A Little of This and Too Much of That!

 We’ve had a some really great moments in the last two weeks amidst two very busy weeks of soccer, cross-country, teachers conventions and school. We’ve had a little bit of down time and too much of being busy, but in two more weeks the soccer and cross-country season will be done. It’ll be a wrap for Garett’s junior year, Chandler’s sophomore year, and Wyatt’s 8th grade year, and Travis’s 7th grade year for fall sports, and that’s so hard to believe! 

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a teachers convention. I was very thankful for this opportunity as I’m in the middle of teaching 200 plus students twice a week through art and library. I had planned to return to school this fall to begin my masters, but I’m really, really thankful that I didn’t try to take a bite out of that elephant! Attending a teachers convention is a little like drinking water from a fire hydrant as the water is good, but it’s fast and heavy! My favorite sessions were the ones on “ADD and ADHD” and “Read -alouds for children”. There was one that I attended that made me regret my choice. Sometimes the title sounds intriguing, but watching paint dry is more exciting! I found a few great ideas that I want to implement in either art or library, and I’m always happy to listen to other teacher’s perspectives.

While I was at the Teacher’s convention, the boys had the opportunity to attend the local fair in our county. They went with the Everett’s on Thursday night, and while it was crowded, they seemed to have a great time. They took pictures of the art that our school entered, and we did alright- I think. We entered 24 pieces of art and we took home 8 blue, 8 red, and 8 white ribbons (1st, 2nd, 3rd). I’m glad that event is behind us!

We went golfing last Saturday! (I did not golf, but I went to watch the boys golf!) Emma was able to spend the afternoon at Cynthias house which she much preferred to going golfing, but the boys were excited to go golfing. The Everett’s had given Travis a game of golf for his birthday, so he was eager to use that! It was a fun afternoon watching the kids interact with each other and laugh and make memories. Laura and I had a great time driving the golf cart and hunting for golf balls. It was a beautiful afternoon that made us think that perhaps FALL weather is going to come, and we enjoyed the moments. 

I had the rare opportunity to run a cross-country practice this week, and it was a good reminder of why I enjoyed that sport so much during my college days. It’s such hard work, and running is such a mental thing; but when you see and feel yourself improve, it can be so rewarding. Some of the runners had a cross-country meet, so our AD asked me to run a practice with the runners that had stayed behind for practices in soccer or volleyball. I went out on my lunch break to walk out a trail that I wanted the runners to run. Cross-country is an easy sport to get beat at mentally, so I wanted the runners to run a trail where I could see them almost constantly. If you know someone is watching, typically, you’ll keep running! I was happy with practice went, and I was thankful for the opportunity. I got out for a run on Wednesday evening, and it was probably the best thing I did for myself all week. It was a mental reset, and it helped clear up a lot of “brain fog” in my brain. 

The rest of the week was crazy busy with three soccer games with teams in our conference. The boys lost on Tuesday, but the teams won on Thursday and Friday. Garett, Chandler, Wyatt and Travis all got to start on Thursday and Friday’s games so that was especially fun for Travis. Jen had us all over for supper after Tuesday nights game, so I really appreciated that! It’s so nice to have her close enough to have supper with and enjoy life experiences with her. 

On Friday night there was also a night cross-country run. I wanted Chandler and Wyatt to run in the race, but I could see that they were both really exhausted. Chandler has played 240 minutes of soccer this week, and Wyatt probably close to the same. Chandler stayed up late on Thursday night working on a paper, so he was really dragging by Friday after the game. We did go to the race to support the team, and that was about what we could manage. Chandler said that if he laid on the ground, he would fall asleep and neither boy wanted to run. So even though I kinda wanted them to run, we decided that it was enough that they had come to support their teammates. A person can only do so much before burnout, and it’s been a long week. 

Jen, Emma and I left around 8:00am on Saturday morning to head towards the western part of the state. My cousin, Faith, was having a baby shower, and we wanted to go and show our love and support. It’s a bit of a drive across the state, but it was a good opportunity to visit with family. Emma and her second cousin, Lainey got in the swimming pool in the afternoon on the 7th of October! BRRR!!! They didn’t stay in long, but they did get in the pool and swim! 

We drove back today after church to prepare for another week of school and sports. My aunt mentioned that there is a possibility that the Opportunity Educational Scholarship will become available for all families in North Carolina that want to send their kids to a private school. This would be HUGE for us! I love teaching, but what would it be like to teach simply because I enjoy it, and not because we need to pay a school bill?! I have no idea if it will actually come to fruition or not or how long it would even last, but it’s definitely a big one on my prayer list! 

Through it all, God is faithful and good. We’ve had a lot of really great moments in the last few weeks, and I’ve had a few more awful moments than I care to admit. But in the midst of the doubts, discouragement, and depression, God has sent encouragement through His Word, His promises, and His people. I found a sweet note in my mailbox this week from an older teacher that has encouraged me in the past. A friend gave me a much needed hug this week and brought coffee. Sometimes no one can actually solve the problems, but God reminds me that He is the God of the “Parter of the Red Sea”, the “Protector of Daniel in the Lion’s Den” and the “Provider for Elijah”…He will never fail to supply our every need. 

