The Blessings and ...the rest!

(I started this blog post on Thursday, May 16)

It’s the eve of my 36th birthday (gasp)! Somehow I thought that by the time I was this age, I would have figured out how to be a better parent; that I would not  still struggle with getting frustrated and upset with our children; that I would be wiser, skinnier, wealthier, etc.!! Ha! You know what though, in spite of what “I thought” way back when I was in my early twenties, God has blessed me beyond measure! I wouldn’t have ever dreamed that I would be doing life in mid-Coast Maine, with five kiddos! The only part that is exactly as I imagined  is that I am still married to the wonderful man that I loved in my early twenties! By God’s Grace, Roger puts up with me and loves me!

I’m now approaching the middle-age category...or maybe I’m already there!? My life is full, and I am blessed. I’ve been reflecting on a few things in recent days, and I’ve decided that I need to make some changes in this 36th year of life. For one, God doesn’t give out extra brownie points for business. He wants us to be willing vessels, but that may mean that I have to say “no” to something in order to not stretch myself too thin for what God has called me to do...be a wife and a mother. I tend to be a “doer”, God uses that for His honor and glory for sure. However, at times I need to take the time to sit and be still. I always think it’ll be after this one more event, or one more task, or one more opportunity to serve, but yet there is always another need. Are some of these God-orchestrated? Absolutely, yes! Good night, there are way too many pew warmers!! Are you one of them?! But just because the need is there, does not necessarily mean that it’s what God wants Sarah to do with her time and life.


The above paragraph was written on Thursday night, when I was exhausted, tired, and overwhelmed.  Not saying that some of those above statements aren’t true...they surely are! However, it’s amazing         what an encouraging day, some sunshine, friends that love me and pray with me, and an amazing staff
to serve alongside at our Christians school can do for my spirit.

Roger has originally thought that he might be in California on my birthday. His cousin, whom Roger hasn’t seen in years, was getting married. While I knew that the kids and I would miss him, I encouraged Roger to go if it would work out. However, last week Roger decided that the timely was just ill-timed to go to California, so he would stay home.  I was thankful for this as the week    progressed.

Last week was a bit like a tornado, but God is in control of those too! On Monday, I was faced with another student telling me that they weren’t sure if they would be able to make it to the program, and a bit of chaos over the program happening on Friday night. I about wanted to scream, but instead, I  made a few phone calls, a few emails, and God gave grace. Some of the chaos was smoothed over,   and I felt like all the fires were at least under control for a bit!


Emma had Kindergarten screening after school on Monday. The boys played outside while Emma did her screening. I’m not sure if Emma was having a bad day, a rough moment, or if it’s just going to be another child that will struggle with education. I was caught a bit off guard as the screening indicates that Emma is behind on a few things. She seems to do fine at home with numbers and letters and sounds, but she struggled with the screening. It was all so disheartening to me, and I cried the entire way home. Emma had no idea why I was crying, the boys didn’t know how to offer comfort, and it was a long ride home. Mostly I had a battle with the Lord over wanting MY way. I don’t want another child who struggles with education and learning all that is needed for a certain grade. I want something to be EASY! I want Emma to excel in Kindergarten and learning because she’s our child.   Yet in my frustration and tears, I knew that the Holy Spirit was pointing me back to the truth of God’s  Word. As much as I love our children, God loves them more. As much as I want what I think is best
 for them, God KNOWS what is best for them. As much as my mama's heart was/is hurting, God has  a plan that is bigger than I can see. The opportunity to trust Him has presented itself once more. I need to trust Him. The other side of that equation is that we need a lot of wisdom. We need some clear direction on how to help Emma and what steps we can take to try to get her as ready as possible for kindergarten....without either of us losing our minds! I think Emma’s screening was just another dart that Satan threw at me at a terribly discouraging day to start with, and he wanted to see me defeated. But just on Monday morning, I had read from Romans 8. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and to them that are the called according to his purpose.” Get out of the way, Satan....I’m going to trust my Heavenly Father!


 On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to get coffee with a friend from school. Rachelle is a new mom to our Christian school, and I’ve been wanting to just spend time with her. I was able to practice some parts of the  patriotic Program with the oldest class, and then Emma and I went to have coffee with Rachelle. Allison was able to join us also, and what a sweet, sweet time of fellowship God provided over coffee. A friend had given us a gift card to the coffee shop, and we spent a quick couple of hours just visiting and chatting. It was so refreshing to just sit and visit. We shared burdens, laughter, prayer requests, and some sweet time in prayer before we needed to get on with our day.  I’m thankful that God opened up that door for a visit in Tuesday.

Wednesday was music class and our “dress” rehearsal for the Patriotic Program on Friday. As par for the course, we were missing more students on Wednesday than we have in a long time! Chandler woke Roger and I up on Tuesday night complaining of his headache. He took some medicine, and he  laid down on the couch for a bit. He threw up several times during the night due to his headaches, and I knew he was exhausted on Wednesday morning. He was happy to stay home and get some extra  rest, while I went to school to have program practice. Chandler’s headaches seem to come in waves, and when he gets one, it wipes him out. He didn’t run a fever or have any other symptoms, but he  couldn’t sleep and he threw up about three times. Overall program practice went well, I think. The  kids know mostly what I want them to do, and the teachers are there to provide a leading hand.  Allison said that she would make a program schedule for me if I gave her the information. Oh yes! One less thing for me to do! (She gave it to me to proofread. I forgot a student and she fixed it for  Friday night. The one error that I didn’t catch was the Garett’s name was misspelled! Oh well! I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t caught that one! Chalk it up to a tired, overstimulated brain! )


I was supposed to have a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, but instead Emma and I went home to check on Chandler. He was clearly feeling better as he had eaten about half a pound of bacon, some cereal, oatmeal, and some fruit! That  was just for breakfast! I was happy to see that he was feeling better.

