Christmas Memories...and Santa?

If your family is anything like ours, you’ve enjoyed the Christmas holiday, indulged in rich foods, loved on your kids, and you’re soaking up Christmas break! And perhaps you’re not really sure which day of the week it even is right now?! Enjoy the memories that you are creating with your family!

Last Thursday, 12/21, was an early release day for our kids from school which means that they were done at 11:30. Roger had the day off and had borrowed a vehicle from his work. I had coordinated with Allison on a few stops to sing Christmas carols. We gathered up our kids as well as a few extras and headed out to carol. Our first stop was at the nursing home where the residents were delighted to see the children! Meanwhile I think every child we brought along was taking off hats,  mittens, and coats and murmuring about “how hot it is in here!” They survived and did very well, and the residents certainly enjoyed seeing the young faces singing the carols. The rest of our stops were all shorter, and we stood outside on the porch steps and sidewalks...much to the relief of the children! I’m glad we made the effort to take the kids and go caroling. It’s important to me to raise our kids to reach out to the lonely older folks too.

After caroling we drove down to Portland to pick up Aunt Jen. The kids have been looking forward to her arrival for several weeks! On the way home we stopped at the L.L.Bean store in Freeport. They decorate the area with Christmas lights and flair and the store is open for 24 hours. The kids enjoyed seeing the model train set up for Christmas, and it was a good start to our Christmas break!

 

 

 

On Sunday we attended the Christmas Eve service, and enjoyed the day as a family. Our family sang together for the Christmas Eve service and while it wasn’t amazing or awesome, it bought a special delight to my heart to hear our family sing together unto the Lord. I hope that we will continue to make the effort to sing together in church this year. I do enjoy this special service with candles, lots of singing and a devotional on the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s not just a holiday to celebrate His birth, but to celebrate WHY He came to earth. He came so that you and I could have eternal life and that is a gift worth celebrating!

We had originally planned to open gifts on Christmas morning before heading up to Hannah and Josh’s house. However the weather forcast was predicting blizzard like conditions. We still planned on going to my sister’s house, but we knew it would take longer than normal to get there. Although Roger and I didn’t give gifts to our children this year, they had shopped for each other at the Christmas shop at school. And Aunt Jen had brought presents for them too! After the Christmas Eve service, eating yummy food, and reading the Christmas story together, we opened gifts. Roger’s boss and his wife had given each of the boys a multi-tool knife, which they were thrilled to receive! The boys had picked out gifts for each other that included duct tape, electrical tape, and rope! The boys were delighted with their gifts from each other, and I’m sure we will see many inventions crafted together with their supplies! Emma received a baby doll from Roger’s boss and wife, and she is always happy to receive another baby!

However when all the presents were opened, Emma started crying! I asked her what was the matter and she wanted to know where her presents were from Santa! Say what?! We’ve never done Santa at our house and I was completely flabbergasted! She said that she had asked for a dog, a play kitchen, an pretend four wheeler, and a bike for Christmas! I had known that she was wanting those things, but I had been very clear that she wasn’t going to get any of those gifts this Christmas. Little by little the story unfolded and the pieces fell into place. We discovered that her older brother, Travis, had told her that Santa would bring her whatever she wanted! I asked Travis why on earth he would tell her  such a story! He replied, “It seemed funny at the time. I don’t know why I did it!”  So we ended up having a discussion with Emma about why we don’t get gifts from Santa as well as a discussion with her brother about why we don’t give false hope to others and lie to them to try to make them happy! So...Merry Christmas!  Actually though it provided a learning lessons and a teachable moment for our kids. And it will make a funny memory in the future!

We woke up on Christmas morning to a bit of gently falling snow, but it was nothing like the weather predicted for that time of morning. We ate breakfast togethered, gathered up our gifts to take to Hannah and Josh, and headed out. And then the snow started! I am so thankful for Roger’s great driving skills, the Lords protection, and a wonderful day together! Jenn had downloaded a movie on her iPad, and it was the perfect length! By the time the movie was over, we were turning on to the road to Hannah’s house. The snow did come down strong and heavy for several hours, but we enjoyed the day together playing games, visting, and eating more food! The kids went outside for a little bit and came back in covered with snow! By the time we were ready to leave the snow plows had come through and the roads were much clearer. We were happy to get home safely.

The rest of the week has been spent at home. The UPS truck came to our house on Tuesday bringing a few gifts for the kids. My Aunt Lisa from North Carolina had thoughtfully sent gifts for the kids. They’ve enjoyed a new game this week, and Emma has been loving on all her new babies! Roger and I went on a date on Tuesday evening, and it was good to spend time together alone. The kids have spent the entire week at home, and they have loved not having to go anywhere! The temps have been much colder the last few days, so they bounce back and forth between outside and inside. We’ve played lots of games, been snowshoeing several times, and have enjoyed the week without a schedule or routine. Roger actually had off several days in a row, so it’s been a special time to have him home too. Jenn and I did spend some time with Hannah on Wednesday afternoon, so we enjoyed that time together too. The week is going by very quickly, but it’s been a happy and full week. Aunt Jen has to return home to South Dakota tomorrow, but we have certainly enjoyed having her with us this week.

I hope that you too have had a wonderful week with family and friends. Blessings as we approach the new year!
Sarah

Christmas Blessings

Last week was quite a bit slower paced...hooray!! God gives grace for every day and each moment, and I was thankful that He gave us the added blessing of a snow day last week!!

On Monday, 12/11, some parents from our parent group hosted a Christmas shop for the students. It’s a room filled with items that were donated or bought for the students to purchase for family members and loved ones for a small (very small) price. This is some thing that the students look forward to and it’s a fun event to help with. Since we had finished the program on Friday night, we had decided to use the music class time for the Christmas shop. A few older ladies from our church came to help wrap the gifts for the students, and it was a great opportunity for them to interact with the students and to help stream line the wrapping process! We were given quite a few nice items for students to pick out, but kindergartners and first graders are the funniest group to watch shop! One little boy bought his dad a whole handful of cute tiny erasers! I tried to convince him that his dad might want something else, but he replied, “oh no! My dad will like these, and he will be happy to share with me!” So, the hopefully the parents remember that the gift giving is studen-led! It was a fun morning! Somehow when it’s time to take down and put everything away there are less people, but I think that’s a universal problem! 😀 I was thankful that our kids had the opportunity to think about others, to spend their money on something for someone else, interact with some older folks who wrapped their presents, and enjoy the morning.

