his hard work and representation of the school. That was a highlight for our art department at school. 

Soccer season is completely wrapped up for another year, and it marks the ending of another chapter of soccer for another of our sons. Chandler had a great season, along with the team. They were 16-1 in the season (that’s 16 wins and 1 loss for those that did not know). And Chandler scored 30 goals over the course of the season. Roger and Armando Jr. did a fantastic job coaching the team, and while it certainly wasn’t without its moments of frustration, we are so proud of the team! The boys high school soccer team won their state conference match on October 18th for the first time in a very, very long time. They had seven seniors on the team, and we will miss them next season. However, we are thankful for the great season that the team had, and the Lord was merciful as we did not have any serious injuries. Chandler won the MVP award for the tournament, and two other boys were also named to the All-Tournament team. I do think that the awards in the conference can be a bit biased or based on who knows whom rather than skill or performance at the games. The boys soccer team should’ve had more than just three players named in the all-conference awards and the all-tournament awards. But ya know, at the end of the day, it’s just a plaque or trophy…and I also have a box of those from high school days. The memories, the moments, the relationships will far outlast the trophies or plaques. But, that being said, we were thrilled when the boys team also won the “Christian Character Award” in the conference! It’s often hard to keep your “cool” on the field or with the refs, but for the most part, both the players and the fans did fairly well. I am proud of Roger’s hard efforts, sacrifices to make coaching work, and his willingness to keep at it even when it was hard with three boys and a coach all living in the same house! 

The boys and I have worked several Saturdays at various fairs and festivals this past month helping the family that we work with during the summer months. No one necessarily loves getting up on a Saturday and going to work, but life is expensive! Chandler has been busy looking at several different colleges and trying to figure out his options. He would like to go on a deep sea fishing trip for his family senior trip at the end of the school year, and we are looking into our options for a family vacation when school is out. 

This month Wyatt had an appointment with the doctor as I wanted to ask about a bump on the back of his head. I’ve noticed it for a while now, and I wanted the doctor to check it out. It’s a hard lump on the back of his skull, so the doctor asked if we would get it xrayed. He said that he didn’t think it was anything serious as the lump is hard and not soft, but to go ahead and get it xrayed. I took Wyatt in the next morning, and I figured it wasn’t terribly serious as the doctor didn’t call until the following afternoon. Apparently, it’s just part of how his skull is formed. He probably shouldn’t ever get a close cut on the back of his head, but there’s nothing wrong. I am thankful for that. Wyatt does have another concern that we are getting looked at later in the year, but we’re not ready to cross that bridge yet. 

Chandler gave blood at the school blood drive this month, and while he managed to give the blood, he might be a “one and done” type of person. He finished the blood donation, sat in the chair, apparently said, “I don’t feel good.”, and he passed out! I wasn’t there as I was finishing up teaching, but our guidance counselor called me to tell me that Chandler was fine, but he was feeling a little woozy. I walked down to the donation room, and the Principal and Pastor were in the hallway. Pastor Powell told me that Chandler was about as white as a sheet, and when I looked in the room, he sure was white! Chandler was laying on the floor with his legs up on the chair, sipping juice, and looking a little out of it! All is well, but Chandler did come home that afternoon and took a nap! 

Let’s see…what else happened this month? Lots of art, teaching, instruction, and trying to make it through the very long month of October! There are not any days off of school, so it makes for some loooong days! My parents did come from Wisconsin in the beginning of the month, and it was good to see them. It’s been a while, and we don’t see them nearly as often as we would like. They came for Chandler’s senior soccer night, and stayed a few days. The boys were happy to get out a little early from school a few days that week, and we enjoyed meals and fellowship with them. The boys and Roger will be heading to Wisconsin for deer hunting at the end of November, and they are all looking forward to both the experiences and time together. Maybe someday my parents will move a little closer! (Did you read that, Dad and Mom?) :) 

Also this month we took the time to remember Charlie Kirk, Emma’s field trip was cancelled due to the government shutdown, and we made it through the first quarter of the school year!

We’ve also had some not-so-wonderful experiences as that’s what life is made of. Reality is that we cannot always protect our children from hard or unpleasant situations (nor should we want to), but sometimes these moments of growth are hard on parent and child. There’s been a situation this past month that caused us to wonder if we are just those “really weird parents” or if we just need to be “steadfast and unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord”. I know I’m talking in riddles here, but we really could use some extra prayers. One of our children was faced with a situation that is out of their control, but yet a bit of a situation where the repercussions will be felt for a long time. The truth is that at the end of the day, Roger and I need to protect, prepare and nurture the heart of our children to love and serve Jesus. We surely do not do it all perfectly, but as I tell my art students all the time, “Progress over perfection.” How do we best prepare our children to live lives that honor and glorify their Heavenly Father? Perhaps I’ll be able to share a bit more about this situation later, but honestly it’s been hurtful and overwhelming, and we are still trying to process it all. 

 One of the attributes of God that we are teaching in our art classes is that God is holy. Did you know that the word “holy” is mentioned 611 times in the Bible? The word “love” is mentioned 310 times. I’ve been telling our art students that we are surrounded by a culture that screams “God is love.” “Love like Jesus”, etc. All of which are true statements, but we equally need to ask ourselves, “Is this holy?” “ Does this action/deed cause me strive to be holy?” Sometimes in my art classes, I think I’m far more convicted than my students! Haha! 

We are very much looking forward to the month of November. A few of my art students worked on a “thankful” tree for Jen this past week as we want to encourage thankfulness in the hearts of our students. I’m excited to see what our students are thankful this month, and hopefully encourage that attitude of gratitude. God is so good, isn’t he? I’m hoping to write a bit more on the blog next month about several things that I am really thankful for in my life. 

I really love this song! 

Work and Play! Graduation is coming!

Garett’s Graduation Trip

It’s been a busy week, per usual, with sports, activities, preparing for our elementary Fine arts competition, and just life. I’ve tried to savor the moments here and there as well as take the time to ponder the significance of this week in history. Imagine if we had no hope?! I am so thankful for Jesus coming to  earth as a baby, but the fact that He died for my sins and rose again to give me hope for an eternal future is more than my finite brain can comprehend! I hope I never lose sight of the cross. We went to a Good Friday service last night, and it was good to sit and ponder the cross and the Resurrection. 

Thankful for the cross! 

