Dates and Dentists!

  

 

A little behind on here this week, but that’s life!

(9-17)Monday: Date Morning!
Roger had off today and the kids were all in school! Hooray!! (Did I shout that out loud?!) Emma had her “show and share” this morning, so she happily trotted off to school with her bag full of some suspicious looking treasures. After dropping the kids off at school, Roger and I headed out to breakfast. I can’t remember the last time we went out with just the two of us as it’s been that long ago! We had breakfast at a great local restaurant named “Moody’s”. It’s the type of restaurant my dad would really like,  so I hope we get the opportunity to take him there the next time my parents come this way. After breakfast we went on a hike. I’m glad it was just the two of us as it was a rather boring trail with way too many mosquitoes! But that did make us walk quickly! We came home, and Roger took a nap as he’s not feeling well. I worked on laundry as usual, and also on contacting as many businesses as I could come up with to email about donations for our school auction. This is such a HUGE endeavor, and it takes a lot of work!

We picked up Emma who was happy to tell us about her “wonderful” day. Emma was so happy to see that daddy was off work because then she didn’t have to ride along to pick up the boys in the afternoon. The School office called me about 1:40pm, to say that my son “Travis” was sick. Then I  heard another voice and then the correction, “No, it’s Wyatt that is sick.” What?! He had eaten breakfast, not mentioned anything about not feeling well; but apparently at gym class, he did NOT feel well! I came into school to pick him up, and he looked a bit white. I found a grocery sack in the car and gave it to him “just in case”. We hadn’t even pulled out of the school parking lot when he needed that bag! I do not handle vomiting very well at all, and I never have. I let him do his thing,    while I held my head out the window and tried to block out sounds and smells! (Yeah, no mother-of-the- year award there!)  Because we were so close to pick up time for the other kids, we just had to  hang around until their  dismissal. Wyatt came home and laid on the couch the rest of the afternoon and evening. But it was a weird evening for Roger and I because by the time bedtime came around at 7:30pm, three of our five kids were already sleeping! Chandler had crawled into bed right after supper from a powerful headache. Travis said that he had a head ache too, so he was sleeping by bedtime also! We only had our oldest and youngest child to even put in the beds! Wyatt had thrown up several other times earlier in the afternoon, so I had already told him that he wouldn’t be going to school in the morning. Travis asked me how sick he needed to be to stay home! I told him that he needed rest, drink more water and his head ache would go away. He took me seriously as he went to bed before 7:30!

By Tuesday morning, Wyatt was back to himself! He told me that he woke up in the middle of the night, and he was hungry. So he ate three granola bars and went back to sleep. Yeah, he’s definitely feeling better! Travis and Chandler were both up earlier than normal...probably because they had been asleep so early! Wyatt was disappointed to not get to go to school, Travis was trying to figure out how “sick” he needed to be, and it was an early morning in our house! Roger called me around 8:30am. to say that he was not feeling well and would be coming home. The weather was kinda dreary anyways, and the company would not be flying. Roger has been battling a cold, and he just needed extra rest. He came home and spent much of the day sleeping and resting. I worked on many, many projects for my music classes the next day. Emma was happy to have a brother to play with her most of the day, and Wyatt was so sweet to her.

By Wednesday,  we were all back in our places! Roger was feeling much better after a day of rest, and he went to work. I took all the kids to school, taught music classes, did lunch room duty, took Roger some lunch, worked on a bunch of donation letters for our upcoming school auction, and then picked up the boys. I’m always so happy and thankful to go home after a long day away from our house. It  might be a bit messier than I’d like at times, a bit louder than I could imagine, and a bit crazier than it should be, but it’s home.

Today was/is Thursday. After dropping the boys off, Emma and I went to pick up the groceries that I    needed to make chili for hot lunch on Friday. Emma also had a dentist appointment today, and she was a bit apprehensive about it. Travis told her that the dentist would take out all her bad teeth, so she better hoped she had brushed them good...doesn’t that sound like a brother?! Garett sweetly told her that the dentist was kind,  and she could probably get a sticker if she was good. I had figured that I might not be back in time for school pick up, so Allison (my dear friend) had agreed to take my tribe of boys home with her. Emma’s appointment was at 1:30 and we were there about fifteen minutes early. The office was running late,  and it was after two before we were even shown an exam room. Then the x-ray machine wouldn’t work in that room! Poor Emma was doing well, but I could tell she was nervous. She gets really still, and quiet and bites her nails when she is unsure of herself. However, she did great! The dental assistant said that Emma had been her easiest child to take X-rays of all day. I think Emma just wanted to be as still as possible to get done as quickly as she could! Emma does have a few small cavities that need to be taken care of, so we will have to return to the dentist to get those taken care of soon. When I arrived at Allison’s to pick up the boys, they were in the middle of having fun making slime! They had a wonderful time, and I’m thankful for friends that are willing to help me out.