Travis and Emma had doctors appointments on Wednesday after school. They are both healthy and growing well. Emma is tall and skinny, and Travis is tall and skinnier! But after hearing all that Travis likes to eat, the doctor said he has no concerns about his eating habits. Travis plays hard, eats well, and sleeps as soon as his head hits the pillow!



Thursday morning I woke up early. As I do almost every my, I drank coffee, read my Bible, and did my workout. I did have to stop several times and write down somethings  on my to do list! It was a busy and full day of preparing for Friday’s program and hot lunch. I was thankful for Claire and Allison as they both pitched in to help with various things. Roger made a flag holder for me, and  Allison was able to find some patriotic decorations for the program. Emma and I went out to the airport after dropping the boys off at school. Sometimes I pack a lunch for Roger and Emma and I drop it off. Roger was getting ready to head out to one of the islands, but he had some extra room in the plane. He asked if Emma and I would want to come along. I felt like I had 400 things to do, but I could tell this was important to Roger. Besides God had just thrown me an opportunity to slow down, and what was I going to do with it?! Emma and I decided to go on the flight. It was such a good investment of our time. I was able to spend time with some of my favorite people, and it was a beautiful morning!

Friday morning was my birthday...number 36! But who’s counting?! I probably would have forgotten it was my birthday except my kids did remember! I was thankful that Roger was home on Friday morning to help calm nerves, find ties, and help out in so many ways. Although Friday night would be our official performance, the students did a run through of the program for Friday’s chapel.  

When we arrived at school on Friday morning, Mrs. Wheelis gave me a gift for my birthday. It was a great way to start the morning! She’s been a great teacher for Wyatt and Travis and we are so thankful for her. She gave me a birthday bag filled with wonderful smelling body wash, lotions, a candle and chocolate! Emma was thrilled to see the chocolate as that is one of her favorites! It was a very special surprise.

The students did a great job on their chapel performance. I accidentally started to play the wrong song for one of the classes, but we quickly remedied the situation! After the chapel service, Allison gave me a card from the PBA for my birthday. I knew what was in this one, as I had helped buy the gift cards on one of our coffee dates! But a gift card to TJMAXX is always a fun gift!

After hot lunch, Allison and Claire took me out for lunch for my birthday. We could’ve eaten the  hot lunch we made for the students, but I certainly enjoyed the opportunity for fellowship and food. I’m so very thankful for these two mamas! Emma and Lucy (Claire’s daughter) came with us to lunch. As we were leaving the church for my birthday lunch, I noticed some money was missing from the offering plate by the sanctuary. The offering plates were set out for donations to the schools scholarship fund. I had noticed four quarters in the morning, but the quarters were missing as we left the church. I asked Emma about it, and she instantly denied knowing anything about the quarters....but her hands were in her pockets. The little sinner had stolen the offering!  It was not the way I wanted to start off my birthday lunch, and I was a bit discouraged about parenting and disappointed in Emma’s choice of actions. This was not the time or place to deal with the actions, so I made her apologize to Allison (it was Allison that had put the money in there and she had asked  Emma about it also) for taking the offering and for lying about it. Emma also had to tell Roger about  it on Friday afternoon, and then the consequences were dealt out for lying and stealing!


Roger and I had already decided to celebrate my birthday another day as I had a lot going on already on Friday. Roger has provided hours of listening support for me and helping me create some simple decorations.

The staff from the school gave me a very nice birthday card as well as a gift card to a restaurant in appreciation for the Patriotic Program. Hooray! Roger and I can have a date to celebrate my birthday!
Garett’s teacher had her students sign a card and she bought me a corsage to wear for the program. She is such a wonderful leader by example to her junior high class, and I am so appreciative of her. She also gave me a gift card from her class...but we all know who really made that happen! Mrs. Martz  has been a gift from God for Garett’s education this year. I love how God orchestrates exactly what we need.

The PBA  gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers after the program. While it was a busy and full day, I certainly did feel loved and appreciated! I was exhausted and tired, but so happy and content on Friday night.

The students did a fantastic job on Friday, as their hard work paid off. They sang, participated, and quoted their pieces. The sanctuary was quite full with families and friends. I was thrilled to see Rogers boss and wife there. I was happy with the veterans that we were able to honor. I do believe God was honored as we honored Him and our Country. Our Pastor brought a short devotional  challenge, and the program is complete! I think my favorite part was the playing of the “Armed Forces” medley and seeing the veterans stand. We had at least one veteran from each branch of the service. I hope to see the tradition of a Patriotic Program continue as this is a need in our country.

A few other blessings:
1) On Friday after school, I took the kids through the McDonald’s drive thru for a quick snack on the way home. Another mom from school was ahead of us in line, and she bought the kids treats! What a special blessing!