(This was last Saturday 4/12) I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop near Raleigh, NC, as I have one son working at the Farmer’s market, and I really, really needed to work on Garett’s graduation announcements. But as I sit here, I can’t help but look back on the past 18 years of Garett’s life. The fact that he will graduate from high school in six short weeks is enough to bring me to tears! I tell Garett all the time that I have no idea what I am doing, and he’s the guinea pig. Garett has taught me so much as a parent. He has so much compassion and love for younger kids, and I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses that gift in Garett’s life. The younger students at school all shout Garett’s name when he crosses the campus, and everyone wants to be on Garett’s team. Garett has been my Teacher’s Aide for the first hour during this school year, and he’s completed so many art projects for me. I like to try things out before I teach them to my students, and Garett has been a great sport about trying a lot of things for me! Garett is still trying to figure out what he’s going to do once the summer is over, but we are praying for him to have wisdom and direction. He has a summer job offer to work for the gutter company again, and he’s planning on doing that this summer. He is also planning on going on a missions trip with the church youth group in the beginning of June. I have a few ideas that I am praying about for him, but we will see what God will do over the next few months. 

In other news, April has been a crazy month! But first let me back up a bit into March. We had a wonderful time on Garett’s senior trip cruise as a family. It was so good to get away from emails, texts, phone calls and responsibilities! The boys were all in one small interior room for a week, but I don’t think they even noticed- their room at home is pretty small. We went on a Carnival cruise ship and we went to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. The snorkeling in Roatan was amazing, and I would definitely want to do that if we ever go back. We took a horse drawn tour in Belize, and that was fun. We saw several children’s schools and homes on the tour, and I think if we ever went back to Belize City it would be fun to find a missionary that we could possibly help for a day. In Cozumel, we rented scooters and traveled around the island. Travis was my partner, and he shouted all kinds of advice the entire ride! We had beautiful weather for most of the trip. There was one last day at sea when the sea was a little rough, but for the most part the weather was fabulous. My sister, Jen, came with us as well as our family friends, the Everetts. The boys tried all kinds of new foods at the formal dining every night including frog legs, swordfish, escargot, and many other things! Emma enjoyed Caesar salad every night. We will look back on the week as a week filled with memories and fun. I know that as the years go by, it will be harder and harder to get all of our family together for a vacation, so I’m glad we took the opportunity to go when we had the chance. We saved for 18 years to be able to do Garett’s trip, and I guess Chandler will have to camp in the backyard. Just kidding! He has a few ideas of what he would like to do, but we will see what the next year brings. 

The boys are all busy with spring sports. Chandler, Wyatt and Travis all play on the golf team. Chandler is typically the number one golfer, and often Wyatt is tied for second place with another teammate. There are 10 golf players, and Travis usually holds the number 4 spot on the team. The first four players scores count in the tournaments, and Travis usually isn’t quite as low on the score as his older two brothers. Travis plays his own game..every time. Roger says he rarely gets rattled by a bad shot, and just rolls it off and keeps playing. Wyatt is his own worst enemy in any sport he plays as he gets rattled by a bad shot or a missed ball. But he’s working on getting better. Chandler likes to be good in all the sports he plays, sometimes to our aggravation. :) We have a membership to a small golf course near our house, and Chandler can often be found on the golf course practicing his putting after school or on the weekends, or whenever he can convince someone to drop him off! Roger was able to go to the boys golf tournament last Tuesday, and we were thankful for that opportunity. This has been a pretty busy fire season, so Roger has been working about 6 days a week. It was a pleasant surprise to have a golf meet on a Tuesday, and that Roger was able to go. Garett is busy playing baseball. He plays first base, and he’s decent at it. He gets so flustered when he goes up to bat that it drives me a bit crazy. I know that he can hit that ball, but he struggles to overcome if he strikes out the first time. But we only have about three more weeks of spring sports, and then another year of sports will be behind us! 

This past week the high school students competed in a Fine Arts competition. I have many fond memories from my growing up years at competing at school competitions. Garett and Wyatt both sang in the choir this school year. I told Wyatt that he either had to be in choir or take piano lessons. He chose to take choir, but he told me he thinks he’d rather go back to piano next year. We will see. Garett also took guitar lessons this school year, but he did not advance as much as either of us would’ve liked. He’s got some natural talent, but mostly, he needs consistency and frequent instruction. Garett did sing in a trio and a quartet for the competition, and that was a joy to my heart. He worked hard on learning his part, and I hope that he will continue to be willing to use his talents for Jesus Christ. Chandler ran in the one mile run at the competition, and he placed first. That was much to my chagrin as he didn’t even train or practice! He is active all the time (like the energizer bunny), and  while he was probably a bit sore the next day, he placed first in the one mile run. If he goes to college that has a cross country team, I want him to try out for the cross country team (although I think he’d pick soccer first).  It was a long three days, but we can check another box for the school year. Oh, and Garett placed 2nd with his photography entry! 

I am getting 32 elementary students ready for their fine arts competition, which is coming up in a few short weeks! I’ve worked with students every day after school this week, and while the art room has been a disaster, we have made progress!! I will be so, so glad to have this event behind me! I’m thankful for my art assistant, Kaycee, who constantly cleans up messes and resets supplies for the next class. She hangs art, files art, and I am so thankful for her. 

I send out the information about the competition way back in February, but it’s usually not until these two weeks before competition that suddenly everyone needs help! I’m excited about some of our entries, and there are a few that just can’t be changed this late in the game. My library assistant and friend, Jen, and I have also been working with the Bible Sword drill students. I’m a little nervous about whether or not the teams will be ready, but there are only so many hours in the day. I’ve stayed until around 4:30 or 5:00pm at school almost every day this week, and it’s still not all done. It’s gonna be what it’s going to be. I’ll do my best, but I still need to be present for my own kids and family and everyone likes to eat! I find myself often in tears these days, and I think its partly due to fatigue, my age, my hormones, Garett’s graduation, and just really wanting to be present and soak it all in. 

Sometimes I just sit back and reflect on how truly good God is to me. I am so very blessed. Even when I’m tired and weary, He knows. I am blessed with a great husband who packs school lunches, keeps us moving in the right direction, and is faithful and calm. Our oldest son, Garett, is a delight to my heart. Oh, he frustrates me and drives me crazy, but he also shares so much with me. He tells me things that matter to him, and I know so much about so many things because he is willing to talk to me. Chandler is so much like me that I’m often terrified. He’s energetic, enthusiastic, strong-willed, competitive, hard working, and passionate about what he believes in. I know that God has great things in store for him, and lately I have been fervently praying for Chandler to have wisdom and direction for his future. Wyatt is our quiet middle child. He will share things with me if we have about four hours! It takes him about 2 hours to warm up to more than one sentence answers, and then suddenly he will talk. I am praying for him to be diligently in his studies and to recognize that his worth is in Jesus. Travis is constantly just plodding along. He doesn’t get riled up much unless it’s from Garett or Emma, and he is quiet at school. However, he can be loud at home! He makes us laugh often with his dry sense of humor. Emma is often overwhelmed with friendships and how to be a good solid friend. I pray for her often to love Jesus, be kind, and do the next right thing. She loves all things girly and pink! Please pray with us for our children. Parenting is hard, and parenting teens is harder still! But, God is so so good. 