The weather this week held the faintest touch of Maine, and it made me miss some of the really good times we’d had there. Maine is a beautiful state (so is North Carolina, but there’s nothing quite like fall in Maine!)  I miss the closeness I shared with the teaching staff and the feeling of being included. I miss teaching Kindergarten. I miss  Becki Martz teaching and pouring Jesus into our children. I miss  singing on the Praise team for church. I miss all the crazy ideas that Allison and I came up with together. There are some things that I do NOT miss, but in a few quiet moments of reflection this week, we did have a really great six years in Maine. But God is still faithful. He is still guiding and shaping our lives. May we live for His glory! 

I was reminded of this song this week…”Weak made strong..through the storm, He is Lord. Lord of all!” Oh, Praise the Lord! 

Sports, Trips, and Challenges

Another two weeks have flown by! September is coming to a close, and we’ve had our first few feelings of “fall” temperatures. By fall temperatures, I mean that the humidity has dropped some, and we don’t feel the sweat dripping down our backs at the soccer games! 

Life is full- very full. I ponder sometimes whether or not it’s “too” full, but I haven’t come to any real decisions on that at the moment. I want to be present for our children and the events in their lives, but I find balance to be hard. So while I ponder and pray, I press on (ooh…look at all those “p”s. Ponder, pray, press-on!)  We are in the middle of the first quarter of school, so we are  in the thick of things so to speak. School is getting harder, and as teachers we’ve discovered which children shouldn’t sit next together, which ones might have a harder home life, which ones have academic struggles, which ones need some extra encouragement, and we pray that we don’t miss anything that we need to catch! I’ve enjoyed teaching art (so far). It’s fun to see the kids experiment with line art, color wheels, and work on projects for the upcoming county fair. We decided to make all the art entries “patriotic” this year. I’m amazed that not everyone thinks that they are blessed to be an American and that we live in a great nation! Oh yes, there are things that grieve my heart and soul also, but we are still so very blessed. So we had some of the students paint fireworks, some drew and colored the Statue of Liberty, and some drew the American flag. It was fun to see the art work in the various stages, and it was such a relief to finally get it all dropped off at the fair this week! It was a craaaaazzzzzyyyy week as we wrapped up the projects and delivered them to the fair this year. I want the students to do well as it’s a good representation of the school, but more than anything I want them to use their talents for God’s Glory. We are created for His glory, and we don’t magically reach an age where we need to start living that way. We need to live that way every day no matter what our age! I teach in Christian education because I value the opportunity to point kids to Jesus. I teach not just because I enjoy it, but because it’s a discipleship opportunity. If these kids don’t remember anything else from art or library classes I want them to know that I love my God, my family, my country and I love them. Oh, I want them to learn, but I want to point them to Jesus. As our college president used to say, “Life touching Life”. 

Last week, Jen went to Washington D.C. with Chandler’s tenth grade trip, while Roger and I left on Wednesday for the trip to Williamsburg with 8th graders. I don’t think Wyatt was exactly thrilled that his parents came along, but he handled it well, for the most part. We got to see him interact with his classmates outside of the school walls, and that was good for us as parents too. I had never been to Jamestown before or Colonial Williamsburg, so I was happy to have the opportunity. Jamestown history feels a little old for me to relate to, but I really enjoyed walking at Colonial Williamsburg. Hearing the interpretative speaker talk about the Continental Congress and the sacrifices that those brave men made for our baby nation was enough to bring me to tears. Meanwhile, much of the class looked bored, unfortunately! To think that we got to visit the house that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both visited and shared meals at was really neat. I would’ve enjoyed spending more time at Colonial Williamsburg, and I think I’d like to take our kids back there as a family sometime. Roger and I were thankful that we had the opportunity to go, and hopefully we were a blessing to some along the way. It was nice to come home and sleep in our own beds though! I think I’m getting old!

In the past week, we’ve had cross-country meets and soccer games to add to the fun. Wyatt continues to thrive in the middle school races, and he generally places in the top 4 in the races. His friend, Kaden, is usually not far behind. It’s been a little discouraging for them as the points are based on the top three finishers per team, and there’s not been a third runner that has been close to Wyatt or Kaden. Chandler struggled after returning from Washington DC. As it’s hard to get back into running if you haven’t run in about 2 weeks! He struggled a lot in his race this week as he finished ninth, but perhaps it will be a good motivator too. This time of year always brings back my own memories of cross-country season and all the seasons that I loved my experiences. I’m a little bit bummed that I don’t think either boy will run next year, but we will see what next year brings.  I have a number of reasons on why I think this is the case, none of which need mentioning here. For now, we encourage the boys and press on. 

To be completely honest, it’s been a hard school year. Literally Satan has thrown darts at every turn and worked to discourage us. Travis is struggling in school, and we are trying to figure out what is BEST for Travis. Our best friends are moving away. I struggle to find the balance between school, family, and life. The boys have experienced some personal disappointments this year, and I’m constantly reminded that we need to put our rest in Jesus. Roger’s had some struggles at work too, and while I’m not trying to sound like Debbie Downer, it has been rough…that’s putting it mildly. However, God is unchanging, faithful and true. I was reminded this week of the faithfulness of God as I had a moment to drink some coffee and talk with Roger. It’s not that God is unfaithful, but rather that I am faithless. He’s constant, trustworthy and kind, while I struggle to respond Christlike. 