2) My friend, Allison, had given me a beautiful pair of earring that I wore on Friday night. However, I lost one of them! I was upset as it was the first time I had worn them, and they were a gift. But God allowed that missing earring to show up!

3) Laughter is good medicine. Garett and Chandler would like to go to camp this summer. Garett had the opportunity to go last year, and they would, both like to go this summer. We’ve stepped out in  Faith a bit and have signed them up for camp. However, there is a wait list.  I was discussing this with the boys. Chandler wanted to know why they were in a wait list. He asked if it had something to do with heavier (he used the word fatter) kids being on the top bunk. Were there too many skinny kids and not enough heavier ones to balance out the bunk beds? I was completely lost at sea until I realized that Chandler was hearing “WEIGHT” list!   He thought that it had to do with weight and not with wait! I about fell off my chair, and we all got a good laugh!

4) Another funny moment: A few weeks ago, Emma copied the title off of a book. The letters weren’t all formed correctly, but it was clear she had copied it. She proudly brought it down stairs to show  Roger. Travis was in the kitchen as well, and when he saw Emma’s letters, he told her, “Well, you’re going to jail!” Emma was about to cry, and Roger and I just stared at Travis. Travis repeated, “Yes, my teacher said that if you copy out of books it is illegal! People can go to jail for illegal stuff!” I’m sure that his teacher had been stressing the importance of the students doing their own work for the academic fair, but Travis was convinced that Emma was going to jail! Once we got Emma to stop wailing about going to jail, and Travis to calm down, Roger and I sure did get a chuckle!

It was a busy and full week! The state of Maine legislation made some horrific decisions this week. They have agreed to allow taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. They’ve made vaccinations mandatory for public education. (I’m not opposed to vaccinations. I’m opposed to the government forcing parents to do it.) And they agreed to go with the National popular vote for elections. It’s all very disheartening, and it’s easy to get discouraged. However, I want to end with this passage from Romans 8 (the book of the Bible I’m reading right now).

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Waiting and Praying

Ever have moments where you realize you are just weary? Then you find yourself clinging to the promises from God’s Word? I am beyond thankful for God and His Word. Without Him, my life would feel empty and meaningless. I am thankful that He is the “great I AM”. I am doing a Bible study online with a few other ladies in our online virtual gym. We’ve been studying the “I am” statements, and it has been refreshing and encouraging.

Last week was so crazy that I’m really not even going to tell all the details that I might normally tell. It was teacher appreciation week, and while I’m happy to have served, it was tiring! A few of us planted succulents, made a luncheon, bought coffee cards, made a breakfast,  and created baskets of little odds and ends.  Because our parent group is a tad small, I had the opportunity to serve on many occasions last week...as well as enjoy a luncheon, a coffee gift card, a succulent, and a basket of goodies. All in all, it was a great teachers week, and by the time Friday rolled around, I was so thankful!

Our students continue to prepare and work hard on the Patriotic Program. Its hard to believe that it will take place this Friday...also my 36th birthday! I am so thankful for all of the students that have done what I have asked, even when it was hard! I wish I knew how to encourage a few to give it their 100% best effort, but I think that becomes an issue of the heart and obedience, and not something that can be solved in music class. They are a great group of kids, and I’m so proud of them. They’ll be singing the “Star-Spangled Banner”, “This is My Country”, “This Land is Your Land”, “Flag of the Free”,  and the “Statue of Liberty”. Several of the older students are working on Scripture passages, and quotes from Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key, and Ronald Reagan. I am really looking forward to it all coming together. And I’d be lying if I said I was not nervous about it! Roger
 has been my sounding board for so many things. My friend, Allison, has provided many moments of
listening ears as I think and work through ideas.

I am not sure what God has in store for the Patriotic Program, but the attacks from Satan have been strong and steady on this one! It’s been one hurdle after another, and just when I think we’ve hit smooth sailing, something else has popped up. Perhaps after the program, I’ll be able to give a few more details. For now though, I would just covet your prayers. I’m asking that first and foremost that God will be glorified. I’m asking that the students would give their best efforts, and let God work through them. I’m asking God to allow the message of salvation to go forward unhindered, and that the seeds of Good News will be planted. I’m asking for calmness of heart for me as well as peace of mind. God is good, and He is faithful!

Friday provided us with the opportunity to help the ladies in our church set up some tables for the Give-Away Sale. Every year, our church hosts a give away sale, where everything is free. I never know where all the stuff come from, but every year there is an abundance! The kids helped haul in boxes from the garage, set stuff on table, and of course, they found a few treasures in the process! We did bring more stuff to the give-away than we brought home!  Oh well, it was fun for them. I found a beautiful quilt at the give away that I was delighted to bring home.



Also on Friday, I was given a bouquet of flowers from our administrator. I do enjoy tulips!

On Saturday morning, I had the rare opportunity to go out with my sister, Hannah, for a bit. I don’t
get to see her nearly as often as I’d like, so I savor the opportunities! Emma came with me, as Roger had many things that he was trying to get done around the house. Emma did very, very well, but its not quite the same as when its just Hannah and I. I was thankful for the time spent together shopping and finding some bargains. As usual, the majority of what I purchased was food!!

On Saturday evening, we went to the Philbrook’s for a birthday party. Their oldest girl, Emma, is in Garetts class at school. And we are friends with their family, so it was nice to go to a low-key, casual event! It was a fun evening.