  

 

On Tuesday God gave me the gift of “no school”! I was probably more excited than the kids that we had a snow day. We had some snow fall on Monday night, and more snow was expected for Tuesday about mid morning. Originally I had made plans to have a mom friend, Hannah, and her young children over for the morning to play and visit with Emma and I. She sent me a text saying that she  wouldn’t be able to come to our house as her husband had taken her vehicle to work. However, did we want to come and play at their house? The boys were very excited to play at someone else’s house, and Hannah has a bit of a hill in their backyard. The boys gathered up their snow gear, snow boards, and sleds, and we went visting! The roads were fine or at least in my opinion, and since my kids are early risers we were at their house before 8:30am. It worked out to be a fun morning for all of us. I had a great morning visiting with Hannah, the kids played outside for several hours, we had lunch at 10:30, and we were home by 11:30! Hannah has younger children than I do, so the boys did a great job of playing nicely and helping the little ones with outside gear. I wanted to leave before nap time arrived, as I remember that being a very important part of my day as a mom with young kids! By  the time we arrived home, it was snowing again. I think the boys spent most of the day outside except for needing food. They built a fort, made a snowboard jump off of the picnic table, shot targets, and got along far better outside than they would’ve inside the house! It was a day for fun, memories, and rest. I soaked it all up!

Wednesday was Roger’s day off. Originally I had made plans to spend the day with Allison doing some shopping and enjoying each other’s company. However Emma’s class was having their preschool program on Wednesday, and I didn’t want to miss that! And it worked out because Roger could also come to the program. Travis also started his speech lessons on Wednesday. We are hoping that this will help him with reading and other school subjects. He works so hard at school, but his success levels are low. He will have speech lessons twice a week for the next several months to see if this will help with school success.

Also on Wednesday there was a meeting scheduled for after school for parents, teachers, and the school board. It was more of an informational meeting and to see how the parent group could help the teachers, etc. Originally I had planned to go as these types of things are important to me. But then I realized that I didn’t want to use up time on the day that Roger had off, and time that the kids were out of school, to attend a meeting. At some point in time I’ve come to realize that not everything can fit in my day! After we had picked up Emma from school at 11:30, I had gone home to make a meal for one of the teachers at the school. They’ve had a few changes in their family, and I wanted to be a blessing to them. I also made three coffee cakes for hot lunch on Friday. I figured out that if people don’t realize that we are invested in the school and that this school is important to us, then they aren’t paying attention! So I skipped the meeting as I went home with my boys. It was a good choice for  today.

On Thursday Emma and I finished up the grocery shopping for hot lunch, and we spent most of the day at home. We read books, wrapped presents using lots of tape, made cookies, did laundry, and then  before we picked up the boys we went visiting. Emma and I went to visit Mrs. Welch. She enjoys it when we visit (as do most older folks), and it has been a while since we visited. It always feels like I’ve just visited people, but as I look at the calendar I realize that more time has passed than what it feels like! We enjoyed our visit with her, and Emma gave her the gift we had made for her. Emma  loves to give gifts to people, but I have to watch what she is giving. She’s given away used candles, broken pencils, her brothers stuff, and other miscellaneous items! I now inspect her “gifts” before she wraps them or gives them to people!

Friday was chapel and hot lunch day. No matter how organized I try to be, Friday morning is always just a little bit crazy...okay, generally, a lot crazy! For some reason getting everyone out the door on Friday, putting stuff for hot lunch in the truck, and all the other morning routines as challenging on Friday. Now that we are fourteen weeks into the school year, and a new calendar year is right around the corner, I’ve decided that I need to make some changes! I’m working on how I can make Friday morning be a little more relaxed, and I’ve had a few ideas. I just need to implement them!

Roger worked on Saturday, and the kids had Christmas program practice for the church program in the afternoon. We worked around the house in the morning, and the boys wanted to go ice skating in the afternoon. I wasn’t sure that we would be able to fit that in with the program practice, but they brought their skates just in case. Sure enough by the time we finished practice, it was almost dark outside. The boys were disappointed but we don’t have lights at the pond!

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, and the boys were anxious to go ice skating. We had already had plans to go to the pastor’s house for lunch after church, and I knew we wouldn’t be coming home between services. So Roger took the boys down to the pond to play ice hockey. It was pretty chilly this morning at about four degrees, but the boys still skated for about 1.5 hours. When they came home they had rosy cheeks and cold toes! We had Christmas program practice during the Sunday school hour, and the practice went much better than it did on Saturday!

The children did their Christmas program during the worship hour, and many new faces came to church. It was a blessing to see all the folks that came out for the program. Kids are cute!  Emma had been a sheep for Saturday’s practice, but on Sunday we needed another angel. Emma became the angel, except during the program she still acted like a sheep! She sat on the ground with the sheep, followed the sheep to see baby Jesus, and yawned about every three minutes...I guess she was tired! The program went well, and all the grandparents loved it, and the Gospel was presented. So we have many reasons to rejoice!

We went to the pastor’s house for lunch and enjoyed a good afternoon of fellowship. The boys played outside all afternoon, and we laughed and talked about many things. The afternoon passed by quickly! It was encouraging to go to their house, enjoy someone else’s cooking, and have sweet fellowship. The Lord provided a refreshing afternoon to start off our week.

A dear lady from church sent us home with some extra groceries and a beautiful quilt. And another dear lady found a nice jacket for one of our boys. I love how God provides for the little details in our lives even the ones that we don’t ask for!

We are less than a week away from Christmas! This week is full of parties for the kids at school, wrapping gifts, making cookies, Christmas caroling, and lots of other exciting things and ...sugar! Emma has asked me every morning since we put up the tree if we are opening presents today! I finally told her that we couldn’t open them without Aunt Jen. Then I realized that Aunt Jen will be here three days before Christmas so Emma still won’t be able to open the gifts!! Roger and I made the decision to not give our children gifts this year...I know, craziness! We just feel like we already collected and gather a lot of stuff with five children, and I can’t think of anything that they all “need”. Instead we put the money towards a family outing, and we plan to do something fun together over Christmas break. I’m definitely not opposed to giving gifts, and it’s something that I love to do! But this year we are having the kids draw names for each other, and we are doing something together as a family. I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out!

