Camping, Canoeing, and Chaos!

Our family went camping over Memorial Day weekend, and we had a great time. It’s always interesting when I’m pregnant, but since I don’t sleep all that well at home, I might as well go camping! J My parents took the boys on Friday afternoon, while Roger and I enjoyed a wonderful date night! We flew over the Wisconsin countryside, enjoyed a nice dinner, and packed up to go camping without a lot of added “help”. J

All Tired Out!

On Saturday, we met up with the rest of the family at a campground near Wisconsin Dells, WI. The boys were covered in dirt and grime and having a wonderful time! A few others from our church were also at the campground, and my dad had brought along several canoes; so, off we went to go canoeing. It’s a good thing I didn’t know how long the ride was going to be...because I wouldn’t have gone! We took along all four boys and they did great! Ten miles was a tad long for one afternoon of canoeing, especially with the wind going against us, but we survived and no one was overly whiny! Wyatt did say he was tired and laid down in the bottom of the canoe, but he didn’t fuss or complain…praise the Lord!

Wyatt ready to go!

My youngest!

     Everyone was starving when we got back from the canoeing excursion, so we fixed supper, the boys rode their bikes some more, added more dirt to their clothes, and enjoyed the outdoors! Food always taste great on any camping trip we go on as a family, probably due largely to the fact that Roger is the chief cook! J I am blessed!

 

 



Boys waiting for marshmallows!

 

 

 

We fellowshipped with believers

at Keystone Baptist Church on Sunday, and then returned to the campground for lunch and more outdoor fun. Thankfully, Wyatt told me he was tired, so I volunteered to go lay down with him for a bit!

J It was a great nap!

It did rain some on Sunday afternoon, but that didn’t stop the boys from riding their bikes, chasing frogs, and eating non-stop! J

My canoeing partner

I was miserably sick on Sunday night. I’m guessing that something I ate...baby didn’t like, but it’s hard to be sick at home…and much harder in a tent! I spent a good portion of the night in the camp bathroom simply because I didn’t want the boys to wake up and my stomach was hurting. I felt much better the following morning, but it did make me appreciate home! J

We packed up on Monday morning, and headed back home. Travis was asleep by the time we hit the main road, and the other boys weren’t far behind! It was a quiet ride home! J I’m thankful for the memories we created, the time spent as a family, and the opportunity to treasure the moments with our little ones.

A New Decade!

Our family...5K!

30?! I am! J

We celebrated my 30^th birthday on Friday, May 17^th! It hardly even seems possible to already be here, but 30 has arrived. J It actually wasn’t that hard, mentally,for me to turn 30, since it’s going to happen anyway; but when I think about turning 40…wow! At least I have 10 years before that happens, and I also think that the most alarming thought about turning 40 would be Garett  turning 17 the same year…CRAZY! J

I was completely swept away by surprise when Roger planned a surprise 30^th birthday party for me on Saturday, May 11^th! I was completely not expecting a surprise party, but it was so much fun! Roger had asked the help of another friend of ours from church, Tanya, to help with the food coordination, cake, decorations, etc. It worked out very smoothly since we had a yard sale at someone’s house in town that day. So by the time we got everything picked up from that and put away,  it was 5:15pm. Exactly when he was supposed to have me home! J It was a wonderful time with close friends, and an awesome gift! Everyone pitched in together to buy a Keurig coffee brewer, and I love it! I’ve wanted one for a long time, but haven’t been able to come up with a way to spend that money on myself without feeling guilty! J The Keurig brews coffee, tea, hot chocolate, apple cider, and all kinds of delicious options…that the whole family is enjoying! J

Roger’s mom came for a few days around my surprise birthday party weekend as well, and it was so nice to have her here. Since the weekend was already a bit crazy with having a yard sale, it was nice to have someone to watch the kids and also pick up the house a bit before the surprise party…I love my mother-in-law! J Roger’s dad came in on Saturday before the party, so a lot of my family was able to be here, so that was really cool. It was also mother’s day weekend, so it was a very full weekend!

I wish I had pictures to post of the surprise party, but you’ll have to wait until my mother-in-law emails them to me! J

On Saturday, May 18^th, we celebrated my 30th birthday some more!We ran a 5K as a family. Our local hospital organized a fund raising event for a “Cure for Cancer”, and we decided to participate. It was a great time!  Roger pushed Wyatt and Travis in the stroller, and Garett and Chandler ran what they could and then walked. I ran the 5K and finished in 29:00.  Last year, I ran the same course and finished 3^rd in my age division with a time of 23:54…but I also wasn’t pregnant! J None of us received any medals or prizes, but we had a great time as a family. I have a whole lot of admiration for my husband for pushing the stroller with over 50 lbs. of boys in it! J (I know I couldn’t do it!)