Roger had also taken the boys fishing on Saturday, and Chandler was stoked that he had caught a trout! It was a fun time for the boys and Roger.


Last Wednesday, we had an early release day from school. Roger also had the day off, and the weather was beautiful! We spent the afternoon tromping around on some trails at a park near our house. The boys stuck their feet in the water, but not this mama! It was a fun afternoon. The ticks are bad again this year, so we spend time every evening looking through heads of hair for ticks. Not very fun, but kinda necessary right now!

Sunday was Mothers Day. Who decided that Mothers Day should be on a Sunday?! I had the opportunity to to play the piano at another local church. Although I was nervous, God helped me through it all. I had the opportunity to play a piano special for the offertory, and I was reminded that it has been quite a LONG time since I have done that!


It was just another day in paradise, but that’s okay. Roger is a great father to our children, and I am thankful for the balance he provides in our home and in our marriage. Its not all roses, but it is a work in progress. The older I get, the more I realize that the most precious gift I could ever be given for Mothers Day is not a tangible one. Its knowing our children have asked Christ into their hearts. It’s seeing our children love and serve God with all of their hearts. (It might not look exactly how I think it should, but knowing God is at work in their lives is a gift.) Those aren’t tangible gifts, but those are the desires of my heart. I’m continuing to pray for our children.

3 John 1:4

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 

Blessings and Our Children’s Requests

Here we are in May already! I feel like I just posted that we were now in April!! May and June are the crazy, busy downhill, all-out race to the finish line of the last day of school! The kids are ready to be done;  the teachers are quickly approaching that point also, and it looks like we might even get a few days that feel like spring!

Last week we had a lot of rain (again). However, God gave us many blessings last week also. The kids had been praying specifically about some recess/playground situations at school. As their parents  we had the opportunity to help them work on their attitudes, be respectful, and pray about the situation. As the students, it is there job to honor and respect their authorities. As their parents, it’s our job to help them with their situations. God provided opportunities for both of us. I was delighted to hear the kids come home one day later in the week and describe to us their excitement over how God answered their prayers. It was exciting to hear them praise the Lord in their prayers over how He had answered them.

I had the unexpected opportunity to accompany Wyatt and Travis’s class on a field trip to the candle making shop. I had not planned on going on this field trip simply because well, I do a lot already...and Roger was working....so Emma was with me! However, my friend, Claire, called me to see if I could drive as there was an issue with one of the vehicles  that was supposed to take the children. As I usually do in a pinch, I called Roger! Rogers boss graciously offered to let us use a van for the field trip. Emma was able to come with me, and the problem was solved! It was a fun field trip to learn about hand dipped candles, and all the work that goes into that process! The shop even let the children pour a candle, and it was so fun for them.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the Patriotic Program next week. I envisioned this easy and simple plan, but it’s not been quite as simple as I dreamed! The students are doing a fantastic job of memorizing songs, poems, Bible verses, and handbell pieces. This will be an event to honor our veterans and those that have served in the Armed Forces as well as a time to point people to Jesus  through this program. I’m thankful that our pastor is willing to share the Good News that Jesus came  to seek and to save us from our sins at every opportunity. I would appreciate your prayers as I work through many small but important details over the next ten days. We live in a great country, and we are so blessed to  be Americans!

Allison and I were able to squeeze in a coffee date on Friday, but it was more of an “errand” date. We had to buy some things for teacher appreciation week this week, purchase a few things for hot lunch, and the time flew by! I told Allison that it really wasn’t a good date, and we needed another one  soon!

After hot lunch, Claire and I planted succulents for the teachers appreciation week. Claire had found that little pots, and we were able to get the job done quickly. The parents group has something planned for the teachers every day next week. (May 6-10) We are giving them plants on Monday. We are having a teacher luncheon on Tuesday. On Wednesday we have coffee gift cards for each teacher.  Thursday will be a breakfast. And on Friday we have made baskets of goodies and treats for each teacher. Being small in number in the parents group means that I have the opportunity to both help and be on the receiving end of the gifts.

Saturday morning found us at the church for a work day. People came out in droves to help us clean up the church yard, pick up trash, and clean windows! Okay, that’s a lie, but it was still a productive morning! We had about eight kids (five of them being ours) and about seven adults. However, the spirit of unity was present. It really was a good morning. The kids were thrilled to have donuts and chocolate milk as a reward for their labor.

Chandler had been invited to a birthday party on Saturday afternoon. I knew Allison was planning to take her daughter, so I originally planned to drop chandler off and go grocery shopping. But God had  other plans. When I dropped off Chandler, I just felt such a sense that I should stay at the party. It was
 held at an indoor gym place, and Chandler was excited to go. Another mom from the school came also, and it was a sweet time of visiting as the kids played at the party. It really was a good use of my time, and Chandler told me that he was glad that I had stayed at the party. (Even though then he had to go grocery shopping afterwards!)

A few blessings from this week:
1) We wrapped up our children’s program at church. I was able to find an app that allowed me to design my own certificates for the children in my group. I wanted to give them a small gift, but we are on a limited budget. I decided to see if McDonald’s would give me coupons for ice cream cones. The first McDonald’s we went to was unable to help me as the store manager wasn’t available. Chandler and I decided to ask at the other McDonald’s in the next town. The manager was helpful and offered to go and look for some coupons. She found ten coupons for free ice cream. Guess how many coupons I needed?! Yes, ten! Praise the Lord!

