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! 

April Wrap-ups & May Musings

 

Happy May! The month of May brings about the close of many school related activities, and a whole host of new transitions as Garett prepares to graduate. We ran out of the month of April with Wyatt’s 16th birthday, Easter dinner at our house, the Junior/Senior banquet for Garett and Chandler, the state golf tournament for three of the boys, Emma’s piano recital, getting a few chickens and whatever else happened at the end of the month that I can’t even remember! We burst into the month of May with the state baseball tournament, Garett’s senior trip, and the wrapping up of the school year. Whew- no wonder I feel like I need a nap most afternoons! (And the fact that I’m getting old also contributes to that idea!) 

Wyatt is now officially 16 years old, and my mind has a hard time wrapping my head around that idea! Roger has tried to take him to get his permit twice now, but the lines for the DMV are absolutely ridiculous around here. The last time they tried to get the permit, they went to a smaller town. Roger and Wyatt were in the parking lot by 6:30am, and the lines were already long! At 7:30am, the DMV worker came out and told the first 14 people in line that they could enter the building, but there was no guarantee that they would get seen that day! One person ahead of Roger in line said that he had been in line since 1:00am that morning! I’m not sure if the lines are so lengthy due to the requirements for the Real ID or the DMV is just that short on people. Either way, Wyatt does not have his permit yet! Hopefully, he will be able to get it soon. Chandler has an appointment for his drivers license on June 2nd, and we’ve had that booked for him since March 2nd! 

Aunt Jen bought a few more baby chicks, but we are currently babysitting them. I do not have anything to do with the chickens, but Travis and Emma love the chicks! They take care of them completely. The day that Jen bought the chicks, she called to see if the chicks could live in our shed for a bit. I said, yes, and she, Travis and Emma bought the chicks and brought them over. Jen told me that on the way over to our house, Emma announced that this baby chick was her “social security pet”. Jen was completely lost at sea until she asked, “Emma, do you mean your emotional support animal?” I about died laughing when Jen was telling me the story. Oh Emma, you do our hearts good! 

The last Friday of April was the night of the Junior/Senior Banquet for the boys. Both Garett and Chandler invited dates with them to the banquet, so it was a fun opportunity for them. I have some great pictures of the boys and their dates. Garett invited a girl named, Kate, from the Junior class, and Chandler invited his girlfriend, Ava. Jen went along to the banquet, and she was willing to go along with the boys to the after activity as well. When we found out that there wasn’t really a plan for an after-banquet activity for most of teens, a few moms put our heads together to see what ideas we could come up with. Thank the Lord for Groupon! We found a groupon for bowling, and it was right down the road from the banquet. Chan invited everyone in his class to come bowling, and I think about 13 of them ended up going bowling. All the kids that went seemed to have a really great time, and after bowling a few of them came over to Aunt Jen’s for more snacks and fellowship. It was a late night, but a good night for our kids and their friends also. The boys had a hard time getting up on Saturday morning to work at the Pickle Festival, but they made it! 

Wyatt, Chandler, Garett, and I, all worked at the Mount Olive Pickle Festival. It’s basically a full day of all things pickle related! We sold fried pickles, chocolate covered pickles, a pickle lemonade to name a few items. The boys worked hard at squeezing lemonade, frying food, and breading pickles. I worked hard at taking money and giving correct change. It was a long day, but it was a good day. Travis told me that he needed to start working again as his money box was getting a little low after the winter. Haha- oh yes, Travis is discovering the importance of budgeting wisely! 

A little over a week ago, the three younger  boys competed in the golf tournament for our conference. They’ve enjoyed playing golf this season, and we are thankful for the coaches that invest in them. Their team placed third at the tournament, and they only lost by a few strokes. The boys are already looking forward and talking about next year. Roger was able to get away to see their tournament, and I was thankful that he was able to go. It’s hard to get away from school this time of year, but we wanted one of us to be there. Roger went from the golf tournament to then watch Garett’s baseball game, and then to Emma’s recital! Emma was excited about her recital, and I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to make it there when I discovered that the van had a tire with a nail in it! However, Emma and I used the air compressor to pump up the tire. Then we filled the air compressor with air, hopped in the van, and drove to Aunt Jen’s. We put more air in the tire at Aunt Jen’s and we made it to school safely and on time! Praise the Lord! Garett was also supposed to be in the recital with his guitar, but through a series of miscommunication, not enough guitar lessons, and a long baseball game, he did not make it into the recital. He was fine with that, and it was the best solution. Emma had worked hard on her piano piece, and she did a good job. We are thankful for music teachers! 

Last Wednesday, the boys asked to go golfing after school. I agreed to drop them off, but before that happened, we ended up with six golf bags and six boys in the mini van! Gabe and Enzo are friends with the boys, and everyone wanted to go golfing. I dropped everyone off at the golf course, and then came home to do a few things. I picked them up on the way back to church, and they ate pizza on the way. These are the moments that life is made up of, and I am thankful for these memories. 

Last weekend was the baseball tournament for Garett. Roger was kept busy with a fire for the entire weekend, but the rest of us stayed busy at the tournament with helping with collecting admission fees, concessions, trash, or whatever else needed doing. It was a beautiful weekend for a ball tournament, and it was an exciting end to the season. Roger was unable to go to the tournament as he was busy flying on fire patrol.  We need rain quite badly, and while we got a little this past weekend, we already need another shower of rain. But the baseball championship game went to ten innings, and it ended on a home run hit! The school baseball team had won the game! It was exciting and emotional for me all at the same time. Garett is done with baseball. No more watching him play first base with ease and confidence,  and then praying he will be able to hit the ball when he goes up to bat! I’ve watched him display leadership skills, confidence, humility, kindness, and compassion as he’s played this season. I was an emotional basket case as I hugged him in his smelly, sweaty jersey one last time. I am so incredibly thankful for this young man. He doesn’t know exactly what God has for him, but I am confident that Garett can and will do great things for God as he focuses on Jesus. Please pray that Garett will have wisdom and discernment as he continues to pray about his future. 

Speaking of futures, Roger and I have some decisions of our own to make regarding our future. God is always at work, even when we can’t see or feel it. Sometimes, I wonder why God is moving so slowly, but it’s not slowly, it’s perfectly. Please pray for clarity and direction. 

As we head down the final weeks to gradation, we are talking and considering summer plans. Garett has a job lined up for the summer, and then he will need to make some more decisions in the fall. He is planning on taking a missions trip in early June and then working the rest of the summer. The younger three boys are planning to go to Teen Extreme Camp at Pensacola Christian College. Chandler, Wyatt and Travis are also considering a soccer camp at Bob Jones University this summer. Everyone has a job lined up for the summer, and we are thankful for opportunities of employment. The summer flies by, so we really do need to be intentional with our time. 

Thank you for your prayers, support and love to our family. 

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! 

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

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

Fine arts projects 

Kindergarten art

Fifth grade- warm and cool colors

Middle School-acrylics 

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

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

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

Baseball and Golf 

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

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

Travis’s wood working project

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

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

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

Art Project Sculptures- still working on them! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We appreciate your love and prayers. 

September Moments and Memories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Elohim” - Mighty Creator. Genesis 1:1

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

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