June? Already?!

In case you haven't realized it, school gets out late around here! Our last day will be on June 14th, and I am looking forward to it! Don't get me wrong, the school year has been great. I'm just ready for a break! 😀 In Wisconsin we were generally done around the middle of May,  so it's been like having a whole extra month of school. However, it's just the way the school calendar is around here. I do like having breaks during the school year, and now we are ready to clean out backpacks and throw away lunch boxes! (I never understood why a kid would need a new lunch box every year, but now I do! Those things get nasty...even with disinfectant and putting them in the dishwasher!)

Last Tuesday when I attended the Bible study down in Tenants Harbor, I was blessed by an outpouring of love for my birthday. One of the ladies, Shelia, had put together a cake and snacks in celebration of my birthday. These ladies have blessed me so much. I don't attend church there, but this Bible study has encouraged and challenged me. These ladies have taught me so much about faithfulness in the Lord. I am so blessed!

With the end of the school year coming to a close also begins the mad rush of fun activities for the kids, class trips, and extra activities! I've discovered that I cannot depend on my brain to keep track of everything, and I must but it in my calendar on my phone with an alarm to remind me! I'm going to be helping Garett and Chandler's teacher with some year end projects including a trip to the beach, tie dying activity, and a play. Wyatts class is also taking a trip to the beach, but it's a different beach on a different day! And we have a host of upcoming church activities, Bible study, the parent group meeting, and one more hot lunch...yes, I need to use my calendar! I'm not complaining at all as I look back across the school year at all that the kids have learned, friendships made, their Biblical foundation made stronger through their teachers and influences. It's been a great year, and Lord willing, the kids will be returning to the school for the next school year. I've been blessed to be able to be involved in the school, and working alongside these teachers that have poured their lives into my children. (At times, I get over involved! I'm working on balance!)

I've decided that spring is not going to happen in Maine! We've had a few warm days where it was actually about 70 degrees, but for the most part I still walk around with a jacket! The kids have put their rubber boots to good use, but I am praying that we will see some warmth occur soon! I'm behind on getting our garden together, and Chandler is anxious to start "growing stuff". I asked him what kind of "stuff", and he replied, "stuff we can eat, of course!) He wants to plant lettuce, beans, cucumbers, and a few other vegetables. We did put our blueberry bushes in the ground, and the boys have been faithful at watering them as they definitely want those to survive! 😀

Last Thursday I was able to get away with my friend, Allison. We took a field trip to the big city of Augusta...just the two of us! It was such a good time of fellowship and fun, and although it took us most of the school year to find a date, we did it! Roger had off that day, and he agreed to do lunch duty for Allison. I'm blessed to be married to a man that doesn't mind working with the kids at the school either, and willingly heated up food, supervised lunch break, and helped make a fun day for me. The day passed by all together too quickly, but it was a good day.

Roger was called off of work last Friday so we had an unexpected day with him home. His flying is due largely on the weather, so if the weather is good, he flies all.day.long. But if it's rainy or too foggy to fly, then sometimes he gets an extra day off. It all comes out in the wash as he switches days to make sure he's getting enough hours in at work. And I'm thankful for the opportunities to spend time with him when the weather is not cooperating. I played the piano for chapel services and did nursery duty for the Bible study group. I'm thankful for this group of ladies, and I pray for them often.

To summarize the rest of this week as it's already Friday again, we hosted people in our home for dinner, had an overnight guest, enjoyed some family time at Sams club, hosted a pilot pizza get together, and attended the school talent show! If I write down all the details in between those events, we will be reading for a looooong time!

We hosted Sunday dinner at our house with some friends of ours from South Carolina, as well as our pastor and family. The Faulde family is from South Carolina, but also the pastor and his wife that I went to Haiti with in January. We had a good visit, but the afternoon passed too quickly!

Roger had a pilot friend from Arizona come for a visit this week also. Jon flew in for just an overnight trip, but we squeezed in a walk to the lighthouse, eating lobsters and crabs, and flying with Roger. Interestingly enough we ate crab legs this week because they were given to us for free! Crab legs are normally rather expensive, so we've never had them before. It's interesting to me that in Maine, we eat crab or lobster as it's sometimes given to Roger. Yet in Wisconsin, we were often given pork or beef. The kids really liked the crab and almost all of them preferred the crab over the lobster. It was cheap, and it was good. 😀

To summarize...it was a good week! 😀

Memories!  

Friendships 

Our boys 

Fiddleheads and Birthdays!

Fiddleheads! A new culinary experience for us, but they were delicious! 

We tasted "fiddleheads" for the first time this week. They are a bit like asparagus and broccoli. We found a few in our yard, but not enough to feed our family. We purchased some from a farm market near us, and everyone gave them a try. Wyatt and Chandler thought they were "okay", but the other three gobbled them right up! Travis says, "They taste like chicken!" Um...no, they do not! 😀 It was another "Maine" experience, and one that was fun to try! Now that we know what to look for in our yard, I will be more earnest about searching for them next year. They have a very short growing season, and you have to eat them before they grow into an actual fern. 