2) We had a prayer breakfast on Sunday morning at church. We also had a little continental breakfast before the prayer meeting. Our children are FAR from perfect,  but it was a special blessing to me to see them wait for the older folks in church to go through the food line first. Far too often, it seems that children are rushing to be the first in line for dinners...and it drives me crazy! Even if...that’s a big if...we did run out of food before the children got in the line, they still would not starve.   It’s taken literally years of work, but I was delighted to not have to remind the kids to wait for the older folks...they did it in their own.

3) Someone gave a generous gift of money towards our children’s school bill! It is a great and wonderful privilege for our children to attend the Christian school, and I am just in awe of how many ways God has provided for their education! God is so good!

4) I wrote down four blessings, but now I can’t remember what this one was. So I’ll close with just how wonderful God is to us. He bountifully bestows His blessings on His children. His mercies are new every morning, and Great is His faithfulness!

I will be playing the piano for another local church on Sunday. While I enjoy this opportunity, I am always a bit nervous about messing up some of the songs. Please just pray with me that God will be glorified.

Our love,
Sarah

5K, Wyatt’s Birthday, Resurrection Sunday- Never a Dull Moment!

 

I wanted to get this post about Wyatt’s Birthday, the 5K race, Easter, and this week of school written before today...but that’s life!

On Saturday, April 20, Wyatt turned ten years old! How did we arrive at the double digits so quickly?! This boy is our smack dab middle child. He is a perfectionist in a lot of ways. He enjoys school and learning, and he also enjoys the outdoors. He is quiet, but he has the sweetest smile. We had ice cream cake to celebrate in the evening. Wyatt picked to have hotdogs with chili for his birthday supper. The kids get to pick their birthday meal, and that’s what Wyatt chose to have for his supper. It was enjoyed by all!


Early on Saturday, April 20, we had participated in our schools 5K fundraiser race. It was a bit of a raining and dreary morning, but the spirits were high. Those that came to the event seemed to have a really good time and to enjoy the event. This was a very rare and special occasion that I didn’t have anything to do with the event! Roger had to work in the morning, so it was the kids and I at the race. I knew that Emma would not want to walk three miles, but I wasn’t sure what I would do with her as all the other kids would be out on the course. Thankfully a dear lady in our church offered to keep an eye on Emma while we ran in the race. Emma had another friend, Scarlett, who was also not walking in the race. They had a good time together while the rest of us ran. Garett is NOT the runner in our family, but he certainly had a good attitude about participating. He walked/jogged with some of his friends. Meanwhile, Chandler was the fourth runner to cross the finish line! He finished in 24: 36 for a three mile race without even training! I came in shortly after he did, and Wyatt and Travis were not far behind me. I’ve run better races, but I should be happy with a time of 26:46 since I just haven’t  had much time to get out and run lately. Wyatt and Travis both finished in under 30 minutes, and they
 did a great job. Garett was quite a bit ways back, but as usual, that didn’t bother him at all! Myself,
 Chandler, and Wyatt all placed first in our age divisions, and that totally put smiles on their faces. The kids had a good time with the event, and I think, for the first time the school has done that type of event, it went very well.

Sunday, April 21, was Resurrection Sunday. We started off the morning with a sunrise service (where the sun wasn’t shining). However, there were still quite a bit of people that came out for the service, and it was followed by a breakfast in the church building. After the breakfast, we came home and I finished putting together food for the lunch.



The kids did a great job on singing, playing bells, and the xylophone for the morning worship service. It’s such a blessing to my heart to see the kids serve the Lord through music and song. The church building was way more crowded than normal, and it was nice to see so many visitors. We left quite  quickly after church as we had people coming for lunch. My sister, Hannah, and her husband, Josh,  came to lunch as well as Roger’s boss, Kevin, his wife, Terri, and her sister, Sally. Although the kids
were a bit bummed because there were not any children for them to play with, it really was a great
afternoon. We enjoyed lots of food, laughter, stories, and savored our time around the table. It was nice that we didn’t have to rush back to church for a Sunday evening service or children’s program.

After our company left on Sunday afternoon, we took a quick trip out to our pastors house for dessert and coffee. Our children were so excited to go as they enjoy playing air-soft games with Austin. We didn’t stay very long, but the time of fellowship was sweet and good. A lot of the pastors family was there with their spouses and children, so there were plenty of people for the kids to play air-soft guns and games. It was a nice way to wrap up the Spring Break week.


Resurrection Sunday is usually a full and busy day and this year was no exception. I’m so thankful   that we have reason to celebrate this special day. Out of all the holidays, this one should make us the
most excited as Christians. Imagine a life without a risen Savior?! We’d have no hope! I’m so
thankful that Christ died for our sins, but I am beyond thankful that He rose again! Our hope lies in Christ, In Christ Alone!

 

  

 

Back to school on Monday, and no one was thrilled to be going back-except Emma! However, the boys had a bit of a different week as this week they took Terra Nova tests every morning. Not all of our children are great testers, but none of them minded the change of pace from regular learning. Each afternoon they had something different or fun, so the week was a bit different from normal.