God is so good to us. We are blessed beyond measure, and I am thankful that we have this special season of Christmas. We wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Parents Visting and the Christmas Program!

Update: I started this post on Friday morning, and I am no longer at McDonald’s! I’m home and happy to be there!

 

12/8/2017
As I write this I am sitting at a booth in McDonald’s with my Bible and a cup of coffee. My children are in school, we made it through the first performance of the Christmas program, and the suburban is in the parking lot with some funny smells, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere (that is the extent of what I know is wrong with it!)

It’s been a crazy week...even crazier than normal, if possible! My parents came for a visit this week, and that has made time go by even faster! They flew into Boston and then took a coach bus up to Portland, Maine. The bus worked out really well for them, and I was so thankful that I didn’t have to drive in Boston traffic! We picked them up at the bus station about 7:45pm., and the kids were so excited to see them. It was a late night for our kids, and for the rest of us, but we did make it home safely. It was a full day of travel for my parents, but everything went smoothly.

On Tuesday 12/5  morning I had a quick parent meeting at school, and Roger had some paperwork to do at the airport. A lady from church, Sharon, came to help me set out all the costumes for tomorrow’s dress rehearsal. We laid out about 39 costumes, but I think  we are ready for tomorrow! Emma was thrilled that she was able to stay home with Nana and Papa! When Roger and I arrived home, my dad was working on a project for me!! Yay! I don’t like having a lot of stuff on my kitchen counters, and I had asked my dad about putting the microwave into a built in spot on our island. My dad was able to figure out how to make it work for me so the microwave isn’t on the floor in the pantry any more! Yay!

Also on Tuesday my friend, Hannah, made a meal for our family. She realized that this would be a  crazy busy week for me, and she wanted to be a blessing. And she certainly was a blessing! It was a delicious meal of chili, chips and salsa, and all the fixins’. My parents asked Roger and I if we would   want to go on a date on Tuesday night....umm, yes!  I think the last date we went on together was last  January  before I left for Haiti. When my mom told my kids that we were going in a date, Wyatt  asked her “Is Dad going on the date?” And Travis asked “Who is mom going on a date with?” In my defense this sounds worse than it is! It’s just usually when I say I’m going on a date, I’m going to the grocery store and taking one of the boys with me! For the record, Roger is the one I go on “real” dates with and only him!! It was a funny moment though!

Roger and I had a great time on our date. We were able to try out a new restaurant in the area that we’ve had a gift card to for about six months. It was a great evening together, and I’m thankful for the opportunity we had to spend time together with just the two of us. The kids were able to get some time with their grandparents.

On Wednesday I had Christmas program practice with the students at the school, and my parents came along to watch the program. The kids have worked so hard on this program, and I’m excited about seeing all of their hard work and effort come together. After the practice, my mom decided that the angel costumes should probably be ironed! She offered to iron them for the program on Saturday,  and I didn’t argue! I picked up the kids early from school as I allowed them to come home when I picked up Emma at 11:30am. The boys are wanting to spend time with their grandparents and that seems way more important than a perfect attendance record! My dad took the boys down to the cemetery down our road, and the kids had a great time playing hide-n-seek with Papa! My mom  ironed about twenty costumes for the program, and I am very thankful for that! Hannah and Josh also came down for part of the afternoon, so our house was full of fun and laughter. The kids love to play games and this week they’ve had more people to play with them.  My dad also finished the microwave cabinet, and my kitchen is back together! We are enjoying our time with my parents, but  this week is going by so quickly!

On Thursday Roger had the day off of work, and he was trying to work on replacing the exhaust on  the truck. It was a job that he thought would be simple, but it was not a simple fix! My parents went to see Hannah and Josh’s house, and I worked on figuring out a million little details for the Friday  program. I had to order a “Mary” costume, and it was supposed to arrive on Wednesday. However, Wednesday came and went without a costume coming! I was a little worried about this costume, and  about 500 details, so by Thursday night, I was a tired mess! Thankfully, the costume came at about 4:30pm.  on Thursday afternoon...Praise Jesus!

Garett and Chandler’s teacher has a birthday on Saturday. On Monday Chandler asked his teacher what kind of coffee she liked. She told him, and Chandler came home very excited to tell me what kind of coffee she liked. We decided that we would buy her coffee on Friday morning (I already had plenty to do in the morning, but this was important to Chandler.) I was up early on Friday morning asking God to give me peace, calmness of heart, and grace for whatever the day brought. I took the two older boys with me when I left for school at about 6:45 am. The truck was had a funny smell, and Garett prayed that we would make it to School and that nothing would be wrong with the truck. We stopped to get some coffee for their teacher and those two boys were delighted to bring her a gift. I’m glad I was able to help them brighten someone else’s day. We arrived at school with plenty of time for me to finish up some last minute details, confirm a few minor changes with the teachers, and make sure the costumes were organized for the program at 8:30 am. The morning program is for those who would rather not come out at night, or perhaps can’t make it, or parents who want to see it twice. Our pastor was out of town on Friday morning so I asked my dad to lead one of the congregational carols in the program. When we had practiced on Wednesday morning the students had not been able to get their costumes on and get in their spots by the end of the song. I warned my dad that if the shepherds  weren’t standing in the back of the auditorium we would need to sing another Christmas song! Sure enough when we finished singing four verses of “Joy to the World”, we were still waiting for the students,  but my dad just led the congregation into the next carol. I was thankful that we had already practiced this on Wednesday,  and I knew it might be a snag! The students did a great job on their morning performance and other than the sound effect without the trumpet, and a few stumbled lines, they did a flawless job!