Yesterday, the soccer/volleyball games were canceled due to the rain storm. It was kinda nice to have some extra time to work on a few other projects. Roger came into the school to do some scrimmage practice with any boys that wanted to stay and play in the rain. We were invited to the Everett’s for supper, and we are going to miss them when they move.  I don’t know why God is moving them away, but I have to trust in His plan. As Laura and I sat in the driveway in the van and shared our concerns and burdens, I was reminded that deep friendships are a gift. I wasn’t looking for a like-minded “mama” bear, but God brought one into my life. I wasn’t planning on losing my best friend in North Carolina so soon after we arrived, but God knows. This is the first time that we’ve been on the other end of the moving side. Generally, we are the ones that are doing the moving, but in this instance, we’re staying and they’re moving. I’m not even going to pretend that I know what God is doing, and I’ve really, really struggled with this. But we trust. We wait. We pray. We surrender and we press on. He is faithful. 

I like this song. I’m so thankful that we serve a Good, good, Father. 

 

Birthdays, Anniversary, “Hurricane” Day, and Life!

Too much has happened in the past few weeks to possibly give an accurate update! However, we’ve celebrated Travis’s 13th birthday, celebrated Garett’s 17th birthday, had a “hurricane” day at school, celebrated our 18th anniversary, multiple soccer games, our first cross-country meet, and a host of other things! 

                                                            Photo credit: Michelle Dawson 

First of all, a school update for those that have been following along. As far as Travis is concerned, it’s not moving along as smoothly as we’d like but it could be worse. My sister helped me write out his 504 plan and now we are trying to figure out a meeting time with all of his teachers. We cannot continue another 33 weeks of frustration and tears over school that is for sure! We are thankful for those that have reached out to us to tell us that they are praying for Travis or to assure us that we aren’t the first parents to have faced these struggles. God is still good and He’s still in control. I rest in that. 

Travis’s 13th birthday was just a few days ago, and he had a soccer game on his birthday. He doesn’t always get a lot of playing time, but he is the only 7th grader on the team and he’s still kinda small. He did get to play in that soccer game on his birthday, and even though the team lost the game, it was good to watch the team play. Ever.single.day. That we’ve had a soccer game there’s been a heat index of over 100 degrees! It’s been hot to play and hot to watch them play! Garett got a cleat to his ankle during that game, and he’s been struggling with some pain ever since. He actually didn’t play in yesterday’s game because his ankle has been bothering him. We went out to dinner with the Everett’s after the game, and Travis was greatly embarrassed when Aunt Jen announced to the waitress that it was his birthday and the wait staff came out to sing to him! It was a memory for sure! One of his very best friends, Abel, from Maine, sent Travis a Dude Perfect hat for his birthday, and that totally made Travis’s day! I’m so thankful for this young boy. School has never come easily for him, and it often seems like he gets stuck in a rough class, but he’s sweet and kind.  He sees the world in very “black and white” and we’ve learned that he takes things very literally. Please pray that we can help him learn to enjoy school a little bit and that his teachers will help him with that also. 

So many memories!! 

For five days the boys were 13, 14, 15, and 16, then Garett had a birthday! His birthday was on a Wednesday, which is a hard day to have a birthday with having church at night. But he got to go out to eat at his favorite restaurant, which is either Mexican food or Zaxby’s. Since it was a church night, we went to Zaxby’s. It’s still hard for me to believe that our oldest son is 17!! Where has time gone?! He’s come such a long ways in his academic studies, and while school doesn’t come easily for him, he’s figured out how to adapt. He’s a confident young man who works hard, enjoys working in teen church, loves the game of hockey, gets along with almost everyone (except siblings :) )  and generally displays a good attitude and servant’s heart. Garett is a junior in high school now, and I can honestly say, I’m not ready for this! I was in tears on the first day of school and Garett was like, “Mom, what is the matter?!” I told him that time was flying by and Garett practically replied, “Mom, this is like the first day of my Junior year. You can probably save those tears for next year!” We’ve yet to actually celebrate either Travis’s or Garett’s birthdays, but we will do it soon, Lord willing! We’ve been busy with school, soccer, cross-country, church and adjusting to new routines. 

Also last week we had a “Hurricane” day! This was a total surprise to us Northern people, but a day off of school is a day off! It was weird to have a day off of school when you’re only about ten days into the school year, but we didn’t complain! School was called off on account of flash flooding, rain torrents, etc. but really nothing exciting happened at all. We slept in, played outside, worked around the yard, and such. It did rain some, but it wasn’t hard or long. The hurricane helped cool down the temperature for a few days, so that was nice! Saturday and Sunday were in the 80s, and it was great to be outside and not feel sweat pouring off. Roger, Garett and Chandler went to play golf with a friend from school. Emma went over to a friends house to play for a bit, while Jen and I spent some time checking out a few thrift stores. 

On Saturday evening, Roger and I went out to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. Like everything else related to time, the years have flown by. Oh, we’ve had our share of struggles, disagreements, miscommunication, and all the other things in marriages, but God has been faithful. Roger has put up with many of my crazy, crazy ideas and has helped prevent me from doing some really dumb things. He’s quiet but faithful. He’s dependable, trustworthy, hard working, patient, and I am so blessed. We went out to eat at a Japanese cuisine restaurant, and our kids stayed home. Wow! It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the place where the kids are independent and self sufficient for several hours! I didn’t even tell them what to make for supper, but they all found food to eat. They’ve been on their own here and there for several years, but this was the first anniversary that we officially left them at home while we went to celebrate. While at the restaurant, we had a pleasant surprise. We saw a couple that we know (barely) from church. They greeted us, and we exchanged pleasantries. When we got up to leave the restaurant, our waitress told us that the other couple had paid for our meal! What a blessing! I don’t think that has every happened to us before, so it was a special memory for our 18th anniversary. 