Because of the testing in the mornings, I wasn’t able to teach during my regular music time. I needed to teach on Thursday, and that meant Emma wouldn’t be in school. Thankfully, my friend, Claire, offered to watch Emma while I taught music classes. Emma was THRILLED to play at Lucys house, and they even went on a little picnic (because the sun was shining for a change!) We’ve had so many dreary, rainy days that we are all a bit tired of them! Roger has not been able to fly as much as he  would like simply because the run ways are too wet or its been pouring rain!

After school on Thursday, I went to pick up Emma. Claire knows boys well, and she had provided a snack for them. We then went down to the harbor to watch the lobster boat come in. Claire’s husband harvests lobsters for a living, and the boys enjoyed seeing the boat with all the lobsters on it. Emma was a bit intimidated by the boat, but she enjoyed seeing the lobsters. It was another great experience for the children, and we are thankful!

Friday was chapel, hot lunch, a play date for Emma at our house, back to pick up the boys, and all the other adventures of Fridays!

We are dreaming of being done with school. We are praying that the sun will shine a bit more, and that the temperatures will rise some. We are thankful for so many blessings that God has bestowed upon us! May is almost here!

Oh, and Emma lost her first tooth! We are not quite sure that it was totally ready to come out, but an incident on the trampoline might have hurried that along a bit~!

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

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

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

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

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


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



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

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


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

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

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

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



Our love,
Sarah

Spring Break! Academic Fair!

This was an interesting week for us. However, Friday did eventually come, and with it came the arrival of a week of spring break! As much as the teachers and the students need a break, it’s a bit overwhelming to think that we still have over 8 weeks to go in the school year! My sister will finish up her school year around May 16, and we will be a month behind that! But since it is what it is, we will try to ignore the mud and enjoy the break!

We started off the week with a snow day on April 8. Another snow day means that we have used up all of our snow days and then some. The kids played outside for a while, but this snow was so wet and sloppy that everyone ended up soaked within minutes! The kids and I did some spring cleaning and sorting, and there is certainly something refreshing about getting rid of junk! With five kids, we seem to collect quite a bit at times!

Also on Monday Garett completed another step in his academic project by completing a phone interview. It was good to talk to our Alaskan friend, Damaris, for a few minutes. Garett had originally planned to talk with Mr. Mortvedt who is the one who piloted the plane to the North and South Pole, but Mr. Mortvedt was off in the bush. His wife, Damaris, is a good friend of ours and she was able to help Garett with some of his questions. We certainly love and appreciate them.

Tuesday was a day of grocery shopping and errands for Emma and I. The boys were happy to go to school. Roger had off on Tuesday, so he was able to help the boys wrap up the finishing touches on their academic fair projects.

It was a slow and cautious drive to school on Wednesday as we had projects, reports, and backboards that needed to arrive safely. I had music classes to teach, and Emma was able to go to a friends house for a bit. It was the pre-school open house day, so Emma did not have any school today. After teaching music classes, we had a short parents group meeting. Sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming
to be few in number, but God always provides the right hands to help in His perfect timing.

Thursday— Academic Fair night! After dropping off the boys, Emma and I got right to work setting up tables and sweeping floors in preparation for the academic fair. A few other moms helped as well,
 and in a few hours we had everything set up for the evening. This was the first year that two of our classes would have tables set up in the fellowship hall instead of their classrooms. It was a great night! All the academic fair projects were on one level of the building; the classes in the  fellowship hall had plenty of room; there was space for the visitors  to visit together; and the students did a fine job explaining all that they had learned. It was a great night, and we came home with five very tired children.

Also on Thursday, I made some “blessing boxes” for the kids teachers. It’s a time of year that can get a bit long, and we are so appreciative of those who pour their lives into our children. So Emma and I put together little gift boxes for the teachers with homemade treats, little delights, and a card. My love language is giving gifts to those I love, and I had such fun putting together those boxes with Emma.

Travis came home from school in tears. It took me a while to figure out the problem, but eventually he spilled it all out. He was terribly distraught because his academic fair project was right between two girls! He was going to have to stand there for an hour next to his project and next to girls! I tried...really, I did, to understand why this was so upsetting to him. I will admit that I also had a very hard time not smiling a little! However, this was clearly upsetting to him. I asked him why didn’t talk to his teach about his problem, and he just replied that he didn’t want to be a problem. I explained that sometimes it’s okay to politely ask those in authority about a situation. Wyatt piped up, “Yeah, I asked Mrs. Wheelis to not put me next to you, Travis! You could’ve just asked nicely!”  That did not help Travis feel better. You know what though, he made it through the entire night standing between those two girls!

Having tired children can make the following morning a bit rough for everyone! Friday was not the best morning in the world, but we did manage to get out the door on time. Since there were projects set up in the fellowship hall, the students would be having lunch in their classrooms. This meant no hot lunch! Hooray! I mean, I don’t mind at all, but I was pretty excited that I would get to go home after picking up Emma from preschool!

Emma was delighted to go to school on Friday. She was a bit confused as to why she only had one day of school this week. I played the piano for chapel, and I loved hearing the students sing “Here I  am to Worship”. Its a song that they know very well, and I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to  their voices singing. I’m pretty sure that sometimes I get the biggest blessing in playing the piano for chapel!