Life...it's busy, it's messy, and it's not always fun! However, I know that I am right where God wants me to be. We've been experiencing full days with school, days of sunshine and warmth, and working around whatever hours Roger is home with us.
 

  

Memories!

  A little over a week ago was Mother's Day, and Roger did a good job of helping the boys "treat" mom. Travis and Wyatt woke up early on Sunday morning as in around 5:45am., so they went with Roger to pick out flowers and get coffee for mom. Since we've not been together as a complete family for the last two Mother's Days, it was an especially special day for me! 😀 Our church had a missionary speaker on Mother's Day, and since our pastor and family were out of town, we hosted them for the afternoon. We also had Nick and Hannah over as Nick led the singing for church services that morning. It was a full afternoon with ten kids, six adults, and a downpour of rain outside! All things considered it was a good time of fellowship, and I enjoyed getting to know both Hannah and the missionary's wife better. Roger still agreed to cook out on the grill, so he grilled  hamburgers and hotdogs in the rain! 😀

I attended Bible study on Tuesday, and celebrated my 34th birthday on Wednesday! 😀 A friend brought me a small cake when she dropped off her kids at school. It's nice to be remembered...and my kids were thrilled about cake!! The weather was beautiful on Wednesday, and I enjoyed a long walk with a dear friend. We were able to get practically the whole morning together (along with Emma) and it was a good time to share burdens and pray together. After picking up Travis from school, we picked up lunch and went to have a picnic at Rogers work. I'm thankful that Rogers boss does not mind if we drop by to see Roger and visit together. We are learning to squeeze in time wherever we  can! After school, I treated the kids to ice cream...and I had iced coffee. Since I knew that Roger would be home later, I didn't bother with a cake for myself, and the kids were fine with ice cream. I have a lot to be thankful for just in the simple fact that we are together as a family again. It was a good day! My friend, Beka, from Wisconsin, sent me a very appropriate coffee mug. It's in the picture below! It's a good reminder to pray for many of my mom friends!

  

  Birthday Blessings! 

On Thursday on dropped Emma off at school and went to pick up stuff to make lasagna. We are  having a grandparents luncheon at school on Friday, and some of the moms are making lasagna. I'm thankful that the kids were able to ask two older sets of grandparents in the church to be their surrogate grandparents. I also realized that we were going to have a lot of people to feed for this luncheon! I had originally signed up to bring only two lasagnas, but after talking with a few other friends that were helping with the lasagna, we realized that we would need more pans of lasagna. So back I went to the store to get more ingredients! I picked up Travis and Emma from school, and we went to visit some older people that we know. Travis was not particularly excited about visiting these folks, but I tried to remind him that this is one way we can serve Jesus. We need to have our eyes open to those who might be discouraged or lonely, and the kids can do a much better job of cheering  people up than I can alone! We only stayed for a short visit anyways, as I went back to the school to help set up for the grandparents luncheon. While I know the grandparents are going to enjoy this event tomorrow, this event is a lot of work!! However, many hands make light work, and we were able to get almost everything set up before school was over. I picked up kids, and went home to  make...yes, you guessed it-lasagna!! 😜 I ended up making five pans of lasagna, and since I was already making a huge mess in my kitchen, I fed that to my family for supper! I made two pans of veggie lasagna and two pans of meat lasagna for the school event. I've actually never made this kind of veggie lasagna, but I guess we will see how it turns out! I usually make my veggie lasagna with meat but without noodles. I discovered on Tuesday that I was supposed to use noodles  but not meat! Wow! I guess it's  a good thing I discovered what I needed to make before I showed up with the wrong kind of lasagna! However, it looks delicious so hopefully my Pinterest recipe came through with flying colors! 😜

Friday...exhausting, overwhelming and delighted it's over! That is how I would describe the day! Emma was tuckered out by lunchtime, and she ended up not sitting with her brothers and adopted grandparents. I had to miss our ladies Bible study, as I wanted to help in the kitchen to bake all those pans of lasagna! We had 15 lasagna pans that either needed to be heated or cooked. It's was an enjoyable experience spent with other moms though as we all came together to work on this event. I was mostly in charge of lasagna, and getting it all heated or cooked. By the time 11:30 came around, we were ready. The lasagna was dished and plated, and since no one complained of cold lasagna, I'm assuming it was okay! I guess the veggie lasagna turned out as it was eaten, and I had a piece of it as well. It was a good recipe, and I actually will probably make it again! 😀 Out of the fifteen large pans of lasagna, we only had about a pan and one-half left, so I'm thankful that I made two extras, as well as the other moms that made an extra one. It was a long, tiring day, but the grandparents seemed so delighted with the whole event. Following the luncheon, the school kids did a special chapel time with songs and verses. I can see why the grandparents loved it, and I can rejoice that it only happens once a year!