Monday was Labor Day and an official school holiday. We spent the day puttering around our house, and then Roger and I went to find a piano. With two kids taking music lessons, it was time to replace our piano. The piano in our house has been moved from Wisconsin, to Maine to North Carolina…and those are the moves that we’ve made with it. We had a piano tuner access the piano, and it was going to be several thousand dollars to get the piano back up to speed. My parents recently gifted us with some money, so we decided that we would put that money towards a piano. Roger and I visited a small, local piano store and after much discussion, we invested in a digital piano. It is way smarter than I am, but the most important feature is that there is a headphone jack or it can be connected to Bluetooth headphones! (I don’t always want to listen to everyone practicing piano!) We are so thanfkul to have an “in tune” piano again, and I’ve even squeezed in a few minutes to practice here and there. Wyatt told me, “Mom, I didn’t know that you were that good. It never sounded like that before.” Well son, having an in-tune piano does help!! (I’m not that good.) 

We’ve been enjoying having Aunt Jen at school, and she’s been a lifesaver in helping with homework sometimes! She will be moving into her new house on Saturday, and we are going to be helping with that this weekend. She’s excited about moving in to her house, and my kids are excited about Aunt Jen having a house! It’s not been the best or smoothest transition in the world, but God knows exactly what He is doing. He is molding and shaping us continually. 

Thank you for your prayers. We need them. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with all that is on my plate this year and spreading out my time between school responsibilities, our family, school activities, laundry, feeding people, and trying to do my very best to point those around me to Jesus. My brain really starts to come alive around 11:00pm, when I need to be sleeping! However, God gives grace for every moment and I’m learning to lean more on Him for every bit of His strength. God is good. 

First Week- Challenges, Tears, and God’s Goodness!

 And…back to school we go! I don’t think any of us were ready for Thursday morning, but we survived the first 1/2day and the second full day of school. So much work (i.e. blood, sweat and tears) goes into the first day of school and the preparation for it! 

Every year brings about changes for all of us, and this year is no exception. Time marches on and I am not ready to have a junior, sophomore, 8th grader, 7th grader and 3rd grader. I tend to be a tad emotional these days as my children grow older and taller than me every day! 

 My sister, Jen, joined the school to teach history. I wish I could say that it’s been smooth sailing, but the truth is that it’s been a hard transition for her. I know that God is at work, and even though my flesh wants God to work faster, I know that He has a plan that He is working through. We’ve adjusted to a lot of different things, prayed, cried, and got back to work. We serve a good, good God regardless of how my feelings might feel. That is why I do not base my salvation in “how I feel”, but what I know! I know that Jesus died for me, loves me unconditionally, and is working out His perfect plan for my life. 

This year also brings about changes for me as I take on elementary art, library, and cheerleading! It’s a lot, but again God is showing Himself strong. I’ve been busy writing lesson plans for art and library as well as playing with all the cool tools in the art room like the document scan, overhead projector, and connecting wireless speakers! I am excited about teaching art even though it is WAY outside of my comfort zone! God is stretching and challenging me in new ways every day. It’s over 200 students for art every week and the same 200 for library. That’s a lot of “life touching life” and I really want to impact and change lives for eternity. My passion is to help students discover a love for their Heavenly Father as well as develop talents that God has given them. While art isn’t necessarily in my background, I’m thankful for a husband and several sons that art come easily for them. I’ve had my family practice several of my art projects and whenever I start to get out supplies one of our kids will ask, “Experimenting again, Mom?” Oh yes! 

The first day of school was a 1/2 day with cheerleading tryouts for the Junior Varsity Team immediately following school. It felt like a long day, but we were excited to see the girls who came out for cheer. We asked the girls to write out a few sentences describing their personal salvation testimony as well as why they wanted to be a part of the cheer team. The answers were “enlightening”, and Laura and I have plenty to pray about and work on together as a team. We know that God placed us in this position for this year, and we will work hard at coaching the JV and Varsity cheer teams for God’s honor and glory. It’s another opportunity to pour into students and point them to Jesus. We would surely appreciate your prayers as we work with the teams. 

Travis is struggling in school and that would be probably the understatement of the year. He asked me on the second day of school, “Mom, how many days are left in the school year?” Honestly, it breaks my heart. I’ve cried; he’s cried; he’s stressed; I’m stressed; he looks so sad most of the time; and we need a lot of prayer on how to help him. He doesn’t feel like he has any guy friends at school, and he’s a very sweet boy. He loves outside play, golf, digging holes, soccer, swimming, and building things in the yard…see a pattern? He enjoys outside time, and a large majority of children these days are spending a lot of time on video games. Travis likes one video game. Want to know what it is? It’s a farming simulator game in which you build a farm, take care of animals and plant fields. That is his favorite game. He’s coping at school and beyond frustrated at home. He’s agitated, wild and frustrated. We need wisdom. We are planning on some additional testing for him, but the earliest available date is the end of November! That seems like a really, really long time away! 

I don’t want to seem like a “Negative Nellie” in this post and that is certainly not my intention. It’s just that sometimes there are really heavy things on my heart. It’s been a “heavy week”. However, God also answered our prayers in allowing us to enjoy some extra family time this week, spend time swimming, working together, and loving these years. Garett wrapped up his time at his job, and he was actually sad about it. God provided the perfect job for him this summer. Garett worked with two other Christian guys, and the job was about a mile and one-half from our house. He worked with a seamless gutter team, and he would say that one of the perks of the job was getting to go out to lunch everyday! If you know Garett, he loves food! He told Roger that he was going to need to start running more if he kept his job because the food was really good every day! We are thankful for his job. 