After chapel, Allison and I squeezed in a quick coffee date! Say what!? Who is this lady?! Sometimes we see each other almost every day, but don’t really get to have a meaningful conversation. It was a blessing to get coffee, pick up palm branches for Palm Sunday, and spend some time in deep conversations. We came back to the church and sat in the car for a bit just talking and visiting. We both have many particular prayer requests that we are praying for right now, and it is such a gift to have a friend to pray with and share our burdens and blessings.

Emma and I went home for a bit after she finished school at 11:30am, but we came back early to make sure that everything was put away from the academic fair night. Since the school and the church share some spaces, it’s important that everyone does their part to keep things neat and tidy for the next group. Allison and I whipped through organizing chairs and tables. I managed to find a  ladder and take down some hanging displays, and everything was back in order by 3:00pm, which  was time to pick up the boys. It was a busy 1/2 hour!

Finally....Spring break! Chandler has been asking me to talk to the parents of the boys in his class. He has been wanting to have them over to play. Chandler reminded me on Thursday that I needed to talk to their parents. We were able to set up a play date for Saturday. I don’t know either of these boys or their families extremely well, but Roger and I have always said that we want to meet and interact with our kids friends. It was raining on Saturday morning, but that didn’t stop the boys from playing outside! For four hours our backyard was a busy bee hive of swarming boys, airsoft guns, loud voices, and lots of food! We went through 16 hotdogs, 14 hotdog buns, 2 bags of chips, 1 cantaloupe, 1 pineapple, 2 containers of ice cream...and that was just for lunch! Chandler told me thank you several times, and I know it meant a lot to him to have his friends over. I sure do love these boys even though they are loud, smelly, noisy, and destructive!

Chandler made himself a pair of camouflage pants this week. He took a pair of jeans that had holes in them, and he gathered up a bunch of leaves and sticks. Then he hot glued all those leaves and sticks to his pants! He was thrilled with the outcome! He also discovered that the hot glue didn’t work as well as he would have thought once the pants were wet and muddy. Yes, he is learning in life too! Chandlers big news for this week is that he made honor role! He was so excited when he opened his report card! Language arts has been a challenge for him, but he brought up his grade in that and succeeded in making honor role for the first time. We are very thankful for all of his hard work, and thrilled to see his excitement over his achievement.


This week Emma was told to clean up the play room. Garett was in there playing with legos. Emma came back out a moment later saying that she couldn’t clean the play room. When I asked her why, she replied, “It stinks in there! It smells like a toilet!” I was sure she was exaggerating, so I went to the play room. Sure enough...it smelled terrible! We spent some time trying to figure out what the smell was, and Garett was trying to help us. All the sudden Emma announces, “Garett! It’s your feet that smell like a toilet!” Um...wow! Pre-puberty boys and their feet! Garett didn’t seem to bothered by the smell, but the rest of us sure were  bothered!

We don’t really have very many plans for this week of break. Wyatt would like to stay home as much as possible! Roger has off on Wednesday so we might try to do something fun with the kids, we will see.


A huge blessing this week: This is the time of year when we can go ahead and register the kids for the next school year. God has miraculously (and I do mean miraculously) provided for our kids to attend this Christian school. We had received some money from my parents to put towards the kids schooling. Roger and I had decided that we would put that towards the registration fees which would cost $875.00. I was getting ready to walk down to the school office on Friday, when my friend, Allison, handed me an envelope. She said that someone had given money for one of the registration fees for one of our children! I didn’t even have time to pray about it, and God answered a request! Our kids registration fees are paid in full for the next school year! How awesome is that!? God has provided above and beyond all that we could ask or think! Please continue to pray with us as we ask God to bring us 90 students for the 2019-2020 school year. We serve an amazing God!

As we look towards next Sunday, we will celebrate Resurrection Sunday. I had the opportunity to teach the children’s Sunday school class this morning, and I taught on the  crucifixion of Jesus. I am so thankful that Jesus was willing to die that horrific death. Its hard to even wrap our minds around all the facts in the Bible.  However, I can rest 100% assured that Jesus lives today!  What a promise!

“He is not here, but he is risen as he said.” Hallelujah!

Welcome April! Snow, Blessings, and Life!

Another week as well as a new month have arrived! We are hoping to welcome some spring weather this month, but we’ve woken up to snow on the ground twice this week. But “This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Roger worked last Sunday so after church we took our lunch to the airport. I had instructed the kids to bring their rubber boots just in case we went and collected cans. It was a bit of a slow day at the airport, which meant that Roger could sit and eat lunch with us. He had a flight after lunch, but the kids and I put on our rubber boots and headed out to walk along the road. In about forty-five minutes we had two large garbage bags of bottles and cans. Emma has become such a good helper this year, and she’s fun to have along. There is a lot of trash out along the roads as well, but since we have to buy our trash bags for our local dump, its hard to make the effort to pick up that too. Garett found this little bike off in the weeds off the road, and the boys decided that we needed to bring that home. Well, I’m certainly not hauling that around while collecting cans! That was okay with them, they cheerfully dragged the little bike along all the while dreaming up ideas for all the tricks they could do with the bike. (Listening to them talk, it really is amazing that none of them have broken a bone!) I try not to tramp on their ideas too much as most of the time they will get all set up for their idea, and one of them will decide that maybe this isn’t the best idea ever! There was one instance when Garett and Chandler were about 4 and 3 years old and they decided to jump out of the tree using garabage bags for parachutes! That idea I did decided to nix!