Closing (written 4/19)

    We are looking forward to hosting Easter dinner at our home tomorrow. I think we’re having about 30 people over for dinner around four pm. My prayer is that we will be a blessing and an encouragement to our friends and also that Roger will be able to get off work in time to join us for dinner. He has been working long hours. Also, tomorrow is Wyatt’s 16th birthday! Time flies! 

Happy Resurrection Weekend! 

Weddings, Vacations, and More Adventures!

 

Week #2 of summer break has come and gone and we are headed into week #3! The days of June are flying by as we welcomed summer break with a visit from my parents, a wedding on the western side of the state, a trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge with friends, home again for a few days, and now Emma and I are heading to Maine for a few days to visit my sister and family! 

We are always happy to have family and friends come and visit us, and we enjoyed having my parents and sister, Jen, here for a few days two weeks ago. Time flew by, and Jen was busy with job interviews. I was wrapping up the school year, so it felt like a bit of a rushed visit. Jen left on Thursday (6/1) to head towards the western side of the state to visit with my Aunt Lisa and family. My parents left on Friday to head that way, and they took a few of our kids with them. Roger, Garett, Travis and I left on Saturday morning as we had a wedding to attend in the afternoon. Weddings are not favorite events for children and teens, but it was a beautiful wedding…albeit very hot! It was good to see some extended family that I haven’t seen in several years and to visit and catch up. The kids were all happy when it was time to head back to Aunt Lisa’s house so that they could go swimming! However, they did very well at the wedding and playing with the little ones at the wedding reception. 

On Sunday morning we attended church with my aunt Lisa and family. After church we said good by to my parents, sister, and headed for the mountains for a few days! It was a few very full, but very fun days in the mountains of Tennessee. We went to Dollywood, did the Alpine coaster, visited the Black Rifle Coffee company, ate lots of good food, wandered around and spent a lot of time laughing, visiting and fellowshipping. We went with our good friends, the Everett’s. You know your kids get along when after four days of spending time with each other, the boys ask if Brody can have a sleepover that night! We really enjoyed Dollywood and our time spent there at the amusement park. Emma got a little scared on the first roller coaster, but everyone said that they would love to go again sometime! On the way home from the mountains, we took a trip to the Biltmore. I’ve been to the Biltmore before, but that was a very long time ago! It was fun to see the house, the gardens, and picture what life might have been like over 100 years ago. Travis was in a bit of a bad mood at first, but once we started on the tour, he really enjoyed it. He enjoys history re-enactments, and learning about history, but he’d prefer not to read about it on his own. All the kids seemed to enjoy the tour, and I’m glad we took the time to go, as I’m not sure when the next opportunity might be. 

We arrived home on Wednesday, and Roger went back to work for Thursday and Friday. On Saturday we hosted a few families over for the day. Since five of the kids will be on the cross-country team in the fall, we first had practice. I had walked out a hill running routine for them, so they ran hills for a while. Then they jumped in the pool, ate lots of food, went to the park to play softball, ate some more, played whiffle ball in the yard, went swimming again, and played volleyball! They went to bed tired! It was a fun and full day with our friends, the Harrison’s and Everett’s. We are thankful for good friends to have fellowship with and encourage us. 

Today, (Monday, June 12th) Emma and I are heading to Maine! We will be there just for a few days to visit my sister and family. We are excited to go, and the boys are a bit disappointed that they aren’t going. They were hoping to be working for the neighbor again this summer, but he doesn’t have work for all of them. Please continue to pray that God will provide a job for them this summer. 

Thank you for your love and prayers and for following us along on our crazy adventures! God is good! 

3 “M”s -Moving, Maine, and Michigan

 

It’s an unusual place to be in for me, but the whole month of September almost went by without a single blog post! (Did you miss us?!) :) 

I have sat down several times over the course of the month to try to write down some thoughts and to give an update on our family, but the words weren’t flowing or my thoughts were too jumbled. My thoughts are still jumbled, and my words still are not flowing, but it’s time for an update anyways. Bear with me as we share some important updates on our family. 

First of all, we are moving! As you process that information, you can rest assured that this was not an easy or hasty decision. It’s one that we’ve wrestled with on and off since about February, but God has made it increasingly clear that His plan for our lives is in a different direction. There have been many, many tears over this decision and more to come, but God is faithful! Oh, He is so very faithful! As we’ve prayed, we’ve seen God at work. He’s opened the way for us to walk in this path, He’s never forsaken us, He’s encouraged us through using people when we’ve been discouraged. We serve an amazing God! Through all of this, we want our children to know that God will be glorified and that He is worthy to be praised -even when it’s not necessarily what we would’ve chosen for ourselves. 

Secondly, our house is going on the market on Wednesday! That’s another reason that I haven’t updated the blog as it’s a big job to get a house ready to go on the market and especially one that seven people live in! One of our children has already been very stressed over school, and this packing, decluttering and disrupting his life, has made this month a great challenge for him. I faintly remember telling Roger about seven years ago when we were getting ready to sell our house in Wisconsin and move to Arizona that “I don’t ever want to do this again!” And here we are! Roger has had a pretty rough work schedule this last month as he’s had to work every single weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) for his entire last month. That’s added to the challenges as the kids are in school Monday through Friday. But it did mean that Roger could work on many projects on our house. He took many trips to the dump as well as many trips to the scrap yard. Our house is looking pretty amazing these days, but it’s not feeling like home! 

So, what’s the plan? Whenever we decide to make a plan, generally God redirects our paths, but we do have a tentative plan. When our house sells, we will be homeless. Sounds fun, right?! Honestly, I absolutely believe that God orchestrates our lives so that we will depend on Him for every moment. 

Back to point #1- Roger has accepted a job in Northern Michigan. He will be flying for an aviation company out there that will also allow him to build multi-engine time. More importantly, he will be able to be home every night. There are many, many aviation jobs out there. But we know our time with these children is so very short, so having Roger at home at night is a big deal to us. However, we will be separated for a time (this kinda feels like de ja vu of our experience when Roger was in Florida for flight training!) Roger will be leaving for Michigan the first week in October. God has provided a place for him to stay for short-term. The kids and I will be staying in Maine for the time being as I am teaching kindergarten, the kids are in school, and there is a housing shortage in Michigan also! 