Saturday was a day at home for most of the day. Later in the afternoon, the kids had the opportunity to attend a birthday party of one of their school mates. He had his birthday party on his dad's.  lobster boat, and then we went out to one of the islands for a scavenger hunt and cake. The kids had a great time, as it is always fun to visit an island! The ticks were even on the island, and it's appearing that  they will be quite bad this year! Oh well, I'm certainly not keeping my kids inside! The boys all have short hairCuts, and we check daily for ticks. The weather was beautiful for a Picnic on the island, and I'm glad the kids had a good afternoon. They are adjusting and making friends, and it's sure to be quite a different summer for us this year versus last year!

 On the lobster boat 

 Sunday came around before we could blink again, and it was another beautiful day! The trees have really "popped" open with their leaves, and the grass is quickly growing again! (Roger was able to fix that mower that we were given! He spent a long morning on it, but the blade is replace, and it's working!) I'm so thankful that we have a local church body to worship the Lord together with and the opportunity to grow in the Lord. We had company for lunch today (third Sunday in a row...it's just the way it's worked out) Today we  had one of my college professors and her husband over for lunch. I just recently realized that Mr. and Mrs. Seely lived in the area, so I connected with them via Facebook. We invited them to lunch, and we had a great visit! It was so good to catch up with them, and to have "family from Northland" come and visit. We have plans to stay in touch with them, and I'm looking forward to the next time we get together!

Whew! That concludes another week for us, and it was a busy one. We are wrapping up the school year, but we are not done yet! We are encouraging the boys to "finish strong".  I'm reminding myself to "finish strong " also! I'm kinda tired of getting together lunches, making sure they have on  appropriate school clothes, and driving everyday! I can tell we are getting close  to the end of the year, as we are struggling to find pants that are not completely ripped through in the knees!  Just a bit longer!

Please continue to pray for Travis. He has been asking more questions about salvation, and we had a good discussion in the car the other morning on the way to school. These kids can certainly make me think as they've been asking questions about eschatology and heaven and hell. We were discussing heaven and how wonderful it would be, and Travis remarked that he hopes that Jesus " put some sand and mud in heaven". His older brother replied, "well, you don't even need to worry about what's up there, because you aren't going there!" I promptly told my second oldest son that though that is currently true,  he didn't need to say it quite like that! It wasn't his intent to be mean, but Chandler sees things as very black and white. So, we would appreciate your continued prayers for Travis' salvation and that the gift of salvation would be made clear to him.

Our love,
Sarah 

34 Years in a Nutshell!

Tomorrow will be my 34th birthday! I had to think about that for a moment, as the years are passing so quickly. In my defense I have a lot of birthdays to remember, and mine just falls lower in my list of importance. 😀
Roger will be working tomorrow, but the important thing is that we are together as a family this year. For the past two years, Mother's Day and my birthday have been events that we've celebrated without Roger as first he was in Arizona, and last year he had already come to Maine. The last two years have been a bit of mad craziness in our lives, and I think we are both relieved to find some stability and routine to our lives. That's not to say that everything couldn't change quickly, but I'm enjoying where I am for the time being.

As I reflect back on my 34 years of living, I could count for a long time on all the blessings God has bestowed on me. However, I wanted to take a few moments to just look back on a few significant phases in my life.

1) On May 17th I came into this world. I think that's a pretty significant day in my life! 😜 I was born the second child to my parents in East Hartford, Connecticut.

2) My earliest memories are of time spent with my dad working on the church building that he was helping to pastor. Through my dad I learned the value of hard work.

3) My dad felt the burden to return to his home state, Wisconsin. He felt the Lord leading him to help start a church there or assist in one. We moved from Wisconsin while I was in first grade. Looking   back at how hard it was for me to leave my familiar comforts to come to Maine, I can relate some to how my mom must have felt as she said good-by to many dear friends.

4) Berlin, Wisconsin, became home for many years as my parents faithfully served in the church. Through their examples of faithfulness I learned the importance of being faithful to the local church,  and loving and ministering to those God has brought across my path.

5) I attended a week-long summer camp at a great Christian camp in northern Wisconsin for many of my elementary, junior high, and senior high years. It was through these Christian camp experiences that I was exposed to great Biblical preaching, Godly mentors, and a desire to know God deeper. It was at summer camp at about fifth grade that I surrendered my life to do whatever it was that God wanted me to do.

6) I attended a Christian school for my junior high and high school years. I had a piano teacher, Mrs. Hammond, who gave of her time and invested in my life both through her music lessons and her Godly direction. She instilled in me a love for playing in church and using my talents to serve God however He directed.

Life in Maine!

A week has gone by since I've updated the blog, and I know I'll forget something if I don't put my thoughts down in writing! Last Thursday I took the boys out of school early so that we could go to the dentist...hooray! (It's not one of my favorite things to do, but at least we have a dentist to go to!) Since Roger was working, it meant an hour long drive plus the four dentist appointments for the boys, and a long afternoon. However, the kids are fairly good travelers, and we made good time getting to the dentist. I was thrilled with how quickly the appointments went, and that only Wyatt has a small cavity! It's awesome that three of the boys don't have cavities, and that Wyatt's is a small cavity. After the dentist appointment, we decided to go to  Sam's Club. Since we were only thirty minutes from Sams club, it was decided that we should go there. (Thirty minutes may not seem very close, but compared to where we started at, we were right in the neighborhood!) The kids enjoy Sams club, and it was a cheap place to feed everyone supper. It made for a bit of a long evening, but I'm glad I took the time to do something fun with the kids.