Friday was chapel, hot lunch and other such Friday activities! I made soup for hot lunch (white chicken chili) and my friend, Claire, made a red chili. The students and staff seem to enjoy hot lunch; and even though I often make hot lunch, I do enjoy not having to pack lunches! After lunch, Emma’s friend, Lucy, came home to play for the afternoon. They seemed to have a great time playing together and even using the water hose! Hmm...thy both ended up with wet heads! I was able to get some letters ready to mail out for our fall auction. It’s not my favorite thing to ask for donations, but this is certainly a needed event! The proceeds fund our hot lunches, field trips, teacher appreciation week, technology needs, teacher and staff gifts, woodchips for the playground and much more! (Want to donate? Just send me a message!) It all seems to come together every year, and I am thankful to  have great friends to work alongside with as we labor through this. God is good!

After school on Friday, we went to a pumpkin farm with Allison and her girls. This particular place offered a  free small pumpkin for kids to paint. We had some excited kids as everyone was eager to paint. Travis eventually washed off his pumpkin with the hose and started over. Chandler painted his pumpkin, and on the way home asked how many times we could come back to paint pumpkins. I said, “Don’t you think once was good enough?” He replied, “I don’t really want to paint the pumpkin. But I like pumpkin seeds, and that is one way I could get some.” So yes, he came home and chopped up his pumkin, took out the seeds, and roasted them. I have to say that the seeds were delicious!

Roger was working on Saturday. He’s been working a lot, but we are on the home stretch! He actually has off on Sunday, so I am very excited about that. On Saturday we hung around home for a lot of the day,  as I have just been feeling a bit tired lately. We did have to go get some milk as all three gallons I bought last Saturday were gone! However, it was a low-key day.

Roger had off on Sunday, but he did have to do a flight in the afternoon. Thankfully,  there were extra seats in the airplane.  This meant that the boys could go if they wanted to go along with Dad. Three of the boys went along, but Chandler stayed home. He had a headache, and just needed some quietness. We had a short afternoon at home though as our children’s program was kicking off in the evening. I am working with Emma’s class this year, which I enjoy working with those kids. We had six in our group; but one of them was a bit of handful,  so it felt like way more than six! Another lady is helping me this year named Judy. She’s a wonderful friend, so I’m happy to work with her this year. I do miss working with Allison, but she’s serving in a different area of the children’s  program this year. It’s hard to believe, but this is the start of my third year working with this age group! Time truly flies by! Roger did ask it back in time for the evening children’s program, and I was happy about that. I certainly miss him when he is working on Sundays, so I’m kinda looking forward to the slow season. Roger certainly enjoys his job, and God provided a wonderful boss and job for him.

My dad is doing much better! Thank you to all who have prayed for him. He is still supposed to be recovering, but he was out setting up deer stands earlier this week. So I know he’s feeling much better!


I have more to share about adventures in life, but that’s enough for now! I have hungry kids to feed, lunches to pack and a music class to prepare for on Wednesday.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10 

Week Two! Testing, Adjustments and Parents, oh my!

Week two of our brand new school year is over and behind us! In some ways it seems like we’ve already been in school for a few months not just two weeks. This was a full week as the boys had all the extras that come in during the school year like gym class, art class, music class and Spanish class.

 Chandler has adjusted much better this week, so we are very thankful for your prayers. He has discovered that some of the girls in his class are actually good friends to play soccer and kick ball with him. He has the same room and the same teacher in the school that he has had for the last three years and he really enjoys his teacher. He loves the fact that she reads to her class aloud every day. The teacher is reading Farmer Boy, and we are almost done reading that at home. But Chandler likes that book, so he’s enjoying the stories again.

Garett had some testing done this week. He didn’t say much about it except to mention that some of it was confusing to him. He said he did the best that he could and that the teacher was nice. That was about all the information that he offered! We should have those results back in the next few days and we can see what our next steps will be. He has been working so hard in school, even skipping his snack time so that he doesnt have to have as much homework! For Garett to skip out on eating means that he is dedicated to something! We are proud of his efforts, and praying for God’s wisdom.