After the morning program, I had s time  before I needed to pick up Emma. My parents went on an errand to Walmart, and I decided to visit one of the elderly ladies in our church. I stopped by  McDonald’s for a cup of coffee and as I was pulling out of the drive thru, the truck lost power steering, all the gauges went crazy, and I was a bit unnerved! I managed to coast into a parking spot in the back of the parking lot. I called Roger, who was out on a flight. So I then did what any daughter would do next...call DAD!! I explained where I was, and that Roger was unavailable, and that the truck was broken. I told him not to hurry as I was safe and fine. I could’ve walked back to the school if I needed to, but I decided to just go into McDonald’s to wait. I had a great half hour spending time with Jesus, and asking Him for some extra grace for today. I wasn’t necessarily upset   about the truck, but it’s been a very busy week!  Fatigue and feelings of being overwhelmed were  catching up with me which can lead to emotional tears! Thankfully God provided an opportunity to quiet my heart. When my dad arrived, he looked over the truck and determined that a belt had broken and that a pulley was frozen. He said that he thought he could fix it if he had the right tools. However my dad was in dress clothes, Emma needed to be picked up, and the boys were waiting to have lunch with Nana and Papa.  Solve one problem at a time, right? We picked up Emma, ate lunch with the boys, and headed home so that Dad could get the right tools and change clothes. I’m thankful that Hannah had borrowed my parents a vehicle for the week, so at least we had a vehicle to get home in! My mom offered to stay home with Emma, while Dad and I went back to the truck. I offered my help to my dad, but he didn’t seem to think that would be good help! 😋He worked on the truck, while I walked down to the school and prayed for a quick fix. It was already about 1:30pm., and the boys were done with school at three! I had brought Christmas cards to work on, but I got distracted by  talking with Allison! At about 2:15, my dad walked into the school, and I was surprised to see him!  He handed me the keys and said the truck was fixed! God had brought along a man from an auto store  to McDonald’s for lunch. He had noticed my dad working on the truck and had walked over to see if he could help. Once he noticed what the problem was, the man fixed it in no time at all! Praise the Lord for a wonderful blessing! My dad headed home, while I ran to the grocery store to get milk...again, and pick up the  boys. I had cancelled the boys piano lessons for today as I knew that we needed to spend at least a little bit of time at home before coming back for the program. 

This is the link to Garett’s song for the Christmas program:
https://youtu.be/XJQVnZeJy1c

At six pm., the students were ready for the program, the church was packed, and God showed  Himself strong in His faithfulness and grace. The students did a great job, and the Gospel was presented. I don’t know if anyone accepted Christ as their Saviour, but I pray that some seeds are planted. I am SO thankful that it is behind us, and that the students hard work and effort paid off. Garett and Maggie (another student) did a great job on their solos. The staff presented me with an evergreen Christmas basket after the performance, and the junior high class gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers! Both were unexpected surprises, and just added to my already blessed heart.

After the program life got a little bit crazy as we were having Christmas with my parents at our  house. Allison came to rescue me again, and she helped gather up all the costumes. Roger, Hannah, and Josh also pitched in to help, and we managed to get a good chunk of the costumes organized and put away. I knew that we would have to come back on Saturday anyways to put the church platform back together and finish cleaning up, but at least we had some of it done. We were headed home by seven thirty, so we did manage to get out of there before it was really late. My parents won’t be here for Christmas Day,  so we gave them our gifts on Friday night. I am thankful that my parents were able to spend some time with us this week even though it was a very short week!

We took my parents to Portland on Saturday morning to catch the bus to Boston. It was a bit of an early morning after a late bedtime the night before. The kids were sad to see my parents leave,  but we were all thankful for the time we had together. We made it safely to the bus station, took a few pictures, and said a few teary good byes. Thankfully Roger and I had planned to do a few errands in Portland so that distracted the kids. We stopped a few places and headed home in the early afternoon.  It was starting to snow, which was beautiful, but made the driving a bit slower. We did make it home safely by around three pm., and the kids immediately hurried to find all their snow gear! Garett hooked up a small bike to the back of the dirt bike, and he drove his brothers around the yard a few times...and that is why I don’t have a nice yard! However, they played together so nicely and for several hours!

Chandler was the first one to come inside, so he was volunteered to come with me to the church to put everything away from the Christmas program. It was now dark, still snowing, and chilly. I didn’t exactly feel like going out again, and Roger offered to go instead. But I was the one who had gotten all the stuff out, so I knew where it all needed to go back. We drove safely, and finished as quickly as we could. We did see two cars in the ditch, but God brought us safely back home again.


My parents flight was delayed out of Boston, and they actually didn’t end up making it back to Wisconsin yesterday. The were stuck in Alanta for the night, then this morning they got in a flight to Tampa, and then back up to Wisconsin! A little bit more traveling than they were anticipating, but God gives grace for what we need.

Sunday dawned a beautiful winter morning with a fresh layer of snow. It was beautiful! The boys were up at the first light of dawn to be outside in the snow. They are worried that it will melt today, and they want to use it as much as they can! Today was a special combined Sunday school class hour, and to be honest I wasn’t really excited about going. I’m very tired out from the busy week, and it was a bit of a mountain top experience in my life. So now I feel a bit of the let down of it being all over, combined with fatigue, which leads to a lot of emotions. We headed to church, and I was looking forward to playing the piano for the Sunday school hour. However, there was some miscommunication, and I was not given the opportunity to play for the service. I cried, which is ridiculous! I am not normally a person to get upset over little details but for some reason this morning it was a bitter disappointment to me. And guess what? It’s life; and I moved on, got over it, and continued on with the day! All in all, it was a good day! God gave me a special encouragement through a short rest time in the afternoon as also the opportunity to take a short run.  My heart is encouraged, and I am ready for a new week!

A few highlights from this weekend
1) On Saturday, December 2, I was able to go to a ladies Christmas party. It was a delightful evening of fun and fellowship. And we also were able to find a place to cut down a Christmas tree that fit into our budget!

2) There was some miscommunication with how my parents were going to get from Boston to Our house. Through it all, God showed Himself strong and worked out the bus situation to work out far more smoothly than if I had driven to Boston.

3) Last Sunday our family had the privilege of first candle of Advent. It was a special moment as the boys read the Scriptures and lit the candle.

4) God brought a lot of people out for the program on Friday night, and it was a wonderful experience to see how God showed Himself strong.