 

Mud!!!

 

Friday was a day filled with playing for chapel, attending Bible study, getting ready for company on Sunday, and attending a benefit variety show in the evening. A young woman we know is having a kidney transplant on Thursday, May 11, and a fundraising benefit was put on for her behalf. Roger ended up meeting me there, as he was working. I had been asked to play some piano selections before the start of the event, so I had to be there early. Thankfully, Roger was walking in the door when we arrived, so the Lord's timing was in that. It was fun for me to pick out piano selections, but I certainly did not realize I would be so nervous! I was thrown back to my high school days of playing a piano solo   and my  leg shaking so badly that it looked like I was twitching! Oh well! It was good for me. 😳
The variety show consistent of just that a variety of different types of singing or performances. Since not every performance was from a Christian perspective, Roger and I knew that we would probably be having some interesting family discussions at home. 😀 The Kid's choir from church was asked to sing, and that was a good opportunity for our children and others from our church to sing for Jesus.  One of the events was a dance group from the area, and although they were modestly dressed for  dancers, I knew it would be an interesting discussion at home. Sure enough, I asked the boys what they thought of the performances, and Garett's response was, "Well, it was a bit awkward. I just sank down in my chair and closed my eyes. " Attending this event was a way for us to show our support for this family, and I was thankful for the opportunity it provided to talk with our kids about why we do what we do and who we are in Christ.

Saturday was a day spent at home...hoping for the sun to come out! We have had a lot of rainy days, and I'm ready for some sunshiny weather. While the boys still go outside when it's wet or rainy, they don't stay out as long. I also feel that after several rainy, cloudy days in a row it leads to more arguments and fighting. The boys have constructed a dirt bike track in the back yard which has kept them entertained. It also means that when the yard dries out a bit, they will have the opportunity to plant grass seed! We have a stream flowing on the side of our yard (it only runs in the spring time) and that has also kept them busy with building dams, floating items downstream, and making sure that their rubber boots will hold water!😜 Roger did get home a few hours earlier than normal on Saturday due to the weather, so that was definitely a pleasant surprise. I took Chandler and Travis with me to the grocery store and Goodwill, while the other boys and Emma stayed at home and burned trash. It was a productive day, and it's a nice feeling to go to be tired knowing that you've worked hard.

Memories 

Since we would be having a family over for lunch after church, I decided to make crockpot lasagna, bread and salad for Sunday dinner. Generally I plan for a simple meal on Sunday, but I wanted to put some extra effort into it for our guests. I also had the privilege of playing the piano for church services on Sunday which always brings joy and peace to my soul. It's very soothing and refreshing  for me to play the piano, and I'm thankful my parents invested in giving me piano lessons. I want our kids to have the same opportunity if possible, so please pray that God will provide a way for that to happen. I'm willing to teach them, but I'd also like peace that is what I need to do. Anyways back to the church service! During the communion service, I noticed a bit of commotion down towards the front pews. A dear older gentleman was clearly having some health issues, and a few people were trying to assist him. From the piano, I could see that he was not a healthy color, and I was concerned. Another lady ended up calling an ambulance,  so we did not finish the communion service. I was  reminded of how dear these older people are to our church, and yes, they are aging every day! These older men and women have  stood in the gap and begged God to send families to this church. They've been faithfully praying and serving God for many years now, and are we raising the next generation to stand up and fill that gap? Am I raising our boys to become prayer warriors and faithful soldiers of the cross? Am I raising a daughter that will also be a prayer warrior and committed to Jesus Christ? Having an experience like that in church was just another reminder of how much I love these dear older folks, and how fervent I need to be in raising our children for Jesus. ( The older man was taken to the hospital, but he was released and sent home the next day. Praise the Lord!)


We had a good afternoon getting to know another family from this area. Nick is one  of our  pastor's sons and his wife is Hannah. They have two little children, and it was a fun afternoon getting to know them better. The afternoon was cut a bit short as we did have to leave early for church. On Sunday night we had our last night of the kids program for this year. While I've very much enjoyed helping and teaching the 3-5 year olds, I'm thankful that we are having a break from that for a season! The boys and Emma have enjoyed the Childrens program, and we are thankful that we had the opportunity to help out with this ministry. However... Hooray for a break!!

On Monday the weather was...rainy! Emma and I spent the morning at home after dropping the boys off at school. It's always nice to have some time with just Emma, and the laundry pile appreciated my undivided attention for a few hours! 😀

Tuesday was a bit of a break in the rain and clouds. Yay for sunshine! Roger took the kids to school, while I managed to squeeze in a short run. I'm thankful for whatever opportunities I have to run outside, and the weather was very nice. When Roger came home from dropping off kids, we decided to go on an actual date! We tried out this local cafe in our small town. It was actually quite impressive and we would definitely visit there again. I had lunch duty at the school today.  Since  Roger had the day off, we surprised the boys with Subway sandwiches for lunch. They always enjoy when Roger is able to join them for lunch break, and I'm glad the boys love to spend time with him. Travis had some special testing with his teacher after lunch, so I waited for him for a while. We are concerned about his progress, and we want to help him succeed in education. We will see what transpires, but we are praying for Gods clear direction.