I’m also thankful for my friend, Jennifer. We’ve been working hard at getting the school library up to speed for the school year, and we are enjoying the results of some hard work. Oh, the work isn’t done yet, but we’ve done some things that have created a soft and welcoming space for our students. I’m thankful that Jen is so easy to work with, that we share some common dreams and goals, and that she enjoys working in the library with me. God is good. (If you want to contribute to our library, we are always looking to add updated books - especially non fiction genre! Also, we are looking to update some technology in the library.) 

I’m also thankful for my friend, Laura. God brought Laura into my life when I wasn’t even really looking for a friend. She walked into my life with her three sweet children and I can’t imagine our lives without them in it. We share Sunday lunches, play dates with our kids, walks, prayers, tears and laughter. She kept my kids all day on Wednesday when I needed to be working at the school. She loves and prays for our children just like I do for hers. I’ve been blessed by her friendship. 

This morning we were late to church. It doesn’t happen terribly often that we miss Sunday School and are late to church, but we were. Roger has been busy flying a fire for the past two days, and that always makes Sundays harder. We got up in time this morning to make it to Sunday School, but then Travis needed help with some homework and then there were tears, and then frustrated children and then trying to get lunch ready so that we could eat when we got home, and then, well you get the idea! On the way to church, I about lost my mind over the boys arguing about something dumb. Then when we arrived at church, I couldn’t let one child get out of the car with his attitude so I made him stay in the car. It was a longer conversation than I planned, but it was necessary. I don’t think the Holy Spirit works on the same schedules that I might, so when he is working in my life or my child’s, I need to take advantage of “moldable moments”. It wasn’t fun, and it was painful as we talked through some of his struggles. I love this young man and the person He is becoming. God has gifted him in ways that I can see as well as ways that I know that God is still developing. So yes, we walked late into church, but ya know…it’s okay. As I get older, I get less concerned about what people might think. I’d much rather be sensitive to the needs of our children and the whisperings of the Holy Spirit than being on time. I’m not saying that not being on time isn’t important- it totally is! But there’s a time and place for everything. 

So, in wrapping up this post- whew! All I can say is that my confidence is in God and God alone. He’s my Rock and Fortress. 

Another of my favorite songs: “Who am I?” 

Beach Days, Memories, Meetings, and a 10th Birthday!

 Next week we go back to school! How is that even possible?! The summer has literally flown by, and I am not ready to see it go. We’ve had a busy last couple of weeks as we’ve wrapped up our final cheer camp, the younger boys and Roger took a trip to Wisconsin, we spent a few days at Myrtle Beach and now in-service for school! 

We’ve spent a lot of time swimming and being outside this summer. With two kids running cross-country this fall,  I’ve tried to make sure that they run a least some during the summer. Garett has stayed busy with his job with the gutter company and his favorite part is that they go out to lunch every day! His boss generously pays for meals, so Garett has enjoyed that immensely! They often go to the same Mexican restaurant, and Garett gets the same thing. The owner recently told Garett, “You don’t need a menu. I know what you order.” It’s been a good experience for Garett, and we are so thankful that God provided a job for him. 

Chandler and Wyatt have tried hard to do odd jobs here and there. They were paid very well by a man in our church for spreading pine straw, and that was encouraging for them. Chandler would’ve liked to have found steady work, but it is what it is, and God knew that this would be the plan for Chandler this summer. Wyatt has kept our pool clean and he helps monitor the water chemicals and vacuum it out. We’ve been thankful for his help this summer. 

Two weeks ago, I had a meeting with the IEP team with the school district that the kids are enrolled in. The people in the meeting were very friendly and kind, but it’s so much information to take in! Neither Garett or Travis will qualify for an IEP, but they both are needing some modifications for education in the form of a 504 plan…which means another thing that needs to get done before school starts! There’s a certain score that a student must fall below in order to get an IEP plan or funding. One of the boys was 3 points away from that marker and 10 points below average range. The IEP team said that both boys scored high on their adaptive behavior testing (which basically means that we are doing our job as parents). I have some concerns regarding the testing of one of the boys, and there were some markers for some other things that are concerning. I need to get a pediatric visit set up, so please pray that can happen quickly. While the scholarship funding would’ve been nice, I’m more concerned with how to best meet the educational needs for these boys. We’ve got some things to figure out, and figuring out how to do it in Christian education can be trickier. I’m not complaining as that’s the best option for our family, but it can pose a challenge. We are just a few short days away from school starting, and I have a lot of ducks that need lining up. (Currently, I don’t know where my ducks even are and they’re certainly not in a row!) We’d appreciate your prayers as we try to figure out how to best help our boys. 