Sunday, May 19^th was also a special day for us as some very dear friends of our welcomed their first child into the world! The boys were delighted to meet baby Story on Wednesday and were completely fascinated by her. They’ve been praying for a girl baby, and when we left Garett told me, “Mom, that’s what I want.” J Travis on the other hand still insists on praying for a puppy! J If I had a $1.00 for every time I hear, “You’re carrying a boy”, I’d be one rich woman! J We didn’t find out what the gender is, but I guess I’d be more surprised if it’s a girl than a boy! J

We also went camping this past Memorial Day weekend. (But that’s for another post!) J

 

The Love of my life!



50 lbs. of BOYS!



They made it!



A new baby girl!

The boys love her!

Technology, Tiredness and Life!

It has been WAY too long since I’ve updated our blog, and one of the problems about getting this far behind is that I have so much news to catch up on!  A few weeks ago, our computer was accidently spilled on, so I was unable to post to the blog for a few weeks. It’s nice to have our laptop back…and I’m thankful that we put a warranty on it!

Two small boys learning to get along!

To say we’ve been busy would be a gross understatement! We’ve celebrated Wyatt’s 4^th birthday, helped out with a teen activity at our church, planned a surprise birthday party for a dear friend, hosted a college and career activity, organized and planned a baby shower for another dear friend, had a yard sale, ran a 5K with a friend, started garden seeds, added plants to the landscaping beds, spring cleaned several areas of our house, enjoyed having Roger's mom here for a few days and both his parents over Mother's day, and then have had the day to day activities of schooling, training children, helping out in church functions and the mundane activities of life! WOW!

So, I don’t even know where to start about catching up, so I think I’ll just post pictures with captions and leave it at that! J I have all these grand ambitions about things I’m going to do after the kids go to bed, but usually I’m so tired that all I can managed is to shower, read a few verses in my Bible, and fall into bed! We are on the home stretch with finishing up schooling and both Garett and I are chomping at the bit to have it done! The spring seemed slow in coming, but when we do have nice weather, we both have a hard time focusing! (I want to be outside as much as he does!)  

 

Wyatt and Papa on Wyatt's 4th b

Outside Springtime Fun!



Sled Surfing!
 

Pantry before being cleaned out...

 

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

 

Baby Shower for my friend...no, I didn't make the cake!

Baby Shower Decorations

Boys first fishing trip!

Chandler's first catch!

5K Race with a friend...24 weeks pregnant!

Fun! Fun!
 

Roger’s job has been going well and he really enjoys it; however, we need your prayers as we seek God’s direction. His hours will be cut once school ends as he won’t need to deliver milk for the school lunches anymore. But, our budget will not allow for any more pinching and cutting, so please pray that God will provide additional employment for him. We are still praying about going back to Alaska, but God has not made those doors to open just yet. So, for now, we trust Him to provide for us here. It’s a little daunting to think about adding another addition to our family, but we are confident that God has a perfect plan here…but please, pray for us!



Clean out the pantry day! Playing with a mess of all kids
of odds and ends out of the pantry!

We took out the dividing cabinets between the kitchen and dining room.
It really opened it up, and we really like it. I'm thankful that Roger's brother, Mark
came over to help with that project!



Chandler's mother's day paper from 4K...I love it!

 

Baby Robertson #5 is a....

Well, we had our ultrasound for our newest addition…and guess what? Baby #5 is a….baby!  We chose not to find out so, we’ll discover sometime in August what God has given us. It was a hard decision, as part of me wanted to know and part of me didn’t. But in the end, we decided not to find out, and I’m fine with that too. Baby is growing well, the ultrasound showed no abnormalities or concerns, so we are thankful for that. We realize that each child is a gift from God, and we are blessed to once again be welcoming a child into our family. The boys are praying for a “girl” baby, but I’ve been trying to gently tell them that God might give us another boy. Garett wants to know why God would do that…”We already have enough of those, mom!” Well….I’m just trying to prepare you! 

I’ve been staying active with this pregnancy, in part, simply because I have four other children to take care of also!  I’ve really been trying to exercise and eat right but the scale still seems to be winning at a horrific rate!  I need to just come to the conclusion that I need to do my best to eat right and exercise, and I’ll ask God to help me get the weight back off when the time comes! I’ve been having a lot of back pain with this pregnancy, but that could be due to the fact that I have other children that want mommy to pick them up and cuddle them! 