Wednesday morning Emma and I hosted our friend, Bethany and her two young kids. We had originally planned to go on a walk, but guess what?! The weather was misty and overcast! Bethany stopped and picked up coffee for us, which I definitely enjoyed! We spent the morning visiting, sharing, and chasing three small children. I'm thankful for the developing friendships I have with moms such as Bethany. Their children are similar in ages to ours, so we share a lot of common interests and parenting concerns. Emma and I left early to pick up Travis so that I could help with hot lunch. Although it wasn't my particular hot lunch day responsibility, there was a need for a few extra moms to help out. I helped wherever needed, and then ended up having a good visit with another dear friend. It's helpful to bear each other's burdens, and I can see why this is a Scriptural command given in Galatians. I'm thankful for the moms that have come along side me in this first year of so many transitions and changes to encourage and pray for me.

 

                                                                    Friends

Emma was supposed to go to school this morning, but she had an odd fever yesterday afternoon. She took a long nap yesterday afternoon, woke up very warm, and she acted tired. She had a fever until about three in the morning, and after that, she slept fine. She woke up a bit grouchy this morning, but she was fever free. I, of course, still kept her home from school. She was happy to go on a walk with her mama and my friend, Allison. It was a good morning of meaningful conversations to good laughs to just enjoying memories together. Allison tends to  be more of an introvert and I tend to be more of an extrovert. So together we are good friends! 😀

Since I didn't finish up this post yesterday, I'll go ahead and add the activities from today. 🙂 Roger had off of work, but he had a busy day with taking trash to the dump, fixing some things around the house, and driving to Bangor. One of our pilot friends from Arizona was in Bangor for the afternoon. As much fun as it would have been for us all to go, it would have been a long afternoon for the kids. Since we didn't want to get the kids out  of school early, we decided that it would be best  for just Roger to go to Bangor. I was able to g t some things ready for our company on Sunday afternoon, and I headed black to school a bit early. Tomorrow our church is hosting a give away sale. Everything will be free, and it's a wide variety of items. We have quite a few older ladies that I knew might need a hand with moving tables or setting up items, so Travis, Emma, and I helped with that for a bit. The only downside was that Emma and Travis discovered all the stuff that I had collected from our HOUSE! I kept reminding them that we were not taking our stuff back home!! After the older boys were done with school, they  helped out for a while also. It was a good way for the kids to get involved in a little project to help someone else.

We were also given a riding lawnmower today! That wasn't even an item on my urgent prayer request list, but God chose to bless us. It's an older mower, and the blade is currently causing some  problems it. However, it does run! Roger is planning to fix the blade, and we should have a riding lawn mower for the summer! It's exciting to see how God works  out all the details, and I'm glad the boys will be able to have the pushmower and the riding lawnmower for cutting the grass this summer. I actually like to use the pushmower...it's excercise! The boys are looking forward to trying out the riding lawnmower as soon as possible. Hopefully Roger will be able to fix it with some tools from work.

A few fun memories:
Travis was discussing something he missed in Wisconsin. I asked what he was missing about Wisconsin. He replied, "I'd like to go to that restaurant again where we ate  with the tweezers." I was a bit lost until I realized he meant chopsticks and not tweezers!

We were discussing heaven with the boys. We had discussed hell and why God didn't want us to go there. Chandler pops up with, "I know I'm saved. I'm glad I'm not going to hell, but do you think we will get to do things in heaven besides sing all day?!" He is concerned that he might be bored in heaven. So although I don't know what all we will be doing in heaven, we won't be bored!

Although these days of parenting are long and challenging, this is also an exciting time for me. The boys are growing and maturing, our conversations are changing, and I am so blessed to be their mama! Each day provides new mercies from the Lord as well as reminders that He is faithful. I'm thankful to be a mom, but these days we live in are dark in our society. It's encouraging to know that we have the Light of The World in our lives, and I can rest in him.

We are praying for Travis and Emma to come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. Travis has been asking many questions about heaven and hell. He knows that Jesus died on the cross for us sin, but he has yet to make a decision about placing his trust in Christ. I want to be sensitive to his needs, but I want him to make the decision. Please pray that he will understand that Jesus died for his sins, Jesus rose from the dead, and a home in heaven can be his by asking Jesus to forgive his sins and come into  his heart. (That is decision that can be yours also!)

Our love, Sarah

Busy Days and Happy Hearts

I'm blessed to be their mama! 

Greetings from Maine

We had a busy week(s) the last two weeks with standardized testing for the boys at school, a hot lunch for the school, having a friend for the afternoon, a birthday party to attend, a speaking session for a missions group, two Bible studies, and just life! 