After the boys and Roger got back from Wisconsin, we headed to the beach on Thursday morning. Emma’s birthday was on August 8th, so we kinda made plans to go to the beach for her birthday. We weren’t there on her actual birthday, but we had such a good time together with our friend, the Everett’s. We’ve become very dear friends with their family, and we share a lot in common with raising teens, moving a lot, and life experiences. We are thankful for them! Jen was able to come with us to the beach, so that was an unexpected blessing. The kids (except Garett), Laura, Jen and I left on Thursday morning. We arrived at the beach in the afternoon in time to use the water park for a bit and go to the beach. The lodgings weren’t the world’s finest accommodations, but they were workable, and the company was so fun. We had left Garett at home because we figured he would be working on Friday. However, he called me on Thursday night and said that he didn’t have to work on Friday. He asked me to come and pick him up so that he could spend time at the beach. (Roger and Justin were coming on Friday night). I made plans with Roger and I left early Friday morning to meet up with them. I picked up Garett around 6:30am, and he was able to spend the day at the beach with us. It was a full day of swimming, beach, shopping, mini golf and laughter! We soaked up the sun and the memories! On Saturday evening we went to the Pirates Voyage dinner show with the Everett’s and Jen. It was so fun! I would definitely do it again, and all the kids enjoyed the show too. We’ve never been to a dinner show, so that was a special treat for us. We also had relay races in the lazy river at the hotel, played mini golf, and did some school shopping. It was a great weekend away, and I don’t think that any of us were ready to come back to reality, but here we are! 

Emma’s 10th birthday was on Tuesday! I can’t believe that our baby is 10 years old- where did the time go?! The Bible says that “life is a vapor” and it surely is! We blink and the years pass by. We made an ice cream cake for Emma’s birthday, and it was similar in taste to Dairy Queen’s except much cheaper! The boys said it was good, but the cookie crumbs weren’t smashed enough. Emma thought it was delicious and she especially liked the frosting. It wasn’t hard to make, but it was a little time consuming. Travis has already asked for one for his birthday which is also just two weeks away. We celebrated Emma’s birthday with cake and she decided on shrimp, pasta, breadsticks and fruit for her birthday supper. She had gotten her ears pierced for her birthday while we were at the beach, but she also got some legos, jewelry, clothes and art supplies. She was thrilled. She did tell me that the only thing that would’ve made the day better was if she had gotten a dog for her birthday. She is convinced that we need a dog, but Roger and I are certainly not convinced! I love this girl so much! School doesn’t always come easily and she struggles with a lot of things. But she is sweet- hearted, loves hugs, and spending time with her daddy. We are so thankful that she is a part of our lives! My specific prayer requests would include the following: that she will understand salvation fully, and that she will understand school this year. Also that she would make good friends and be a good friend. 

Summer Speed!

 The summer speed is disconcerting at best! We are trying to savor these last few weeks before school begins again, and time is flying by way too quickly! 

Early morning at the storage unit with Chandler 

A rare “date” with this youngest son! 

This girl has enjoyed swimming so much this summer! 

For those of you that have followed us along on the journey of my sister, Jen, and her move to NC, we have an update! The moving company misplaced (spelled lost) all of her belongings for about ten days. They didn’t seem to know where her stuff was at, where it was going to be delivered, or what had happened after it had been picked up in South Dakota! The original plan was for her stuff to remain in Rapid City until she found a place to live here. However, it was discovered on Monday, July 11 that her stuff was on a moving truck in our area. Tuesday morning found Chandler and I waiting outside a storage unit at 5:00am! Jen was able to find a storage unit, so Chandler and I made sure the stuff was delivered. It was an early morning and made a bit more hectic by the fact that Travis had IEP testing that morning and that was Garett’s first day at his new job! Whew! But, by the grace of God, we managed to get it all done. Chandler and I came home from the storage unit escapade to take a quick nap. Then Travis and I went off to his IEP testing. He was NOT a happy camper, but Travis was still polite and respectful to the lady doing the testing. This whole process has been daunting and draining, but we are in the final stretch. We will hear the results of their testing on August 2, and then decisions will be made. Please pray that we will be at peace with decisions made and that God will be glorified. I’ve had to fill out paperwork for the boys, and it seems to be a struggle to separate bad manners/parenting from an academic need! A bunch of the questions were related to manners in my opinion. Questions such as “does he say please?” Does he manage money well?””Does he help with chores around the house?” And so on…I understand that there are children that mentally struggle with those capabilities, but so much of those questions are parenting related! One of the questions  asked was, “does he bathe regularly?” Let’s see. Travis went to camp for a whole week and bathed once! That’s because he’s a sixth grade boy who’d rather be grubby than a child with a handicap! It’s hard to know how to answer the questions, so please pray for clarity in this whole matter! 

Garett has been at his job for almost two weeks. It has seemed to be a good fit for him, so we are thankful for this opportunity for him. It doesn’t look like Chandler will be getting a job this summer, and that’s been a disappointment for him. He’s done some odd jobs here and there, but nothing on a regular basis. But we are thankful for the little bit of work that he has been able to do. And actually this past week, both Wyatt and Chandler were able to acquire work for two days. They spread out pine straw for landscaping for a man in our church. It was hot, sweaty work, but they were paid well and got the job done. They were even given some Chick-fil-a coupons for food -which totally made their day! 

Roger and the boys (except Garett) left EARLY Wednesday morning for a whirlwind trip to Wisconsin. Roger is visiting with some of his family during the air show, and the boys are visiting with my parents. They were all excited to go even though it will be a very quick trip as they’ll be coming back on Sunday. Garett was a little disappointed to not be able to go, but that’s part of growing up and having a job! Emma wanted to see Nana and Papa, but not enough to take a 16 hour road trip! 