5) My husband loves me in spite of my craziness, and he definitely balanced me out this week and helped me get through the week.


6) My Dad was able to fix the pellet gun for the boys, and that was a delight to them. Chandler shot a squirrel on Thursday morning, and the boys ate it for supper on Friday night after the Christmas program. It wasn’t something that I was excited about eating, but they were thrilled to eat it!

7) Allison helped me with so much take down and put away after the Christmas program. I was so encouraged by her thoughtfulness.

8)  I am so blessed!

Our love,
Sarah

Wrapping up November and Opening up December!

Since December 1st is tomorrow, I want to finish up November with a few memories we made last week.

Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. Due to work schedules we weren’t able to make dinner with Hannah and Josh work out. I really wasn’t up for cooking a big meal for our family, but then we were given an invitation to join another family for Thanksgiving! Allison and Jason invited to us to join their family...and extended family for Thanksgiving. Jason’s mom hosted our family, and a bunch of children, their spouses, and grandchildren! It was a great time as the weather was beautiful, the company delightful, and the food delicious! And all I was instructed to bring was some drinks for lunch!

We had a relaxing morning together as a family before meeting up with Jason, Allison and their girls. Jason graciously agreed to take our family photo as I needed one for our Christmas card. It was a short photo shoot as Travis was convinced that the vest he was wearing was choking him! Shortly before we took the first photo, I realized that his vest was on backwards! Thankfully, we fixed that before we took the photo, but he was still anxious to get out of that vest. It was a little chilly by the water, so we quick took off our jackets, Jason snapped a few photos, and then we put back on our jackets! Emma was “chilly” and I forgot to get one of just her before she was bundled back up. Oh well! At least we have a family photo!

After taking some pictures, we all went on a hike together- through the woods and down to the water! The boys had a great time tromping through the woods, walking through all the water puddles, and trying to build a dam down by the waters edge. Emma collected sea glass off the beach, and she is   actually getting pretty good at looking for it. Allison and Jason’s girls are good sports, and they even helped the boys try to build a dam. It was a fun day for all.

On Friday we spent most of the day working in the yard, taking down the trampoline, putting away the lawn mower, and getting stuff winterized. It’s been very mild so far, but the weather could change at any time. Roger had the day off as originally I had planned on spending some time with Hannah, but she ended up working in the afternoon. I did go Black Friday shopping! (I went to Rite Aid, and I collected all the stuff that was free after coupons and points!) I ended up with lots of chapstick, peanuts, tissues, cough drops and toilet paper. Perhaps not the most exciting items to shop for, but I might as well get them free or cheap! We wrapped up the day with a Christmas movie and popcorn and happy and contented hearts.

Saturday was a full and busy day! Roger took three of the boys out to the islands to do some measuring for some aviation maps. Wyatt wanted to stay with me, which was fine because the birthday party wasn’t for him! As soon as Roger walked out of the door at eleven, I turned to Wyatt and told him we needed to get busy! Wyatt was completely surprised that we were having a birthday a party in a few hours. We managed to get balloons, get the house decorated, baked a cake, made party favors, got everything ready for tacos before our guests arrived! Roger came back with the boys a little after three, and I think that we managed to surprise Garett and Travis! Travis told me that his birthday was in August not November! I assured him that I knew that but today was the party day! I am so thankful for the friends that came out to our surprise party, and that it was such a fun time for the kids. They had a great time playing with the nerf guns that they had been given for a gift, and having milk and Oreos before bed time as that was another of their gifts. The one major disadvantage to having a surprise party is that Roger wasn’t around to help with all the prep work! Because he had taken the boys, it left Wyatt and I with a lot to do before the party! But we did it! It was a fun surprise to pull off.

  

This week has been very busy with prep work for the Christmas program next Friday. I think that everyone has a costume now, the music has been downloaded, the script is memorized (some people could still use some work) and we are coming down the home stretch!

On Monday during music class we worked in picking out costumes for the program. That was quite the project! Roger has been working hard on getting a backdrop done for me. He’s very good at it, but it’s not his favorite project. He does it because he loves me!

My parents are coming for a few days next week, so I’ve been working on getting ready for that also. The kids are looking forward to seeing them for a few days, and I’m sure it will be a great visit, but it will be short!

In between the Christmas program, my parents coming, trying to get the house decorated for Christmas, and still keeping up with all our other activities, we’ve been very busy! I do enjoy putting up the Christmas tree with the kids, and we are hoping to get that done on Saturday.

 We were blessed with a great week, and it was nice to have a few days off from school and to enjoy our time as a family. A rest and reprieve is always good once in a while, and we certainly enjoyed spending time together. I’m looking forward to having the Christmas program behind me...did I mention that already?! We would appreciate your continued prayers as we move forward.

I do have a special praise as well as a prayer request. My plane ticket has been purchased to return to Haiti on a missions trip in February. While we have some of the cost of the trip, we do not have all of it. Will you pray that God will continue to provide for this missions trip? I am excited about returning to Haiti, but this will probably be my last trip for a while. We would like the boys to be able to go when they get a little older, and Roger would like to go also. So we will need to start saving our money for when they are old enough to go on a missions trip. I believe that every Christian should go on a missions trip if they get the opportunity. It is truly a life changing experience! I am including a link to the missions trip group I am going with. If you would like to give towards my missions trip, you would only need to include a note saying it is for Sarah Robertson’s missions trip. I’d certainly appreciate your prayers and financial aid if you feel so directed to give.
The link is as follows:
Parakaleo international  

Tomorrow will mark the first day of December! Can you believe it? This is such a special time of year with the sights and sounds of Christmas, and I pray that you will take some time to just worship our Savior. Truly we were giving the greatest gift when Christ came to earth as a baby. We can rejoice that Jesus came to pay for the sins of mankind, and rest in assurance that we can have eternity with Him. It’s ours for the asking!

We love you,
Sarah
 

 Building a dam 

  

 

 

 Fun with Friends 

 

Giving Thanks! And an Auction Update!