The boys enjoyed the variety of the afternoon activities last week during testing, but it certainly did make them tired! We worked hard at being consistent with bedtimes and routines to make sure that they were operating at 100% during the testing. Several of the parents got together to bring in healthy snacks for the classes to eat together. Since we have children in three different classrooms, it was quite a big pile of cheese and crackers when it was our turn! Thankfully, I volunteered for each of their classrooms on the same day. I did end up helping out one of the other classrooms by providing extra snacks, but it is my privilege to help out our teachers in whatever way I can. 

I attended a Bible study on Tuesday morning, although I probably should have forgone that event because of the business of the rest of the week. Oh well! It is always an encouragement to listen to a group of older ladies express the life lessons that they have learned and the blessings of digging in Gods word. 

Wednesday was a busy day as it was a hot lunch day. This was a fun one though, and probably my favorite of the year. We were supposed to have an outdoor picnic; but since we had our one day of spring weather on Monday, we had to have it inside. I'm being sarcastic, of course, about the spring weather, but it is certainly slow in coming. But the grass is growing, and the trees are beginning to show different hues of green. Anyways, back to the lunch topic! Since the picnic needed to be inside, I brought sheets and blankets to tape to the floor. We had make-your-own subs, chips, watermelon, and juice boxes for lunch. The kids had a good time, and the cleanup was so easy and fast! 

Later on Wednesday afternoon, I went to pick up our pastors son to play at our house for the afternoon. The boys enjoy having Austin over to play, and they certainly weren't bothered by the rainy conditions. They came in with wet shoes, sloppy socks, and dirty clothes, but with happy hearts and a refreshed spirit. I'm thankful that the boys enjoy being outside, and it was nice to give them a little variety in the middle of the week. 

Thursday was one of Roger's days off of work. We spent the morning together working on some various projects around the house, and then he picked up Emma and Travis from school. I was thankful that Roger had off this particular day as I had been asked to speak on my Haiti trip. I had to opportunity to share about my trip to the ladies mission group at church. One of the older ladies had come up to me on Sunday to tell me that she would pick me up for the meeting. Our church has a bunch of older ladies, and I've been introduced several times. However, I just can't seem to remember everyone's name. But I didn't want to tell her that I didn't know her name, so I just figured that I would figure it out by someone else calling her by her name. 😀 There were about eight ladies there, and guess what? They went around the room and introduced themselves. Hooray! It was a good opportunity for me to get to know these dear women better and to share more of the details of my Haiti missions trip. I don't know if God will make a way for me to go again, but I'm certainly willing to go if He should allow. It was a life changing experience! 

Friday is always a bit of a busy morning for me with the ladies Bible study at church and playing  the piano for the school chapel. I do enjoy these Friday morning opportunities to play the piano, and sometimes the voices of those young kids singing so enthusiastically will move me to tears. After the chapel service, we have a ladies Bible study at the church. We've been having a good turnout of ladies of about fifteen, and we also had another new lady join us. She lives in the area, and said that she had seen the announcement about the Bible study via the church sign. It was a reminder to me of  the power of the written word. She came because someone had put the effort to put the notice on the church sign that can be seen from the road. I thought that was really neat!  

 Saturday was a beautiful day as the sun was out and the rain stayed away! Roger was working so I  took the  boys to an event at the YMCA. It was an open house for kids with various activities for them to do. It was fun for a bit, but there could've been a few more things to do. So, we decided to take a trip to the beach to climb on the rocks and look for sea glass. It's still hard to believe that we live so close to the coast and that there are many beaches to choose from! The boys had a good time climbing all over the rocks and searching for sea glass. By the time we headed home everyone was ready for a bit of down time. Roger was able to get home by 4:30, so that was a pleasant surprise for us. We cleaned up the yard, and Roger and I talked while the kids jumped on the trampoline. Suddenly we heard Chandler yelling for Garett to get off the trampoline. "Get off! You are getting blood on here!" I've learned not to get to worried about blood and the boys, but Garett did have blood streaming off his face. I left Roger to get started on looking at the issue while I went to get some paper towels. None of his brothers acted too concerned about him, but they were worried about the blood Garett had dripped  on the trampoline! Apparently Garett had been talked into trying a gymnastics move that he was not quite comfortable with performing. When he did the flip, he came down and hit his knee with his face along with having his lip between his teeth! Oh my! Yes, lots of blood and towels but the bleeding did stop. His lip is very swollen and busted, but he will survive. His biggest complaint has been that it hurts to get food  past his lips, so he has been very hungry! His brothers were impressed with how much his lip swelled up, and Travis did offer him one of his popsicles. Oh, the joys of boy hood! 

By Sunday morning, Garett's lip was very swollen. He agreed to take some medicine, so I know it must have been hurting quite a bit. Garett does not like to take medicine! I know it will get better, but it's going to take some time.