Spring has been slow in coming this year. This week was full of rain, snow, sleet, and moments of “cabin fever”! I ran out of creative ideas, and today I was tired of the increasing questions to “Can I go outside?” So, the boys went out! We went through multiple pairs of went socks, pants, and gloves, but they had a great time! The laundry is never ending anyways, so I might as well let them add to it! We built forts, made craft projects, played in the basement, and even took an excursion to the McDonald's playland! BUT...I'm ready for some sunshine!!

Last Saturday, I was able to go grocery shopping and run some errands without all the boys. I just took Chandler, and we had a “date”. I truly enjoy spending time with them in this way as when I have all four of them along, it's a tad overwhelming for all of us! It's amazing how much talking he likes to do and how fast he's growing when I have those one-on-one moments. I loved it! Tomorrow is Garett's turn and he is VERY excited about his “date”! I treasure the time I'll get to spend with him, and am thankful for an amazing husband who cheerfully and willing watches the other boys, so that I can enjoy these moments. I am blessed!

I realize that every family has different struggles at different times, but as spring-time approaches, I've been discovering that our boys have a struggle of learning stewardship. I don't want the boys to think that life is about “stuff”, or keeping the house picked up, or not tracking in mud; however, I want them to realize that we are to be wise stewards of what God has blessed us with. This seems to be difficult to teach! I feel like I am constantly reminding them to put things away, or to go back and hang up your coat, put your boots away, etc. It gets tiring for all of us, but lately I've just been setting the timer for them to pick up. I look at the mess and estimate how long I think it should take them to pick up. Whatever isn't picked up, becomes mine for however long I feel necessary. The older two lost their bike privileges (but this week they couldn't ride them anyways!). I feel overwhelmed with all that goes into teaching responsible stewardship. Did you take it out to the car?...you bring it in! Did you wear it? ….hang it up! Did you play with it?...put it back! Part of the problem, is that with four close in age, you often feel like you repeat yourself constantly...and I do...but usually it's to a different child! So, on we plug with trying to be consistent, setting a good example, trying to maintain patience and grace when I'd rather just do it myself because it's faster and easier! So, in keeping it real...that's been our struggle of late!

April has also given me the urge to do some spring-cleaning. I've been moving furniture, emptying out closets, throwing away junk so much that when I asked one of the kids to bring me a garbage sack earlier this week, he asked what I was going to put in it very suspiciously! I managed to get one rather large piece of furniture stuck on the stairs to the basement so badly that Roger had to finish moving it when he came home from work. He says he doesn't like coming home in the dark for fear he won't be able to find his bed because the furniture is moved around! :) Pictures of our progress will be coming in a later post!

Blessings on you all,

Sarah

Busy Moments!

Is it really possible that two weeks have passed since I last wrote on the blog?! Honestly, it does not feel that way! Life has a way of passing right by me if I’m not careful, and I have to snatch the moments that I can!

It would probably be easier just to post pictures of all that’s been happening, but I didn’t do very good about taking pictures either! L Let’s see…we hosted a formal dinner for a few good friends and couples from church, helped our kids work on Pine Wood Derby cars and went to the race day, took a meal to a friend, shared our Alaskan ministry trip with another church, hosted an open house for our Alaskan trip, helped out in a college age activity, worked in Children’s church, homeschooled, ran errands, chauffeured children, went to dentist appointments, shoveled snow, celebrated Roger’s 32^nd birthday, built a room in the basement. and numerous other activities!

We’ve had a few warm days…above 32 degrees, but spring has not been anxious to arrive here in Wisconsin. My children are still happy to be playing in the snow, but have been asking when the grass will come back! J I’m looking forward to spring as well, however, the mud?...not so much! J I’ve made up the rule at my house that you must first ask Mom’s permission to play in the mud as sometimes Mom just doesn’t have time to do laundry! (As a general rule, mud doesn’t bother me, provided we don’t have to get in the vehicle to go somewhere next!) So, usually, I’ll say yes…I know, I’m crazy like that! J

Formal Dinner

Dear sweet friend, Jenna, who is also prego!