As our house goes on the market on Wednesday, we are diligently praying that God will continue to provide in a great and mighty way for our family. Depending on how long it takes our house to sell, the kids and I will need a place to stay for the school year. God has already revealed one possibility, but we are still very much in the waiting. Roger will be flying back as often as his schedule allows to spend time with us. We are planning to go to Michigan for Christmas break, and we will continue to work together to see each other as much as possible. We are thankful for those that have offered us “buddy airline” passes for Roger to fly back as well as so many that are praying that we will find a place to live. Again, the Lord  is good and faithful! 

The last month has been difficult on all of us and that would be an extreme understatement. We’ve worked hard, cried, yelled, hugged, packed, cleaned, decluttered, and we are “done”. As Travis told me yesterday, “I can’t wait for this part to be over!” (As I told him to pick up his stuff and put it somewhere else!) Roger has had a rough last month at work, and it didn’t end the way that we wanted it to. We have some amazing memories of this company and this spot in Maine is dear to our hearts. Several of Roger’s co-workers have come up to him to tell him how much they enjoyed working with him. Several younger guys commented to Roger that they learned so much about manhood, character, and work ethic just by working with Roger. An older gentleman gave Roger a gift of money and said, “I’ve appreciated your family. I know you’ll be able to use this.” Another friend happened to tell Roger, “I’ve seen a lot of naughty kids in my days, but your kids have always been a pleasure to be around. It’s encouraging to know that there are still families trying to invest in their kids.” 

Yesterday a bunch of people from one of the islands that Roger has flown to for the past six years came out to say good-by to him. Roger said it was one of the most emotional moments he’s had in his lifetime. He told me when he go home that it was a good thing he was so familiar with the runway as he could barely see through his tears. Oh, this is hard- so hard. There is SO much more here, but sometimes it’s just to complicated to share my heart. Please do pray for us as we navigate these unfamiliar waters again. Pray that God will show Himself strong and mighty to our children. Please pray that Roger and I will have great wisdom, understanding, and communication, as we are separated for a bit. God has shown Himself strong and mighty, but we are still emotional drained and hurting. The school kids have been focusing on a song at school “Jesus, Strong and Kind” and every time I’ve heard it this month, I can feel my eyes water. “We can always run to Jesus, Jesus strong and kind.” 

It’s not all about Roger and I as we also look into the faces of our five children. Chandler and Garett are excited about the move, and are praying that God will give them some hunting land. (I don’t think they care too much about where they live, they’d just like some hunting land!). Chandler said that he thinks he’d like to move back to Maine someday. “I really liked living here, Mom. I think I want to move back someday.” Wyatt and Travis are very unsure about the move to Michigan, and Wyatt told me that he’s glad that he has one more school year in someplace that he already knows and has friends. (Travis would prefer to move someplace where there is NO school!) Haha! Emma thinks that moving will be a great adventure and she’d like to bring all her friends with her. I’m thankful that God knows their hearts and needs better than even I could ever dream. 

In the past month, the kids have completed four weeks of school. The four boys are playing soccer. Garett received some very nice notes from some staff and teachers. Chandler made his first big purchase - a bow. And he’s excited to practice and go deer hunting soon. The older boys went to multiple neighbors and people and asked about hunting on their land. Everyone they asked either said “yes” or “I don’t have enough land”. I could not believe the amount of people that told them yes! That was exciting for them! 

In closing, we do ask for your continued prayers. We did not envision this step in our lives, but God goes before us and beside us. We rejoice in the fact that He is worthy! 

Haiti Journal Day #1- $32.00 Carryon!

 We’ve been back from Haiti for just over a week now, and I’m pretty sure my mind is still whirling from all the events, sights,  and activities that we put into the days we were there. I am so thankful for all that God has done and will continue to do. Roger said the hardest thing about me being gone this time was the amount of food that Chandler and Wyatt can eat these days! Roger didn’t plan to work all the days we were gone, but he ended up working almost every day. I’m so thankful that God orchestrated it for Chandler to stay home this year as he was able to keep the laundry caught up, the dogs taken care of (my sisters dogs) and everyone fed (a lot of eggs, ramen noodles, and bread!). We are also deeply thankful for so many of our friends that either helped to transport our children, kept them overnight, loved on them, and encouraged them. Wow! We are so very blessed! My friend, Renee, told me that one of the days that I was away Emma looked rather sad at lunchtime. Renee went over to talk to Emma and asked her if she missed her mom. Emma replied, “yes, I miss my mom.” Renee asked if there was anything she could do to help Emma. Emma looked at her for a moment and then answered hopefully, “Maybe some ice cream?” Oh goodness! That girl! Renee did have a doughnut hole so that seemed to help Emma not miss mom so much! I got a good chuckle out of hearing about that! 

I journaled every day that we were in Haiti, but the days were long and tiring. I know that I left out more details that I normally have in years past, but between getting up between four and five am, working hard all day, coming back from clinic and resorting and counting meds, and then going to bed around 10pm, I was tired! However, I do want to write about the journal entries that I did make and share some photos from the trip. We are currently working on a slideshow for church and it’s been a challenge! I took over 1000 photos and now we are trying to make a four minute slideshow! But, by the grace of God, we will figure it out.  

When we came back from Haiti, Garett had a slight stomach bug so he stayed home on Thursday, but I went right back to teaching kindergarten! I was so happy to see my students again, and I was reminded of how thankful I am that I get to teach them. Chandler also stayed home from school that Thursday as he was tired too. Roger said that he had done a lot of the helping to pack lunches, meals, laundry, vacuuming...I’m always amazed at how everyone steps up when mom is away! 

Anyways...I’m ready to write. Day #1 - January 11, 2021

We can probably all relate to the fact that God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we can see those works clearly evident and today was one of those days! 

Garett, Ashley and myself left firm school around 10:30am. I had wanted to teach this morning as I want to be away from my class as little as possible. Needless to say, that decision made for a crazy Sunday of packing and preparing! It was a late night, but we arrived at the school by 6:50am. on Monday morning with all our bags in tow! Travis ended up forgetting his backpack and lunch box in the flurry of the excitement, but he will survive on some snacks from the school snack box today. 