We had a bit of a rough start to our school week as the vehicle wouldn't start on Monday morning. I had already been a bit frazzled that morning with trying to get some extra chores done with the kids before they left for school. So the car not starting was the icing on the cake! Of course, I couldn't get ahold of of Roger, we don't live near others that go to the school, and Chandler was upset that they might miss gym class. After taking a deep breath...and letting go of a few tears of frustration...we moved on to what we could do. I had Chandler pray that he would make it to gym class, and I told the boys that now God had provided a few extra minutes for them to do a few more chores. I called Rogers work and learned that he was out on one of the islands, which I had figured as much. I just left a message at the office to please have him call me when he arrived back. I called the school to let them know that we would be late, and I praised the Lord that this was not the week of testing. (If the kids had been late last week, they would've had to make arrangements to make up any testing that they missed.) Thankfully, Roger was able to get out to rescue us a little after 8:45 am., so the boys were at school by 9:10. Gym classs starts at 9:30 am., so the boys were delighted that God answered their prayers. Emma and I ran a bunch of errands while waiting for Travis to be done with school at 11:30. I had left some medicine for Garett in the office in case he needed it. When I picked up Travis, I spoke with Garett's teacher. She said that she had been gently trying to suggest to Garett that he go take some medicine, but he was getting the clues. I laughed and said that Garett does not get clues, but I would give him instructions from his mama to get some medicine after lunch. 😁

Here is the funny story in all of that...Garett came home from school with a note saying that he had been given some medicine and an ice pack. I asked him if the ice pack had helped, and Garett replied, "Not really." I was trying to process why not, when Chandler announced, "He had it on his head, Mom!" I asked Garett why on earth he would put it on his head instead of his lip. He replied, "Well, the lady in the office said that this was the ice pack they gave to kids with headaches sometimes, so I figured that must be where it was supposed to go!" Oh.my.word. Well, moving on...I told Garett that tomorrow he should place the ice pack on his lip to see if that would help. 😜

I need to wrap this up, but I have a few praises.
1) We were invited to a birthday party yesterday. It was a such a fun time, and I'm so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to know the Philbrook family. The boys had a good time bowling, and it's so good to see them developing and making friendships also.

2) I made a dessert for the teacher appreciation dinner today. Lemon curd is amazingly delicious...who knew?! I'm thankful that the dessert was going to the school because that would've been hard to resist.

3) Someone anonymously gave $200.00 to the boys school bill this month. I can't imagine who that might be or who knows our family well enough to consider donating towards our school bill. But it so encourages my heart, and I am so very thankful.

4) I made a meal for a family that recently moved today, and it was a reminder of how thankful I am that God has blessed us with a home, a wonderful church family, and a great Christian school for the kids.

It is now the month of May...and hopefully warmer weather, spring flowers, gardens, and less mud! It is also the month that I can probably share about that prayer request from a few weeks ago. We are so thankful to each one of you who pray for us. We had to make some decisions concerning health insurance for Roger and I. With Roger's recent pay raise, we did not qualify for the state insurance. We are over the cut off limit by a very little amount but we still had to figure something out. It was a bit of a stressful time for us as we tried to refit  our budget, and nothing was coming together. The  cost for us to get our own health insurance is  almost triple what the amount of the raise was going to be. Thankfully, the kids will still qualify for state insurance. It is not our intent or desire to be dependent upon the state but it has been helpful to have health  insurance as we've been transitioning. We are in a difficult position to figure out all of the budget issues, but we did receive notice that we will have six months to figure it out. This paperwork has brought a bit of peace of mind, as we sort through the changes we need to make. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Our love to you,
Sarah ❤️

Spring Break, Birthday boy, and Life!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

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

 

Time spent in the woods = time well spent! 

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

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


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


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

God is so good to me! 

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

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

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

 Coins that the kids have been saving 

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

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

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

 Wyatt is 8!! 

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

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

We love you all!
Sarah

 Fun with friends on Monday of spring break week! 

Academic Fair, Family, and Blessings!

Brothers...Nate and Roger 

April 1st

The first day of April greeted us with about 5 inches or more of wet, sloppy snow! I have to admit it was beautiful, but I'm also ready to see the leaves on the trees start to bud also! Thankfully, although the weather was mostly wet and damp last week, the snow did disappear rather quickly. Now we have  mud, and I mean, lots of mud! But the good thing about children and mud is that children can be washed clean again and mud dries. I'm thankful that the children like to be  outside, and they certainly sleep better when they've been outdoors for a while.

Last week was such a busy week that it both flew by and dragged on for forever at the same time, and yes, that is possible! 🙂 We started off on Monday with both feet on the ground as Travis and Wyatt both had to bring in their completed academic fair projects to school. I have to admit transporting delicate clay projects, a model airplane and runway, homemade yogurt, and four back boards for presentation skills was a bit crazy! However, nothing was broken...hooray! On Monday morning we just had to transport the stuff for Travis and Wyatt, so at least the trips of valuable items were broken up. Chandler and I spent Monday evening making homemade yogurt. Chandler's academic fair topic was on Americas Dairyland. He had to make a project to go along with his topic, so he picked yogurt. He found a simple recipe on Pinterest, and he happily mixed it all together in the crockpot. It was a new experience for both of us, but I was pleased with how he figured out the directions. When it came time to taste test the yogurt the next morning, he insisted that we wait for Roger. I think he wanted Roger to be his ginea pig to try it out.😜