Roger told me yesterday that he was able to get the deer hunting tags for the boys for the fall hunting season, so that was good news! Each boy will be able to deer hunt over Thanksgiving break, and hopefully, shoot some deer for the freezer! We have a lot of mouths to feed, and grocery prices are skyrocketing, so I’ll be thankful to have some deer meat should the boys be successful in their hunting. We had originally planned to take them to Montana to hunt elk and deer, but that’s a very long ways away from North Carolina, and the tags were much more expensive than in Wisconsin. This way they can have the opportunity to hunt with my dad at a much more affordable price and still do something that they really enjoy. They’re already looking forward to going in the fall. 

Meanwhile, we’ve stayed home and worked on a lot of various things around the house like mowing grass and doing laundry. We’ve spent some time in the pool and with our friends, the Everett’s. I’m sure that Chandler, Wyatt and Travis will have a great time in Wisconsin and come back with many stories to share. I sure do miss them when they’re gone! The house is too quiet! (I don’t know what to do when I don’t have to referee the fights!) -Kidding! :) Emma had the opportunity to go with the Everett family to Beaufort to visit some friends on Friday evening. It was a quiet evening for Garett and I, but it was so good to spend some undivided time with this oldest son. He struggles SO much with school that sometimes it just makes my heart hurt. But he’s kind, respectful and a leader in a quiet way. I’m so proud of him, and I was reminded that I don’t tell him often enough how much I love him. I’m thankful for these moments with him. 

Laura and I have conducted two cheer camps on Mondays this month, and that’s kept us busy and tired. Laura has the experience, and I like communication and information! I lead strength and conditioning and Laura teaches them the routines. It seems to work so far, and we have fun while we do it. We also come home tired on Mondays- one more to go! Pray for us as we pour into these girls during the winter sport season. We want to point them to Jesus, help them deepen their relationship with Jesus, and grow together as a team. We’d ask for prayer for Laura and I to have wisdom, direction, and discernment. We’re sure to make mistakes, but we want God to be glorified through it all. 

I’ve also been putting in some time at the school as we work to get the library up to speed for the school year. A private school library is a challenge to maintain because we don’t have access to new books like a public school does or a public library. We did managed to add over 400 new books last year though generous donors, so that’s a really good start! But that also means that some books have got to go to make space for the new ones. As adults, I think we’re often attached to books due to our own childhood experiences, but the next generation has no such connections. So what will they read?! Well, it’s a challenge for sure! We’ve discovered that graphic novels are appealing to a lot of kids and even some of the classic series like  The Boxcar Children  have been re-written in graphic/comic form. Kids are drawn to the comic type writing in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the I Survived series is also popular. Children also seem to be drawn to books about facts, interesting quick tidbits of information, and the Who? What? Where is? Series of books. My friend and fellow librarian, Jennifer, have been working hard at making some changes in our library to make the shelves more appealing to our readers. Reading is a challenge for so many kids, and I think reading aloud to all children is important. 

My sister, Jenn, is heading our way this weekend. She has a few houses lined up to look at, so we will see what happens with that adventure. We are excited to see her, and we are praying for a smooth transition for all of us. Change is hard, even if it’s good change. It looks like there may be changes for myself this year during the school year, but we are still praying about making good, wise decisions. I know that God has a plan and a purpose in all that He allows and that He is our Rock in the midst of uncertainty. 

The summer has literally flown by, and I am not ready to go back to school! It means that another summer with our children has come to a close, and I’m reminded daily that our time with them is so very fleeting. We are thankful for the memories we’ve created and the time spent together. 

I’ve had this song on my mind a lot the past few weeks. I’ve been overwhelmed with a lot of thoughts and changes that are looming upon me. Sometimes when I lay my head down to sleep, my mind runs away with all the responsibilities that I need to do. I want to do what I do and do it well. I want to love Jesus and point my kids and students to Him. I want to pour into others knowing that I am filled by an almighty, all-powerful God. I love this song, and the words in it. “Praise God, Just as I am!” I’m thankful that the God Who created the sunset this morning is the same God that loves me. He is faithful. 

Summer Memories- Florida, Camp, and the Fourth of July!

 Do know what happens when I don’t write a blog post for a couple of weeks? A lot! The answer is that a lot of things happen in a short amount of time around here! 

Emma and I arrived back from Maine on a Tuesday afternoon. It was a flurry of activity as we prepared to leave for a week in Florida. My friend, Laura and I left at 4:10am on Saturday morning with 8 kids in tow to leave for Florida taking the kids to camp at Pensacola Christian College. We made good time down to Florida on Saturday, and arrived at the condo where we were staying for two nights around 3:30pm. Everyone was happy to arrive and spend time in the pool and at the beach for a few hours. We certainly were all happy to go to bed on Saturday night! 

On Sunday morning (6/ 25) we visited a church that the Everett’s had been a part of fifteen years ago when they had lived in the Destin area. The church was very friendly (of course, it’s hard to miss two moms coming in with six teens and two elementary students!). The preaching was solid, the people friendly, and it was a church that I would re-visit if I was moving to the area. Living in a post-Covid world, so many churches are plagued with the same problems: people not returning after Covid, an aging generation of pastors and laypeople, and the struggle to find the balance between technology, Bible translations and music. But we press on in Jesus’s name to share the Good News and to live our lives for His honor and glory. 

Monday afternoon found us dropping off six teens at camp where they met up with the other 9 kids that came from our church. It was a great group of teens to take to camp, and Pensacola Christian College definitely put their “best foot forward” as they represented the college and camp. The boys all had a great week and the favorites from the week were the preaching and the food! It was a little bit of a struggle having three of the brothers be in the same room, and I could do without that next year, but overall, it was a positive and great experience. All the teens said that they would like to go back next year, and Chandler and Wyatt said that they’d like to try basketball game, We are so thankful for all those that poured into them and mentored them during that week of camp. 