We arrived early at the Bangor airport -around noon. I figured we would have about an hour wait before anyone else showed up, but just as we were unloading our bags, Hannah and Josh showed up. Then it was a mad dash to weigh all the bags, redistribute weight, and make sure all the bags were at the right weight....50 lbs! Most of the bags were already at 48.5-50lbs. So there was not a lot of extra weight space! We still had some vitamins that needed to go somewhere and some hygiene kits and some odds and ends. I had kinda poked fun at Ashley earlier for not having a backpack AND a carryon, so I was giving her grief about not having a carryon for us to put all this miscellaneous stuff into! But then Hannah said, “Well, we have a lot of time before the flight. If Ashley wants to drive over to Marshalls, maybe they’ll have a carryon there.” So Ashley and I hopped in her van and drove over to Marshalls. In less than ten minutes we had found a carryon (and on the clearance rack for $32.00) and had checked out. While driving back to the airport, Hannah called to say she didn’t think we would need the carryon after all because the two other ladies coming from Maine had arrived.   Gina and Jodi both had space and weight in their bags. But since we had already checked out, Ashley decided to just keep the carryon. And when we arrived back at the airport, we stuck a few random things in the carryon anyways. 

We went to check in with all our bags, and between the seven of us coming from Maine we only had about seven pounds to spare! Yes, we packed with a scale and we squeezed out our 50lbs each!  We had thirteen  checked bags each weighing about 50lbs. After going through security, we headed for our gate. The flight attendant asked if anyone would like to gate check their carryon. Hannah’s husband, Josh, said “Yes, please!” His carryon was full of prenatal vitamins and weighed about 65 pounds! The flight attendant took it down the ramp, but then returned to tell Josh that the carryon was too heavy, and the bag would have to go as a checked bag and not a carryon. And we couldn’t just redistribute the weight among our other carryons because the flight attendant had sent the bag to the ticket counter! Now what?! We had about twenty minutes until the flight left and one of our bags was at the ticket counter and overweight! And it was a very important bag to boot! 

Hannah and Josh took the carryon that Ashley had just bought and headed to the ticket counter. After about five minutes, Hannah called me to tell me that she had left her passport in her backpack at the flight gate! So I took my passport and boarding pass, and Hannah’s passport and headed to the ticket counter. Thankfully the ticket agent was very helpful! He was willing to check the carryon at no additional fee if we could get the bag to weigh at or under fifty pounds. So Hannah took out fifteen pounds of vitamins and put them into the carryon that Ashley had just bought! Now to hurry back through security dragging Ashley’s carryon along. We made it through security and back to the gate. We were the last ones to board that plane. Without that carryon we would’ve been struggling to figure out what to do as Josh’s carryon was too heavy to go as a checked bag, and none of us had a lot of extra space in any of our carryons. 

I’m so thankful that God worked out all those details so that we would have exactly what we needed, and right on time! 

We flew from Bangor to Charlotte and then Charlotte to Miami. We had an overnight layover in Miami, and then an early morning flight to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. We arrived in Miami around 9:00pm, and we figured out how to Uber to our hotel. The hotel shuttle isn’t running due to Covid, but thankfully all our checked bags are checked through to Port-Au-Prince. All we had to worry about was getting ourselves and our carryons to the hotel. 

We are thankful to be at our hotel. It was nice to spend some time praying with Ashley before falling asleep. I am very much looking forward to seeing all that God is going to do in the next week. To God be the glory! 

Million MAGA March! A Day to Remember!

Amazing Day!

Prayer on the grass outside the Capital...May God give us mercy!

My friend, Robin 

American Patriots 

This is our friend, Preston 

Washington Monument 

Washington Monument 

Thankful for these friends

Lincoln Memorial

Leaving for Washington, DC.

Almost a million strong! 

Washington DC. 

 This past week I had the opportunity to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Last Friday morning, I dropped our children off at school, and I climbed into a car with three other dear ladies from our church. We headed to Washington, DC., to attend the Million MAGA March! 

Regardless of whom you voted for in this past election, you’re kidding yourself if you think that there was not election fraud happening! Last Monday, I happened to see a post about the Million MAGA of march in Washington DC. There was some chatter about it in our ladies group page from church, and I asked, “Who wants to go?” I never really thought that some of us would be able to actually attend! I mentioned it to Roger, but said, “I don’t see how I’d ever be able to go, especially on such short notice.” He replied, “Well, you could try. You could see if any of the other ladies from church can make it work.” I called our school administrator and asked if I could take a day off on Friday. She agreed. One step down! We were able to arrange for lodging near Washington, DC. Two steps down! Our pastor’s wife, Beth, and another dear friend, Robin, were also able to say yes to coming with us. It was truly of God that all the details could be worked out on such short notice! 

We left on Friday morning around 7:30am, and we arrived about 8:00pm near Washington, DC. The day in the car had been spent with great time of fellowship, prayer time, and discussion about the state of our nation. While we were excited to attend this rally and support our President, this is also a somber time in our nation as we look to the future. What a privilege that we can cry out to our Heavenly Father and we know that He hears us! While He may not answer in the way that I am praying, I can rest confidently that He does hear our prayers. 

Around 7;30 am, we left our place of lodging to head into Washington, DC. We were able to find the metro station, and we purchased passes for a day of riding the metro. We got on the metro that was about 25 minutes outside of the city. As soon as we entered the metro, we knew we were headed in the right direction. There were already people inside that were wearing Trump hats, carrying American flags, talking about the election, and patriotism was running high! As we settled into our seats, a gentleman sat behind us. He was probably in his early sixties. He looked so sad that I couldn’t help but smile (yes, I pulled down my mask to smile). He  smiled back, and we struck up a conversation with him. Beth and I talked with him about where he had come from for the rally. He had driven from Kansas City, Missouri, to come to the rally. He had driven seventeen hours by himself. His eyes filled with tears as he talked with us expressing his deep sorrow over the state of our nation. He said he just felt like he needed to come to this rally to show his support. He had no idea how many people would come, but he felt like he needed to come. His comments echoed much of ours as my friends and I had discussed that we hoped it wasn’t going to be a rally for the President with just the four of us! The man introduced himself as Preston, and we continued to talk. He went on to explain that he had spent several years in Washington DC during the Reagan and Bush administration. This man had a wealth of information! As we neared the city, he encouraged us to be sure to stick together and stay on the main streets. As Trump supporters, he wasn’t sure what the atmosphere would be like. 