Garett's project 

Chandler's project 

Wyatt and his friend, Levi 

Travis's Project 

Tuesday is a day that I try to go to a ladies Bible study at a different church in our area. But last Tuesday, I was asked to fill in for music classes. I knew that I would have to miss Bible study, but I also wanted to be a blessing to the music teacher by filling in. So I taught music class on Tuesday morning, did lunch duty, came home and prepared supper, went back to pick up the big boys, and came home to finish getting dinner ready. We invited Roger's boss and his wife to come to dinner last Tuesday evening, and it was a time of good company and lots of stories. We have come to love and appreciate Roger's boss, and his wife is a very dear lady. I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to have them in our home for a meal, and it's something that I hope we can do again soon. The boys told them  all about their academic fair projects, and they agreed to try to come on Thursday night to see the presentations. It was a later night than normal for the kids, but this couple is dear and sweet to us and it was worth the bit of a later bedtime.

Wednesday was the morning for our monthly parent group meeting. Roger had off today, so he did errands while Emma and I attended the meeting. After the meeting, we went to pick up Travis. However, the school secretary mentioned that they were short on lunchroom volunteers for lunch duty. I don't like to see the teachers have to use their valuable time to supervise lunchduty if it can be helped. So, Roger and I did stayed for lunch duty. I also ended up with a very hoarse voice today, so I was happy to go home and take a rest with Emma. I was feeling fine, but I could hardly talk and I was a bit tired. Many kids have been sick at school this week, so we've been trying to use lots of disinfectant and hand washing to keep germs at bay!

Thursday was the day of the academic fair. Chandler and Roger taste tested the yogurt, and Chandler decided to add some strawberry jam to give it extra flavor. Chandler was not crazy about the taste, but Roger thought it was really good. Chandler was happy to have his project done though, so he wa just happy the yogurt was edible!

I spent part of the morning with my friend, Allison. We shopped for paper products for the refreshments that would be served after the academic fair. We managed to make good time on finding some that would work, so we wisely used the remainder of our time sipping coffee and fellow shipping! 🙂 I have come to love and appreciate her friendship to me, and I'm thankful that God brought a much needed friend into my life at just the right time.


After picking up Travis on Thursday morning, we headed home to clean our house. Roger's brother, Nate, his wife, and four kids would be flying in this afternoon for a short visit. I had all the boys take the sheets off of their beds this morning, and Chandler told me "I'm not too dirty, Mom. We don to need to wash my sheets!" 😳I assured him that we would wash them anyways. I still have a very hoarse voice, but I don't have any other symptoms of sickness. Praise the Lord!

We managed to get clean sheets on all the beds, make a snack for the refreshment table, and get everyone's chapel clothes laid out before returning to pick up the boys from school. After school we came home for a bit of downtime, but the boys were pretty wired both about the academic fair and that their cousins were coming to visit.

The academic fair started at six-thirty pm., but the kids needed to be there a little earlier. Since this is our first time having the academic fair experience, we were all anxious to see what it would be like. Each of the classes had set up their presentation around the room. We moved from room to room interacting with the students and asking  them about their projects. All the students did a great job, and it was so rewarding to see all of their hard work come together. Nate and Ruth ended up meeting us directly at the school, and the boys were delighted to see their cousins. Roger's boss, Kevin, and his wife, Terri, were also able to come to the academic fair, and I know that meant a lot to the boys. It was a long day, but I knew that the next day would be  Friday! We had already decided to take the boys out of school around noon, so that they could have some time to spend with their cousins.

Cousins 

Friday was another full day with a half day of school for the boys, a trip to a small town with the cousins, lots of outdoor play, and even a supper date  for the adults. After we picked up the boys from school, we went home where the boys immediately dug out all their nerf guns to play with Landon and Emma. Nate and Ruth have an "Emma" too, so we had two Emma Robertson at our house. The two Emma's are separated by quite a few years between them though! Charis is two, and  our Emma greatly enjoyed having a younger child around. We ended up going up to Camden, which is a quaint little town up the road. The kids had  a good time walking along the harbor, and running around with their cousins.

Roger had to work part of the day on Saturday. But it gave Nate's family a chance to see where Roger works.  Also  on Saturday we visited a lighthouse with Nate, Ruth, and their family. After all, it would be a shame to come all the way to Maine and not visit a light house! Although we didn't have great weather while they were here, I'm thankful that it wasn't pouring down rain. We did have to dress up a bit warmly , but we were able to be outside. Nate and Ruth had to leave on Sunday morning, so it was a really quick visit. However, it is always nice to see family, and I'm thankful that they made the effort to come see us.

So there it is in writing...a crazy busy week! Want to know a special blessing? Someone anonymously put $200.00 on our  school bill!  I had a hard time not skipping out of the office on Friday after the secretary told me that! God is so good! Just when it's hard not to be overwhelmed, God gives us a special tangible reminder that He knows exactly where we are at! I had many blessings last week among them being a meal shared with Rogers boss,  having family come to visit, and someone being used of God to encourage us. We are blessed! I don't know who put money on our school bill, and they might not even read the blog, but I am so very thankful for your generosity!

Have a wonderful day!
Sarah