Psalm 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow! I hope that you have plans to set aside some time just to reflect on The Lord’s blessings to you. This holiday is one of my favorites, and I’m looking forward to some time just singing His praises. We have a pie and praise service tonight at church, and it is one of my favorite services. I enjoy singing, hearing about other people’s blessings, rejoicing with believers, and having pie and fellowship afterwards. Our thanksgiving dinner will be a little different this year. Last year, Rogers parents were here for a few days over the Thanksgiving Break. This year we had thought about having dinner with Hannah and Josh. However, Josh has to be at work by three, and it seemed like everything might be a bit rushed if we tried to get up to their house, have dinner, and then Josh would have to rush off to work. Instead, we are going to try to get together another day when Josh and Roger have off, and enjoy some time together. I wasn’t sure how our dinner would end up. I mean, I make a lot of food every day, but my energy level has been lacking  lately due to a cold. Soup and sandwiches might have been our dinner! Everyone in Maine seems like they have family out here...lots of family! We didn’t know of anyone who didn’t have a place to go that we could invite to our house, and I’m not one for inviting myself, my spouse, and five kids to someone else’s dinner! But, God has a plan! We have a thanksgiving dinner plan, and I am looking forward to it. I’ll tell you about it later.

Okay, going back to last week for a minute as I want to give you some details! The Auction!! Hooray as it is behind us! God exceeded my expectations, and He gave us over $1000.00 more than what I had been praying for as posted in a previous blog post! It was a long day. Did I mention that it was a long day?! I had a parent/teacher conference at 7:30 am., and we did not get home until about 9:30 pm.,  I’m thankful for God’s grace! I spent the morning running a few errands for the auction, setting up tables, and working with Allison on about 550 projects-all at one time! A few more moms came after lunch to help finish setting up, and we were ready on time. Two of our boys had piano lessons after school, so by the time that was done we only had half an hour until the dinner and auction. We    had such a great turnout! There were a lot of faces that I didn’t recognize, and many friends and family from the community. Roger’s boss and his wife were able to come for a bit, and that delighted the hearts of our children. We had enough food for everyone, but by the end of the night, most of the food was gone. Our auctioneer for this event had a previous engagement for another auction. And in seventeen years that this auction has happened, he has never not made it. Um, until this time! At six o’clock people were ready for the auction to start. We had already announced the winners of the silent auction, and we were told that it would be at least another thirty minutes until our auctioneer could get to our auction. Well, there was nothing to do but start! I’ve never been an auctioneer, but I can now say that I’ve done it! 😀 I wasn’t the greatest auctioneer, but the audience had such great attitudes and sportsmanship. Have you ever been in a position that you have no idea how it happened, but there you are?! Yeah, I just prayed and asked the Lord to help me not say anything too dumb...and I started auctioning off the items. Thankfully, Claire was there to help with the items and to remind me what price I had sold an item at! Garett and Chandler were pretty excited as their succulent planters went for $35.00 each. When I was up there trying to auction stuff off, it felt like we were not going to make very much money at all! However, God brought it all together and ten and twenty dollars will add up! Thankfully, the auctioneer did arrive eventually, and I was more than happy to relinquish my post! God is so good and faithful, and He abundantly blessed this endeavor. I’m more than happy to not think about fundraising for a while, and I’m not planning on getting a job as an auctioneer!

 

Saturday was a low-key day at home. Travis and Emma had been struggling with colds all week, and I knew that I had been fighting one also. Roger was working, and the kids and I enjoyed the day with out any commitments. I did catch up on laundry, and I rearranged the living room. But I also enjoyed watching a Christmas movie with our kids. I knew by Saturday night that we would not be attending church the next day. The boys were all still very congested, Roger would be working, and my energy level was low. A few of the kids would’ve been fine to go to church, but with Roger working, the rest of us stayed home. I can’t remember the last time we’ve all missed church, and I certainly missed being there. However, Garett did a short devotional for us as did Chandler. The boys played their Christmas piano pieces for me, and we had a good morning together. I’m thankful to be planning on being back in church next Sunday, but it was a good day.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. As I look back at where we were a year ago, so much has changed. A year ago we were still struggling to find our footing in the church in School, still praying that God would bring good friends for our children, and missing our old traditions from Wisconsin. This year God has brought about close friendships, a deeper involvement in church and School,  a great job for Roger for a year and one-half, and so much more. What are some things that you are thankful for this year?

We finished up school today with an early release day. Travis’s class had a short thanksgiving program and a thanksgiving dinner. The parents were invited to come, so I went to his class for that program. We also had music program practice this morning, so it was a really quick day. I know all the students are getting a bit tired of the practices, and so am I! We are all ready to move on to something else, but we have two weeks to go! I am looking forward to putting it behind us. Roger has agreed to make some stage decorations for me, and I am so thankful for his support on this endeavor. My parents are coming for the program, so I know that my dad will help me build something if I still need help. 😀 I am blessed to work with some pretty great students, and I am certainly looking forward to seeing this hard work come to fruition...I hope!

On Saturday we are having some friends over to our house for supper. The boys don’t know it yet, but it’s actually a surprise party for Garett and Travis! Their birthdays were in August, but life happened- a party did not happen! I figure if I plan it for this week, they won’t have a clue! We have about thirty people coming over for supper and dessert. The boys are excited about having their friends over, and I’m hoping for a successful surprise party! 😀I love surprises, and I enjoy surprising others. This should be fun-I’ll let you know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Auction Week and Waiting to See God Work

Roger and I knew going into this week that it would be a long, crazy week. Roger has been finishing up his art drawing for the auction, I’ve been at the school either working with music or auction projects and we are both looking forward to Friday evening! Friday is the day of the school fundraising auction, and we will be able to put this event behind us. I’m happy and thankful for the opportunity to work with the parent group on this endeavor, but I’ll be glad to see it come to completion also!