Preston got off the metro at the same station that we did. He was/is very familiar with the city and he directed us towards the Freedom Plaza. We walked past the Trump hotel, and we encountered more and more Trump supporters (but not close to one million!). Because we were in the city so early and the rally was slated to start until noon, we had planned to wander around a bit and see what we could see. Preston offered to take us to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the White House and the Washington Monument. We agreed! This was a nice older gentleman and certainly none of the four of us knew what we were doing or where we were going! It ended up being Preston and I in the front as we started off walking. We had several deep conversations throughout the morning and at times both of us had tears or were shedding tears. This man has a deep love for America, but what struck me is that he also had a clear knowledge of the Bible. We talked about several parts of the Bible, our relationships with Jesus Christ, and God’s love for His children. I am absolutely convinced that God brought Preston into our life for that day in Washington, DC. 

What a morning! Preston mentioned that he had never seen the city so boarded up or the White House so protected. As we walked past the White House, the motorcade went by! Yes, President Trump! I was only able to see him give a thumbs up, but Robin got to see the President! That was exciting! We enjoyed the opportunities to see the memorials, and there were American Patriots walking around everywhere. It still didn't feel like a million people, but it was probably about the safest day ever to walk in Washington DC! It was truly a day that I will never forget. 

Around 11:45am, we headed back towards Freedom Plaza. As we got closer, we could see throngs and throngs of people! It was an amazing sight of American flags, Trump flags, banners, posters, and the American spirit of patriotism. Preston’s eyes filled with tears almost immediately as he said, “I never expected this. This is amazing! I never thought all these people would come to this rally!” As far as the eyes could see, there were people. People that had never met each other came together in a spirit of togetherness. The atmosphere was pleasant, happy, upbeat, and really, really amazing. As the time loomed closer to noon, we weren’t sure what was going to happen. We knew we were marching to the Supreme Court, but someone had to start the march. Suddenly we heard a voice over a loud speaker. It wasn’t a loud enough microphone for the amount of people, but we managed to ease up closer. Someone from the Concerned Women of America welcomed us to the rally. Next someone prayed which I was not expecting. I have no idea who prayed, but whomever it was, I could agree with as he prayed. He prayed for God to give us mercy as a nation. He prayed that evil would be stopped. He asked for forgiveness on our land as we recognized that we had sinned against a Holy God. Surprisingly enough, people were quiet and respectful for the most part. There was a group of young men who rudely interrupted the prayer every once in a while with their chants of “America First” and that was annoying. But others also found it annoying, and the preacher continued to pray. It was encouraging to hear him pray. Following the prayer we sang the National Anthem. Do you have any idea what it is like to hear almost a million people singing the Star-Spangled Banner?! It’ll give you goosebumps and send tears to your eyes, let me assure you!  Shortly after the National Anthem, there seemed to be a surge to turn around and start walking towards the Supreme Court. It’s about a mile and one-half to the Supreme Court, and there were people everywhere. At every intersection, throngs of people merged with the Main Street to head towards the Supreme Court. So many nationalities of people were represented. We passed a group singing “God Bless America”. We walked with people with signs stating, “Teachers for Trump”, “Stop the Steal”, “God bless the President”, and many many more signs. It was truly magnificent. As we neared the Supreme Court, we could see a group of Antifa on the outer fringes trying to stir up trouble. They were yelling obscenities and trying to engage people. However, no one was engaging them. There were plenty of people taking pictures, but we just walked on by. As we approached the Supreme Court, we weren’t really sure what was going to happen next. We assumed that someone was going to speak, but we had no idea whom. We visited with the people around us and met people from Connecticut, South Carolina, Nevada, Wisconsin, and many other states. Everyone seemed to be saying the same thing, “We had no idea how many people would come to this, but we felt like we needed to be a part of this rally.” We were all really surprised at how many people came. Another lady from the Concerned Women for America got up in front of the microphone to say that the speakers were having trouble getting to the Supreme Court due to the crowds of people. We were near someone who had a wireless speaker playing some worship music. It was beautiful. Preston asked Beth and I if we felt like God could use something like this event to bring a revival to America. Oh, yes, I absolutely do. He said that he felt the same way, and he is also praying for a great revival in American. 

Someone named “Alex Jones” got up to speak, and I was not a huge fan. I can appreciate his heart for America, but I can think of better ways to state the same thing. He doesn’t have the authority to say that we are starting the next “revolution”. He was a little too far right for me to feel comfortable with, but like I said, I can appreciate his enthusiasm. He did pray, and he did pray for many of the same things that I would pray for in America. After he spoke, there seemed to be a lull and no one seemed to know what was next in the order of events. People starting to leave as it was nearing 1:30pm. A lady got up and began to speak. Unfortunately, her voice was so terrible in the microphone that it was awful. Her voice should be used on the enemy not on Patriots!  Preston said that he needed to get headed home, and we also decided to begin to leave the rally. Preston said that he could get us back to the metro station, but we decided that we weren’t quite ready to leave. He said his good byes to us, and he headed toward the metro. We looked at each other for a moment, and then decided that most of us didn’t have a lot of energy left. We sat on the grass outside our national capital building, and we prayed. Nothing magical or mysterious happened, but to pray on the grass outside the capital was a memory for me. I’ll never forget this day. It was about two pm, and we decided to head out of the city. We found the metro station, and headed back to our place of lodging. 

It was good to sit and reflect on the day’s events, and we all felt so glad that God had orchestrated the events so that we could come. We left for Maine around 5:30 am. What a day! I spent most of the day in the car making lesson plans, writing notes, and trying to find out where I could get a Covid test! In my opinion, our governor has no business telling people that they need to have a Covid test when it is so hard to get one! I tried for endless hours to get a rapid test scheduled somewhere in our state, but to no avail! I finally had to ask for a substitute teacher for Monday, as I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get a Covid test before school on Monday morning. 

So on Monday morning, I dropped the kids off at school and began hunting for a place to get a Covid test taken. Every place I called said that because I didn’t have any symptoms they would put me down for a test that you get the results in three to five days! I don’t have three to five days! Ugh! I finally managed to snag an appointment in Portland but it wasn’t a rapid test. The lady at the CVS place told me that it would possibly take up to 48 hours to get my results. Great- not! But what choice did I have? I asked for a substitute for my class again on Tuesday, and checked often for my results...nothing! By Wednesday, I was about to go crazy as I have now used up all my personal days, and I wasn’t even sick or on vacation! I called an area clinic and asked if they had any possible openings. She replied that she could get me in at 2;15pm on Wednesday, but the results might take 24 hours. Seriously? So if I am dying, no one is urgently telling me that! I decided to go ahead and take another Covid test just in case they were able to get my results to me sooner than CVS. Let me assure you, while both Covid tests that I took were different, there is nothing comfortable about anything going that far up your nose! I did not sleep well on Wednesday night, as I was fervent in prayer that I would get these Covid results back. Praise the Lord! By five am. the results were in my email....negative!(Which I suspected I would be negative all along! Not to mention the fact that if I did actually have Covid there is no way that I could’ve caught it while being out of the state for less than 72 hours!) About ten am. on Thursday morning, I got the results from my Covid test at CVS. Another negative test! So, I guess I’m good for hugging for a while! 