We have about five weeks left of our children’s program on Sunday nights. As much as I enjoy working with the 3-5 year olds, I’m ready for a break. As the weather gets a little nicer (Hopefully) and the sun is out longer in the evenings, I think we are all ready to wrap it up for another year.

I had a funeral to attend this week on Tuesday. Roger was working, and I really didn’t want to take Emma to the funeral. My friend, Annah, graciously agreed to watch Emma while I attended the funeral. The funeral was for an older lady in our church. She had been married to her spouse for 70 years! What a testimony of Gods goodness and grace! We’ve had quite a few funerals for older people this winter, and it’s a reminder of how much we need to pray for God to bring new families to our congregation. It seems to be my observation that the church is missing a whole generation of people. We have the older people in our congration (70, 80, 90 year olds) and we have some approaching middle age families (I put myself in this category now! The 30 and 40 year olds) but where is the generation from 45 to 60 year olds? Maybe its just in our church, but as I look back at churches we’ve visited over the years, I don’t think so. I think that generation is largely missing from our church families...why? I don’t know. I’ll let you know if I figure it out!



 I think there is a younger generation that is seeking truth, but I also think they are largely being misled by thinking that church is another place for entertainment, coffee, visiting, and meeting of friends. If we are really going to raise up our generation of children to “stand in the gap” as it is referred to in Jeremiah, we need to prepare them for more than shallow music, comfy chairs, and a watering down of God’s Word. If anything, attending these funerals has refueled my desire to raise
our kids to be a beacon of God’s light in a dark and fallen world. The truth of the matter is that we are very spoiled in our country. Around the world, Christians are being martyred and truly persecuted for their faith. And I will pray fervently for our children and do our very best to raise them in the nuture and admonition of the Lord, but I know that ultimately God must do a work in their hearts. I would truly covet your prayers on this matter.

Wednesday is my normal music class teaching day, but Travis had a speech evaluation meeting. He
has made huge, huge strides in school this year. I am very pleased with all of his hard work. He will be dismissed from speech lessons, which he is absolutely delighted with that thought! He has never really enjoyed speech lessons, but his speech teacher said that Travis was a delight to work with. Even though it wasn’t his favorite thing, he gave the lessons 100% of his effort.

Since I needed to stay in town until the meeting for Travis, I had an opportunity to take Wyatt to have coffee with me. We dropped the other kids off at school, and then snuck away for a few minutes. Wyatt has been wanting to have a coffee date for a while now, and I was glad we could make it work. Wyatt is not a talker! But during the course of the conversation, he did share a few things with me. I’ve forgotten what it is like to be the middle child, and Wyatt brought some things to my attention that I needed to be reminded of. I am thankful that the kids go to a school where their teachers understand the importance of these “dates” in the lives of our children. It was a good morning with our sweet middle child.

Wednesday afternoon found my friend, Allison and I crawling around the choir loft at church. Why? Oh just because we had nothing else to do. I’m kidding! The students are prepping for an academic fair, and it was brought to my attention that there would be a need for power strips and extension cords. I was not really thrilled to have to try to find these things, but an unpleasant job is always more fun with a friend. So....I got Allison to help me! We did manage to come up with what we will need, and we laughed our way through it. Last week, we had taken the kids to get pizza after school as there was a fundraiser at one of our local restaurants. I am thankful for a friend to spend time with, pray with, and laugh together with.

Thursday was my music class teaching day, and Emma had to come along. She does really well, but its not her favorite thing to hang out at school while I teach music. We are well into the preparing and planning for the Patriotic Program. I am so pleased with all of the students hard work.

Friday was another day of chapel and hot lunch craziness. I had planned to squeeze in a short run after playing the piano for chapel, but God had other plans. As I finished playing the piano for chapel, I noticed a mom sitting in the back. I went over to chat for a few minutes, but we needed up visting for the next hour and one-half! It truly was a God appointed event as she needed to share some of her burdens, and I was able to help bear those burdens and share some of my own.    We spent time in prayer, and the sense of God’s presence was truly felt. I walked away to prepare for hot lunch with just a reminder of how big and how good our God is-  the God of the impossible!

I had a few other blessings over the course of this week as well. On Wednesday morning I found myself with about thirty minutes of extra time while waiting for Travis’ Meeting. It was not enough time to run, but no one was in the church sanctuary. I was able to sit at the piano and worship God through music for about thirty minutes. I know why music can refresh our soul as my soul was certainly refreshed.

On Tuesday afternoon the boys had a friend come home with them. I am so thankful for the friendship of this boy from Garett’s class. The boys played outside all afternoon with airsoft guns, loud voices, lots of food, and a good time of visting for them. Good fellowship and good friends are important for our children just they are important for Roger and I.

Today Roger has a day off of work,  but he has four boys that are needing his help! Chandler is begging Roger to take him to collect some scrap metal. Garett needs help putting together a model plane for his academic fair project, and Travis and Wyatt both need a little help with some of their projects. I try not to help if it involves painting, cutting things, or putting together something. Usually when I do, Wyatt will announce to me, “I don’t think that’s right. Never mind, mom, I can figure it out!” It doesn’t hurt my feelings in the least that they don’t want my help in this aspect!

We are preparing for special meeting at our church for tonight and tomorrow. I am singing in some special music, and I am very much looking forward to it. We are praying for God to be glorified through these special meetings.

Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!