Two weeks ago, on Friday night, my friend, Rebekah Longsine and myself hosted a formal dinner for a few close friends from church. We borrowed fine china from a good friend (since the Robertsons are lacking in that department!), set up the living room as a formal dining room and cooked up a storm! We had twelve people for dinner, and it was a lot of fun! We had assorted breads, spinach dip, bacon wrapped shrimp, soup and salad, glazed carrots, roasted potatoes, sautéed green beans, herb roasted turkey, and steaks! For dessert, we enjoyed cheesecake, chocolate decadence, and a chocolate fondue with assorted fruit! AMAZING! It was difficult to decide who to invite, and we would have loved to invite more friends, but we only have so much space and food! L So, we picked a few friends that had been friends with the Longsines for a long time, and I got to come since I hosted the event at my house! J  It was really a lot of fun, but I’m thankful that I don’t have to set my table with multiple forks and spoons on a daily basis! J (I was also very thankful to see the china go back home with my friend…I was so nervous that something would break!) All in all, it was a good time, and I’m hoping to do it again sometime. (Maybe next time, I’ll sell tickets!) J

Following that we had the Pine Wood Derby race. The boys did all the work on their own cars and I’m so proud of them. They may not have been the fastest cars or the best designed, but they did every part of the work themselves. Roger and I have committed since early on in events like that, that the boys need to do their own work. We’ll offer advice or mentorship, but if you don’t work on it…we won’t either! J Chandler actually did place third with his car in his age division, which was exciting, but all the boys were thrilled to participate in the Pine Wood Derby Race. Fun for all!

Pinewood Derby Cars

This past Sunday, we went over to my parent’s church and showed our slides from Alaska. We enjoyed a dinner with the folks there, Roger preached and we answered questions after the pictures. It was a wonderful time to again share our experiences from Alaska.

Happy Birthday!

On Friday, we hosted an open house and shared pictures and experiences with friends and family. We enjoyed having people over to our home and sharing more in depth about the adventures and experiences of our trip. It was fun to share those memories, and I sure do miss the pace of life there! J  It was also Roger’s 32^nd birthday, so the boys decorated a cake for him! J They enjoyed it immensely, and my biggest concern was that someone was going to fall in the cake because they were so excited about decorating it! J

Thankfully, on Saturday, we enjoyed a day at home with our family. We didn’t have any places we had to be, but some friends came over about supper time. We had a great time visiting with them and the boys were delighted because they have children! J Jenn and Arien have become very dear friends to us, and it was nice to have a family stop by and enjoy an informal visit…and we had plenty of leftovers from the open house! J

So, that sums up the last few weeks of family, ministry, and activities!

We’ve been busy, but God has been faithful to sustain us, help us create memories, spend time with our family, and enjoy the journey of life! We are blessed!

Life in the Mommy Stage

GRACE

Do you ever experience a moment where you think you might have a break through with a child? Maybe it’s something you’ve been trying to teach them or something they’ve been trying to do, and suddenly it seems like the lights turn on and everything clicks! Most of the time, I feel like I’m still waiting for those moments J but everyone once in a while it happens.

Actually, this time I’m not talking about my children as much as I’m talking about myself. Before children, I loved to read and spent hours reading books; however, having four children in four years put a serious damper on reading! But the kids are a little older now, and I realized that while I read my Bible and devotional book regularly, it would be beneficial to start reading other books. I recently finished a book called, “Loving the Little Years” and enjoyed it so much that I bought an additional book by the same author called “Fit to Burst”. I feel like this author, Rachel Jankovic, is really down to earth and has practical advice for moms. Through it all, I’ve been challenged in so many areas. I often tend to holler when I should stop and pray, to punish when I should have listened, and to respond with a harsh tone when I should reply with patience. I’m not going to lie…parenting is the hardest thing I’ve ever done! (And sometimes the rewards seem far behind) But, I’ve been challenged to stick with it, to pray with my kids more often, to listen to them when they talk, and to work to respond with grace. After all, my Heavenly Father never responds harshly to me, He always deals lovingly with wrong-doing, and chastises me with a loving approach, which is exactly how I want to deal with my children. Prayers are always appreciated, and as always when you start to really work on an area, God gives you examples to practice! J

Brothers..."boating" together

            We really had an overly full week last week between dentist’s visits for two children, a doctor’s appointment for me, mid-week prayer service at church, a Homebuilder’s activity at church, worker’s training at church on Saturday morning, and a benefit for a friend Saturday night, and taught Children’s church on Sunday morning. (Yeah, it was too much!) Anyways, by Saturday night, everyone was tired so all the kids were in bed by 7:30pm. It was about 15 minutes after we put them to bed, that I realized that it was “spring forward” night so really they were in bed at 8:30pm! It was a very depressing moment for me! J However, the busy weekend gave me many opportunities to practice what I’ve been learning! As in having patience with slow moving children, having a little extra grace on the child who is falling apart because his hat fell off, listening in the car to yet another story that I don’t really want to listen to. But it’s important to the child. So, I’m thankful for GRACE!