So, on Thursday morning, I was finally able to return to school. I had certainly missed my class, and I am so thankful to be back at school with them. Yes, I would travel out of state again. Yes, I would set up a rapid Covid test before I left the state. Yes, I will continue to live my life and live it abundantly! Yes, I think the virus is real. No, I do not think it should control my life.  No, I will not be manipulated by fear, chaos and confusion. Yes, I will still love people who disagree with me. No, I don’t need to argue with everyone who does not see my opinion. 

It was an amazing day in Washington, DC. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to be a part of making history. God is so good!

The weekend reminded me that we are not alone in our prayers for our nation. There are many, many like-minded people who are also praying for our nation. There are still American people who want to do the right thing, who want America to be a God-fearing nation, who desire America to be a place they want to raise their children and families. May God grant us mercy we do not deserve, but so humbly and fervently ask for on our nation! Please continue to pray with us! 

Week #1 (What a week!)

Did we make it?! I feel a bit like a barn cat that is trying to sneak in the door before his tail is slammed in the door! It felt like a marathon, a whirlwind, and a tornado all in one, but we all survived week one of school!

First of all, last Friday Garett turned thirteen! I think I’m still in shock over that! Secondly, we celebrated our fourteenth anniversary on Monday. Roger and I sometimes joke about the fact that Garett has never hurried for anything in his entire life...except for crashing our first anniversary! Garett’s due date was October 3rd, and he was born on August 30th! He was an unexpected addition to our first, very unromantic first anniversary! However, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for the special gift of our first born son. Every anniversary looks a bit different for Roger and I, and I don’t think we’ve ever really celebrated with an expensive dinner and a get away on our anniversary. The beginning of the school year is not a prime time to have an anniversary! (But we didn’t think about that 14 years ago!)

We had company for our anniversary (also on Labor Day this year). My sister, Hannah, her husband, Josh, along with some of our dear friends, the Faulde’s (missionaries to Haiti) and Rogers boss, (Kevin and Terry) came for dinner! It was a table full, but what a great time we had together. Roger grilled out a bunch of different types of meat (they had cleaned out the freezer at work). Terry brought an ice cream cake to celebrate Garett and Travis’s birthdays, and the table was filled with delicious things to eat! It was a good time to visit about Haiti, the mission work there, and enjoy each other’s company. I’m thankful for a home in which to be hospitable to others. I’m thankful for a spouse who graciously helps prepare food. I’m thankful for our children who enjoy having others at  
our house. I’m thankful to our, good, good Heavenly Father who bountifully bestows blessings on us!


Tuesday was our first day of school! A cool mama would’ve taken pictures of our first day of school, but maybe we will get a picture by day 20 of the school year! Garett is in 7th grade, Chandler is in 6th, Wyatt is in 4th, Travis is in 3rd grade and Emma started kindergarten. I was not emotional about Emma starting school, probably because I was nervous also about my first day of being the pre-school aide! I forgot to take a picture of Emma, and that does make me a little sad as she is our last one to go to kindergarten.


This year brought about many changes for our school schedule as we are now all going to school. I  LOVE the fact that all of our children are learning at the same school, and I am delighted to be there with them. I MISS the fact that I’m not going to be available for each of our children’s field trips, and that I am no longer able to play the piano for chapel. I appreciate the fact that I can earn a bit of  money to help with the school bills, and maybe even help our children be able to take music lessons this fall.

I’ve probably had a bigger adjustment than our children this year simply as its been quite a few years since I’ve had a job that requires tax paperwork to be filled out and actually results in a paycheck! It’s also exhausting and tired to get back into a routine! We started off with the three-year olds on Tuesday, and what an adventure that was for both the new teacher and myself! Three year olds are just discovering how independent they can be, and not one of them was interested in a  schedule or routine! Its amazing though at how quickly kids can adjust and adapt as Thursday was a much better day. I’m excited to see how God works in and through me.  

Wednesday was Emma’s long day at school (She goes full day on Mon./Wed./Fri./ and half days on Tuesday/Thursday) She has been tired for much of the week, and by Thursday she was ready for a    
nap after school! I watch a little boy from our preschool class on Wednesday afternoons, so we went  to the bank and out to see Roger. The little boy was very impressed with the stickers and sucker he got at the bank. (Oh, sometimes its the little things that provide the most joy!)  I also worked some on paperwork, music class lessons, and other things that needed to be done.

Thursday afternoon provided me with the unexpected blessing of being able to finish up working in the music room. My friend, Claire, took Emma home with her for the afternoon, which gave me several hours just to work on my music class space! I am delighted to see it come together, and now just have to work on the lesson plans for the Christmas program and how we are going to be ready for that in 12 weeks! AHH!!

And just like that Friday is here -Snap! We are thankful that God brought us safely through our first week of school. We are thankful for the weekend as we will have family staying overnight again this  weekend. I’m looking forward to making my grocery list and prepping for next week’s meals. This week we kinda flew by the seat of our pants, which resulted in popcorn and cheese for supper one night, and eggs and sausage another night, etc.

We are closing up the weekend with enjoying two days with Roger’s sister, Erin, her husband, Jason, and their five girls at our house for a few days. It was good to catch up and visit with them. We enjoyed a walk on the board walk, loud nerf gun fights at home, and just enjoying each other’s company. This morning we were all able to attend church together, and it was good to enjoy a morning with other believers. Pastor Faulde presented his ministry to our church this morning, and I am thankful that I have been able to be a part of several medical trips to Haiti. It was a good day in the Lord’s house.

Tomorrow we begin week two of school, and I would appreciate your continued prayers for both  Roger and I and our children. To God be the Glory,  

Sarah

 

Fort Building 

Spring Break- Ferries, Islands, Friends...and Mud!

Last week was spring break from school! We had a wonderful week, and I have many memories to write about this week. I’ll have to probably divide my writings into two posts simply because I don’t have time to write about everything in one sitting!

We actually didn’t have any plans for spring break when we started off the week, but the week ended up being quite full and busy, not that I was worried about being bored!