Roger’s Drawing 

Also, some of you might remember that we bought a Honda Pilot last fall because we were told that our suburban wouldn’t pass inspection due to the rust. Also the suburban had a broken brake line that needed to be fixed. So...long story short, we bought the Honda Pilot. While I don’t know what God’s plan has been in this all, it’s been a constant reminder that God is faithful. Through a series of events we were able to have the suburban fixed and made road worthy. Which meant that we had three vehicles to insure, three to pay Maine registration fees on and three to pay Maine excise taxes on! We were able to buy the Honda debt free, but keeping up with fees, insurance, and excise taxes, has been a bit hard. After much prayer over the summer, we decided to put the Honda Pilot up for sale. The suburban is not worth much, but it keeps going. We asked  God to help us sell it before the excise and insurance came due again which would be on November 15. We had several interested groups in the vehicle, but no one who actually came up with the money. It was getting a bit discouraging for me, but Roger rarely seem to be bothered by waiting. Sometimes his ability to be patient drives me crazy! (But it’s a good thing to have so much patience!) We just kept praying, and we encouraged all the kids to pray with us. Finally, on Saturday of last week, God brought the right person along. We did   take quite a loss on selling the Honda, but the sense of peace from not having that burden of  insurance, excise tax, and registration is a great feeling! So we are back to two vehicles and two      drivers...which means that it’s time for one of those vehicles to break down. Sure enough, Rogers little Honda Civic car needs some engine work done on it! Now why did that vehicle decide to break down now?! I see a lot of driving back and forth to Roger’s work in the near future, but you know what? I’m thankful anyways!

This week has just been a flurry of activity for our family. I told the boys on Monday that it would be a week of easy meals like macaroni and cheese, sandwiches and fruit  and salads for suppers. The boys had no complaints about the menu as usual. Chandler did ask me to make sure that I didn’t forget to go grocery shopping this week. “Because even though it’s a busy week, I still need to eat.” Um, yes, I didn’t forget that!

Roger had to work on Sunday which makes my day a bit longer. However, today Garett and Chandler were invited to go over the the pastor’s house to play with his son. They were very excited, but meanwhile, two little boys were very disappointed! They played together nicely in the afternoon though, and I ended up dropping of Wyatt at the airport before the kids program in the evening. He has had a bit of a cold, and we have a child that comes to the kids program that is very susceptible to catching germs. I just wanted Wyatt to stay with Roger as to not get anyone sick!

Monday morning was our regularly scheduled music classes. We have a little over three week until the program, and I’ve been brainstorming lots of ideas with Roger. I’m so thankful that he can figure out some of my ideas and make them work for back drops and staging! After lunch duty, Emma and I stayed at school to help work on organizing our auction items. A few other moms helped as well, and we did accomplish quite a bit. After school, two of the boys had piano lessons while I had parent teacher conferences. I had conferences with Garett and Chandlers teacher as well as with Travis’s teacher. The boys are doing well. Chandler did not make honor roll which was a disappointment to him, but his grades have gone up from the beginning of the year. I tried to encourage him that this was really good as in the beginning of the year there is so much review. Now the work is getting harder and his grades are still improving. He is making good strides and seems to be catching on to the material. Garett is still struggling in school, so we are trying to make some changes to his curriculum to see if that will help. I know that school doesn’t come easy for some people, but I’d like us to figure out something to help him succeed in his schooling. He has a great teacher, and she is working with him. I refuse to borrow trouble from the future, and we will just focus on today’s  challenges. Travis is also struggling. His teacher said that if she could give him a grade based on effort and work ethic, he would pass with flying colors. However, the application of the material is  getting him bogged down. I love these boys, but we could use an extra dose of wisdom to know how to best help them learn and grasp the materials needed.

 

After parent teacher conferences and piano lessons, we headed to the airport for a birthday party. The company was having a surprise party for Kevin, Rogers boss. While it made for a very...very...long day, I’m thankful that we went to the party. It was about five thirty at the party, and it was a cake and ice cream party. I told the boys not to fill up on cake as they would be sick since we hadn’t eaten supper yet. The kids really enjoy both Kevin and Terri so I’m glad that we went to the party. We went home for supper, reading, a few minutes of down time, and bedtime!

Tuesday was a fresh new start. Roger had the day off of work which was good as he needed to finish  up his art drawing for the auction. Emma stayed home with Roger while I went with Allison to Sam’s Club. The closest Sam’s Club is about an hour away, and we don’t go too often. But with the auction on Friday we had some things we needed to get. It’s so much more fun to do things like that with a friend. We never ran out of things to talk about or our ideas or dreams, and we were able to get about everything we needed for Friday night. After school the kids and I made some Chex mix and muddy  muddies for the bake sale on Friday night. Well, we tried! After everyone was done sampling everything there was quite a dent in our makings!

Wednesday was another day that Roger had off, and now he is entering a stretch of seven straight days of work. I worked with the students on the upcoming Christmas program, while Roger ran a few errands. I ended up working on a few things for the auction as I had a few extra minutes before Roger came back. And we had enough time to squeeze in a quick date before picking up Emma. Hooray! I was also able to get in a short run this afternoon, so I was a happy mama. After school we came home and worked on a few things around the house. Tonight was  also the first night of the Christmas choir practice and Roger and I are both singing in that. I’m hoping that a few people forgot,  or it’s going to be a small group this year! I was exactly excited about going out at night again during such a busy week, but since I get to play the piano for this I wanted to be there! 😀 And as usual, once we went, we received a blessing. I’m excited about the Christmas season, but also greatly looking forward to Thanksgiving Break next week!    

Thursday...is this week over yet?! I had a few things that I needed to pick up for the auction this morning, so after dropping off the boys, Emma and I finished up what we needed to do. We came back to the school to help number and organize the items for the auction. I also helped “pick” lobsters this afternoon in preparation for the Lobster Rolls that we are having at our auction dinner tomorrow night. When I walked into the kitchen to ask how I could help, Claire said, “Yes, you can pick the claws.” I just stared at her and then said, “Well, I’m happy to help. But I probably need some directions!” We both laughed as she realized that I was way outside what I was familiar with doing! So “picking” lobsters means that you break open the claws or tail and pick out the meat for the lobster rolls. We had four women working and about 70lbs. Of lobsters to be picked. We managed to get it all done, kitchen cleaned up, and our kids picked up by three pm. I’m thankful for the other ladies that came alongside and helped us with this project. Meanwhile, Emma and another preschooler had been left unattended while we were working in the kitchen. When I went to check on them, Emma met me in the doorway with out her pants on! She explained that they were “wet” to which I was instantly suspicious. It would appear that while the mamas were busy, the two little girls were busy making “slime”. They had dumped out about six bottles of glue and were mixing it together in a tote! It was a mess! However, at least it was easy to be cleaned up while it was still wet,  they hadn’t touched any of the auction items (so they had obeyed) and they entertained themselves. God gives us grace for what we need!