Meanwhile, while the kids were at camp, Laura and I hung out with our children that were too young for camp- Emma and Brody. We stayed at a place about 20 minutes from the college, and it was the perfect spot for the week! I had heard about this place through our friends, the Falde family. They have a great little Airbnb that was the perfect price for us. Emma and Brody played together so nicely all week! We spent a day at the Pensacola Beach with our friends, Laura and Cara, who had also come down to drop kids off at camp. Emma and Brody spend probably seven hours outside playing in the beach and then playing in the pool! Needless to say, they slept very well at night! It was a fun time of relaxation and enjoying each other’s company, and we wouldn’t complain if it became a yearly tradition! 

It was a long drive back from Florida! We left the campus about 8:15am on Friday morning, but we didn’t get home until around 11:00pm. Traffic, rain, and longer stops than usual, ate up our time. We also decided that we prefer the route down to Jacksonville, Florida and then over to Pensacola versus the route through Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia! But now we know! 

Roger and Justin stayed home to work while the mamas and the kids went off to Florida, so everyone was glad to be home on Friday night. Roger told me earlier in the week that he thought the washing machine was on its last leg- something that no mama wants to hear! We arrived home to discover that the washing machine had quit working altogether. It came with the house and had been used multiple years without the water filtration system and I’m guessing that the hard water has just worn it out. But a family of seven has a hard time going without a washing machine for too long! We went to get a replacement one on Saturday, but we were told that it wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday. Nothing to do but let the laundry start piling up! Thankfully, my friend, Laura took some of it home with her and that certainly helped diminish the pile- but we are looking forward to having a washing machine! 

We spent the Fourth of July floating down the Neuse River on air mattresses and rafts!  It was totally red-neck, but also free! The Neuse River is not very clean, but it’s not very deep and the current doesn’t flow very quickly. It was  a fun afternoon with friends, rope swings, laughter, fellowship, and only one lost flip flop! We followed up the afternoon with an all-American barbecue and fireworks. It was a very all-American day, and a reminder of how much we have to be thankful for in our land. It’s very easy to become discouraged by the wickedness swirling around us, but I still pray fervently that God will continue to work in hearts and lives and bring revival to our land. We are a blessed people. 

We hosted a missionary family for supper on Friday night, and that was a good blessing as well. It’s always great to hear missionary speakers in church, but it’s so much more personable to have people in our home. We had a great time of fellowship as we talked with the missionaries to Togo,Africa. Our older boys both said how they think that they’d like to go on a missions trip to Togo sometime soon. It’s expensive to fly across the world, but it’s definitely something that we’d like to see them do also. I made lasagna for supper last night as it’s one of our kids favorites. I’ve been making lasagna for 20 years now, and rarely use any kind of recipe and it turns out fine. On Thursday morning, I had Wyatt brown the meat for the lasagna while I mixed up the egg, cheese, and cottage cheese mixture. We started layering the two pans we were making, and I was feeling very accomplished about getting the lasagna made a day ahead of time. We finished the lasagna, wrapped it up, and put it in the fridge. I turned around and looked at the stove and there sat the three pounds of browned meat! Yikes! I had forgotten to put in the meat! I texted Roger to tell him that I was going on a run as I clearly needed to clear my mind! I ended up making one additional pan with the meat and saving the rest of the meat to use for tacos on Saturday. Anyways, the lasagna was still delicious! 

On Saturday, we had the Hardison family over for fellowship and tacos! The Everett kids were here as it’s Justin and Laura’s anniversary weekend. Since five of the kids are on the cross-country team, we had them run before supper. There were minimal complaints although it was very, very hot! Thankfully, they were able to run and then jump in the pool to cool off. It’s been hot and humid here- welcome to summer in North Carolina. 

My friend, Laura, and I are coaching cheerleading this fall/winter, so we’ve been preparing for our cheer camp which starts next Monday! We’ve typed a lot of notes, talked through a lot of different ideas, rehashed some more ideas, and are still a work in progress! Cheerleading is out of my wheelhouse, but I’m fairly good at communication, coming up with games, typing out schedules, and coordinating things. Laura will take on the teaching of routines, stunts, etc. Together we are hoping and praying that we will encourage these girls and point them closer to Jesus. We are looking forward to the challenge, but we surely would appreciate your prayers! 

My sister, Jen, has been facing all sorts of challenges in trying to move across the country to North Carolina. Please pray that God will give her peace and that He will make the way clear. We are looking forward to having her in the area. 

The summer days are flying by- way too quickly for my liking! We are trying to soak up memories and moments as we see our children growing up so fast. Garett will be starting his job tomorrow. He will be working with a seamless gutter company right near our house. God orchestrated this job to be 1.5 miles from our house, and the two guys that run the business are both Christians. Pray that God will help Garett to understand the job, be a hard worker and have a good testimony. Chandler would still like some summer employment, so he would appreciate your prayers that God will provide some work. 

Garett took his IEP testing last Wednesday and Travis will take the testing tomorrow. The testing is long and it’s tiring, but we are praying for an accurate representation of any learning challenges that might be present. It’s a long and tiring process, but we do feel like it’s important. 

Many things we are praying for this summer- school, employment, experiences, and so much more! But God is so faithful to lead us step by step. We continue to trust that He will direct our steps.