            God gives us grace as we need it, not extra to store up, not beforehand, but as we need it! A perfect example…read on: J

Wyatt-not feeling well

The kids slept in this morning until 7am. Woo Hoo! However, I was in bed listening to them stir (I haven’t been feeling that great), when Chandler came into our room. “Mom, there’s a puddle of pee on the floor in our room and it stinks!”    Well, awesome! (NOT!) But, it did motivate me to quickly get out of bed! J Upon arrival in the boys room, I discovered that there was indeed a puddle and a child that was naked from the waist down, except for socks, sitting there quietly reading a book! While cleaning up that mess, the child on the top bunk, Wyatt, started crying. To put it nicely, he was a mess. Apparently, he had an accident during the night and it wasn’t a pee accident! L The bed, himself, and Buzz (the stuffed Toy Story Buzz) all had remnants of a very nasty experience. And God gave GRACE! I managed to clean up the entire mess, bathe two children, and disinfect before I felt that feeling when my stomach started yelling -  STOP! J So, we survived and the laundry is started again and life is moving forward.  I love how God teaches me things as I need to learn them, He doesn’t give me more than I can handle (although at times it feels that way), He gives mercy and patience as I cry out to Him, and I am blessed!

We all face challenges, struggles, trials and hard moments, but this week has been a reminder of how much God loves me, protects me, strengthens me, and encourages me…WHAT AN AWESOME GOD!

Why, yes, it's definitely essential to wear swimming goggles when going outside in the snow!

Because Kids are Kids!

Life with four boys close in age is anything but boring or dull! At times, I'd love to pack them all off to somewhere...anywhere...and have a little peace and quiet, but I do enjoy them immensely. God is good all the time, and I am blessed!

However, at times things occur in my life that are too funny not to write down or repeat for others to laugh with us. For example:

1) On Monday of this week, Chandler had to go to the dentist. If you remember from previous posts, Chandler had been having troubles with this tooth ever since we left for Alaska. We had been praying that we would make it back to Wisconsin before it became an emergency. God answered that prayer, and we made it back.

However, the tooth needed to be pulled this week. Chandler was at 4K on Monday morning, and I mentioned to Garett that Chandler was going to the dentist. "What for?" he asked. I told him and he replied, "That really hurt when I got mine pulled!". I said to please not tell Chandler that he was going to the dentist to get it pulled and he agreed. Chandler arrives home, and Garett promptly tells him, "You're going to the dentist, and it's really going to hurt, but I can't tell you what they are going to do!" WHAT!!! Garett said, "But I didn't tell him what was going to happen!" While I wanted to be grumpy, all I could do was chuckle.

2) Another incident that was humorous happened while Chandler and I were driving in the car together. Chandler was talking about the baby, and he wanted to know how the baby got in my belly! Well, I wasn't about to go into details on that with my five year old son, so I just replied that God had given us another baby and put the baby in my belly. That seemed to satisfy his curiosity for a moment, but then he immediately went on to ask how the baby got out...well... I just replied that Mom went to the hospital and the doctor helped the baby come out. I said that the baby was weighed and given a bath.
 Chandler promptly replied, "OH, to wash of the color."
 I was curious about that reply, so I asked, "What color?"
Chandler replied, "Oh, you know, Mom, the pink color if it's a girl and the blue color if it's a boy!"

How his mind works, I'll probably never know, but it sure brings LOTS of laughter to our home!

3) Maybe this is wrong, but I always enjoy peoples expressions when I tell them about our kids. Today, I was running some errands by myself and at the Dollar Tree, the lady in the checkout line asked if I had children. I replied, yes and that I have four boys. Generally, the reply is something along the lines of "Wow! Four boys, and how old are they?" This is the point where I kinda smirk and say, "Oh, six, five, three and two." Then I just observe the expressions and almost always leave the store with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I've been told several times, "Oh, I feel sorry for you." That honestly, is probably one of the more hurtful comments, but I've learned to not let it bother me. I DON'T feel sorry for me, because I KNOW I'm blessed! Most people are polite and just say something along the lines of how I must never be bored, or how that's a lot of boys, or about how they would never have that many boys (Really, are you going to send the baby back??), but I've learned to just laugh and move on. God is good, and we are blessed.

So, I have nothing that is really exciting to write about, but maybe the post will make your day a little brighter.
God bless,
Sarah