Garett helping in the kitchen instead of eating the food! 😀

After picking up the boys this afternoon, we headed home. Praise Jesus! Garett helped me make a pan of salted caramel brownies and peanut butter bars. I am so thankful for his helpful and willing spirit.   Chandler entertained Emma, so that was really helpful. I am very thankful for how the boys have come together to help me and try to play nicely together this week. It’s been a long week for all of us, and I am looking forward to seeing God show Himself strong tomorrow night. When Roger called to  say he was on his way home, he asked how it was going. I said good, but the kitchen was a bit of a mess with all the baking going on. Being the sweet, thoughtful mane that he is, he suggested that he pick up pizza on the way home. Yes, please! There is a local gas station that sells pizzas 2/10.00, and it makes for an  easy supper every once in a while!

Tomorrow is auction day! We have about 105 items in our auction. The items range from two round trip plane tickets to Boston, to hotel stays, to books, to games, to baked goods, and everything in between. My prayer is specifically asking God to allow us to make $7,500.00. Yes, that is a lot of money! However this is money that provides for field trips, hot lunches, wood chips for the playground, special School events, teacher gifts, and much more! I am excited to see what God does tomorrow night, and will you pray with us?

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

A few blessings from this week:
1) Selling the Honda Pilot
2) The four boys had dentist appointments, and only one boy has a small cavity!
3) We had our first snow fall, and it delighted the hearts of my children.
4) In our weakness, God shows Himself strong
5) A friend gave me a coloring and journal Bible today. It’s not a gift I would’ve bought for myself, but one that I will greatly enjoy
6) I committed to return to Haiti in February even though I don’t have all the needed funds so that’s a prayer request and a blessing.
7) God has given me a wonderful husband who puts up with my craziness and still loves me! 😀
8) Thanksgiving Break is next week!
9) Roger was able to finish his drawing for the School auction
10) I am blessed to have some wonderful friends to “do life” with, and I am so blessed!

Our love to you,
Sarah

The “slime” that two little girls made today. 

Blessings & Discouragments & Blessings!

Hooray for electricity! We got our power back on Friday night around six pm. We had been told that we wouldn’t get it back until Saturday around 10:00 pm, so it was an early present! 😀

The kids had a half day of school on Thursday and no school on Friday due to teacher workshop days. It was rainy and dreary on Thursday, and I was really wondering what I was going to do with the boys all afternoon. Thankfully, we were rescued from wondering about that as my friend, Annah, reached out to me and asked if we would like to come to a little party in the afternoon. Yes, yes please! We came home, plugged in our generator, ate lunch, took a little rest time, and headed to the party. Roger didn’t go as he has an art project that he is working on for the auction. Wyatt wanted to stay home with Roger, and I was fine with that as he’s been needing a little extra time with Roger. I took the other kids to the party, and they had a great time playing with friends and enjoying a fun afternoon. The kids had fun playing games, eating food, and eating again! I was happy to take them home tired and full.

 

Our generator earned its keep this week.  We used about twenty gallons of fuel this week, but I am so thankful that we had a generator this week. While not exactly the same as having the power, it did work out very well. Some of the food in our fridge and freezer was getting a little distressed by  Friday, but that’s only because we didn’t run the generator 24/7. We were told that our power would be on by  eight pm on Thursday, but that time came and went. We woke up on Friday morning to still no electricity, so we turned back on the generator to fix breakfast and get ready for the day. Roger had today off also, so he stayed with the kids while I went to the Ladies Bible study at church. I took  Garett and Wyatt with me as they had piano lessons following the Bible study. In the afternoon we took a hike together, did a few errands, and then headed home around six pm. By the time we arrived home, the tree was cleared off the power line...and the lights were back on! Hooray! While it really  wasn’t too bad of a week, it’s nice to have our internet back and lights in all the rooms. It was a very pleasant surprise to get the electricity back before Saturday night! The Lord was very merciful in allowing pleasant temperatures all week long, and while it can’t last forever, I’m thankful for the cheaper heating bill.

I have so much to be thankful for and yet I’ve struggled a little bit with discouragement and depression...yes, it happens to all of us! I would say that I’m a fairly upbeat person for the most part, but sometimes the days are long. Ever feel like you pour yourself into people, but yet the result isn’t what you had in mind? Now for sure, God is the One who orders our steps and paths, but sometimes my brain gets in the way! We’ve had many, many people in our home, invested in people’s lives, and while it’s not for reward or recognition, sometimes I’d like to be fed and filled also. Selfish-  I know! Our church in Wisconsin was also hosting their annual ladies retreat this past weekend, and that was harder than I anticipated. For several years, I was involved in oraganzing and helping with the ladies retreat. It was a relaxing few days with great Christian ladies, food and fellowship...I miss that! I have  a few dear friends here in Maine, but I’ve also realized that the ladies retreat was an opportunity to be filled and fed spiritually. I think I’m just experiencing a bit of burn-out. We are in the middle of getting ready for a school fundraising auction, the School Christmas program is right around the corner, and it’s a bit overwhelming. However, yes, God is still good. God is faithful as promised, and I can still rejoice in the fact that He understands my emotions and feelings. He loves me.

I can’t leave this post on a negative note, so I also want to state a few blessings from the week. We’ve been blessed by a few contributions to the boys school  bill, which is a huge praise! I also had a friend  from Wisconsin, Jaclyn, who sent me a package of Usborne books to to sell at the auction. We also were able to spend time as a family as the boys had off school last week. I’m thankful for my friend, Allison...I just wish we could manage to squeeze in time to spend together! I’m thankful for  how the school auction is coming together, and I’m happy for the effort that the students have been putting into the Christmas program. My sister, Jen, sent us a sweet note this week and gave the boys a gift card to McDonald’s! They were thrilled to enjoy a treat after school today. So, yes, we are blessed...so blessed!

Our love,
Sarah