On Monday, Travis and Wyatt had over a classmate to play for a bit. The weather was rainy and dreary (as it was for most of the week). Ethan’s mom dropped him off, but she stayed for a bit to visit with her younger two boys. Although I enjoy chatting with ladies at church, I do enjoy the deeper conversations that can stem from having people in our home. We had a great morning with a house full of children, lots of snacks, and muddy feet! Ethan stayed for part of the afternoon, and then Travis and I took him home. Travis and I don’t get a whole lot of one-on-one time, and I realized this as he started talking to me after dropping off his friend. I had some errands to do, but instead Travis and I went and got a small treat and talked for a while. Sometimes he has a lot to say! It was good to spend some time with him, and it was a reminder to me that I need to make sure Roger and I keep up with our individual dates with our kids.

Tuesday was dentist appointment day, which is no ones favorite thing to do! Only two of the kids had dentist appointments, but since the office is over an hour away, they all needed to come along. For a change the dentist office was ready for them early, so that was a pleasant surprise. We hurried home from the appointments because I had a school board meeting in the evening. Chandler and Garett were able to go to the teen group while I went to the board meeting. Every year brings about new
changes, struggles, joy and challenges for every Christian school and ours in no exception. As we
approach the end of the year, there are more things that need to be discussed, but thankfully we were done around the same time as the teen group. I certainly count it a privilege to serve on the school board as this ministry is very near and dear to our hearts.


Wednesday- is that sunshine?! Roger had off from work, and we planned to do something fun with our family. It was a beautiful day, so I packed a picnic lunch (which consisted of a cooler full of food!). We decided to take the kids out to one of the islands. Although we’ve been out to Vinalhaven before, this was the kids first time to take the ferry across. Roger’s boss borrowed us a bigger van so that we would have plenty of space for the kids and the bottles and cans that we were planning on collecting. We picked up some donuts and coffee, and we were waiting for the first ferry by 6:30 am. The ferry was full of vehicles, and we were the last vehicle to get on. It's about an hour and one-half to go across to the islands, but it was a good time with our family. We spent some time talking about prayer requests and praises, reading the Bible, and praying before disembarking on the other side.
 Of course the first stop was to find the bathroom! Thankfully, the ferry terminal had a bathroom. Then we were ready to collect cans and bottles. The island has 79 miles of roads, and a lot of them have lots of cans and bottles to collect. We had fifteen trash bags, and we filled eleven of them in 3.5 hours! The kids worked hard, and they were exhausted and muddy. In the first 30 minutes, Wyatt managed to find a puddle that went over the top of his rubber boot! His feet were soaked, so he wore his socks for most of the day. Emma stuck with it, and we all probably walked about four miles or more total that day. We stopped for lunch (and many snacks). We went to a land preserve on the island which had picnic benches to sit at. But why use a picnic bench!? The kids all went down to the beach, and made “stone” chairs with the rocks. That idea stems from reading The Boxcar Children books to the kids. The sun was shining, the weather was beautiful, and it was a fun day! Emma found a small skull of some kind in a ditch, and she was pretty impressed with her “dinosaur” head. Her
brothers kept telling her it was not a dinosaur head, but she was not convinced. It was pretty clear that
she has brothers though as she carried the thing around for most of the day, and had no qualms about  
picking it up right out of the ditch!  



It's not cheap to take a vehicle and a large family across on the ferry, and truthfully, we probably didn’t make any money. But that’s okay. We made a memory with our family; we spent quality time together; the kids had a great time; and I soaked up the delightful sounds of laughter and slopping, sloshing boots! We were surprised at how many full cans and bottles of alcohol we found. At one point, Chandler and I found four glass bottles that were full! Somehow I don’t think the “don’t drink and drive” law is effectively working!

The boys had a job to do on Thursday afternoon. One of my friends, Hannah, brought her three little ones over to play with the boys and Emma. Hannah had offered to let the boys watch her kids while she worked for a few hours (with me supervising, of course!). I was supervised at how well the boys did at babysitting! Garett helped the littlest one into a chair at the table, and then stood right next to him to make sure the little boy was safe. Chandler and Wyatt played farm with another of the children, and it really was a very smooth three hours.  I think my boys overfed Hannahs children on goldfish, but overall, it was a good afternoon for everyone. I’m thankful for friends that give our children opportunities to work and to be responsible. I told Roger that with the ages of Hannah’s children that is what our life would be like with eight kids! :)


Friday morning brought about nine boys and two girls at our house.  It was still a bit of an overcast day, and very wet outside, but that didn’t stop the boys! Chandler was able to have over the two classmates that had come last Saturday, and then a friend came by with her two boys and little daughter.  Was it wild and noisy? Oh, yes! However, no one was hurt, and everyone seemed to get along just fine. Travis did get a scrape above his eye, and two boys managed to get locked in the tree house, but it was all good. Garett and Wesley managed to  lock the door on the treehouse and they couldn’t get out. Emma came and reported it to Bethany and I, but when I looked out the window no one was crying. The tree house has a big see-through door in it, and Garett and Wesley didn’t seem to be too distressed. Bethany and I could’ve gone out to help them solve their problems, but Roger and I are big advocates of seeing if the kids can solve their own problems first. Sure enough, eventually
they got out of the tree house. Garett used  his knife to take the door handle off, and they managed to
solve their problem! Bethany and I enjoyed a good visit together. We’ve missed their family, and it was good to visit. My boys were thrilled to see her sons, and a good time was had by all...and lots of food was eaten! These boys!

I have more I’d like to write about Saturday (a 5K race and Wyatts birthday) and Resurrection Sunday, but it will have to wait. I have laundry that needs to get done, and other responsibilities to take care off. It was a good week for our family.

This was the week before Easter Sunday. We’ve been reading through the New Testament of the Bible in chronological order, but we took some time this past week to read through the crucifixion account in each of the four Gospels. The boys have been asking some challenging questions as of late, and Roger and I need great wisdom from God. Chandler asked us this week, “How do we know that what we believe about the Bible is right?”  That’s not an easy question to answer an 11 year old
boy without overwhelming him completely. Roger and I  pointed him first to  the facts. 1) The Bible is truth. 2) It is the written Word of God 3) Mankind and religions make mistakes, but God does not make mistakes 4) When we take God at His Word, we can rest in knowing the truth 5) We discern what is truth by finding out what God has said in His Word.

Oh my, we could’ve and maybe should’ve said so much more to answer his question. But  he seemed to have peace of mind, and Chandler said that made sense to him. I can not even imagine all the questions that the boys are going to need to ask as we enter these pre-teen years. However, I do know that God promises that His Word will not return void. We need and treasure the prayers that are prayed on behalf of our children. It’s not just about raising our children to KNOW Jesus, it’s about pointing them to their Savior and the RELATIONSHIP that they need to have with Jesus. ...and so do you.



Our love,
Sarah