Wyatt has just confidently and calmly climbed back into his school routine. I asked him how it was with Travis in his class to which he replied, “He needs a lot of help!” They have the same memory verse, and while Travis wrestles with it for most of the week, Wyatt reads it, writes it, and is pretty much ready to say it. Wyatt says he doesn’t mind school, but having reading homework is not his favorite. However, it’s good for him, and I’m hoping as the year progresses he will enjoy it more. On Monday we had a Parents group meeting. We had a really low turn out of parents which is a bit dis-heartening, but God knows our needs. The Parents group had ordered some projectors and stands for a few of the teachers. The stands needed to be put together, so I took them home. Wyatt worked so hard on putting thos together for the teachers. He needed a little help from Roger, but for the most part, Wyatt did the work. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to put them together, so I’m happy for a boy who enjoyed that project!

 

  

Wyatt and Roger working on Projector stands; Chandler being a monkey, and Emma’s fashion outfit 

 

Travis is trying to stay under the radar. He doesn’t like to be called out or noticed. He’s a hard little  worker,  but his efforts don’t always seem to be rewarded with good grades. He seems to be doing well thus far this year though, so we are very thankful for that! He is taking speech lessons again this year, and he has a great speech teacher. Travis doesn’t like to go to speech lessons and when I asked him why he said it was because he would rather be in his class. And he said he doesn’t like that it’s just him and his speech teacher because he has to do so much talking!

Emma is an eager beaver to go to school! She delights on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays! On Friday she was able to go home with her classmate, Lucy, after hot lunch. Emma has enjoyed getting to know Lucy better, and I’m glad they have become friends. It also gave me a bit of time on Friday afternoon to work on additional stuff for my music classes.

We are on our second week of music classes. I certainly don’t mind teaching.  However, I find the amount of prep work that needs to go into teaching a smooth music class to be quite high. We have more students this year, which is a wonderful answer to prayer. It also means that I have to work a bit harder to make sure that everyone has a part or is participating somehow in the Christmas program. We got out handbells, boomwhackers, and the xylophone this week in our classes, so the excitement level was high! I could certainly use some extra prayers as we prepare and plan for our Christmas program. We also started a prayer journal in music class. I asked each of the students to come up with a specific request to pray for this year. I am excited to see how God works in the lives of our students as we pray for specific requests.

Also this week we helped stack some wood for our friends. Mrs. Terry (The wife of Roger’s boss) had some wood that needed to be stacked. So the kids and I came over on Wednesday after school to help stack wood. Terry has a riding lawnmower with a bucket on the back. The boys were excited to drive the lawnmower, but Wyatt was in for a disappointment. Since those newer tractors are safety conscious, they won’t start if there isn’t enough weight on the seat. Wyatt wanted so badly to drive the tractor, but he just didn’t weigh enough. We tried putting rocks on the seat, but then he had  struggles with reaching the gas and the break. It was disappointing,  but that’s life sometimes. The boys really did work hard at that project, and I was proud of all their work. Travis found an old wagon in the garage and he just kept on filling and hauling and repeating! We made short work of the project, and Terry gave each of the kids some money for their work. The boys were so excited about their  pay. They each have a savings goal for the year, so they were excited to have some fund  store out towards their goals.

On Thursday Roger had off work, and the weather was beautiful! After dropping the boys off at school, we ran a few errands, and then took a walk with Emma. We walked down by the harbor and near the Farmers Market. Emma has been asking to go to the market all summer long, but I find that most of the items there do not fit in our budget! However, we did walk through the market with Emma and she was happy to get a free sample of some blueberries. We walked past a flower vendor and Emma asked about buying a flower for Mrs. Terry. Since she was thinking of someone else on her own, we agreed. She picked out a huge bloom for $1.00 and she was delighted with her purchase. On the way home, we dropped it off at Mrs. Terry’s house. While Roger and I were still getting out of the car, Emma walked right up to the door and walked in! Terry had the front door open, and Emma just opened the screen door an popped right in! I, of course, was a bit horrified, but Terry was delighted that Emma was so comfortable at her house. Emma was thrilled to have a flower to give to Terry, and Terry was equally delighted with the flower. Roger and I got a bunch of projects done around the house that have needed to get done for a while. It was a productive day!

My friend, Claire, offered to make all the Mac n Cheese that we needed for hot lunch on Friday. I was pretty excited about that and it freed up my Friday morning. After playing the piano for the chapel service, my friend, Allison and I snuck away for a quick walk. It’s been a long while since we’ve managed to get in a walk, so I was happy to have a few moments of lengthy conversations. I’ve been blessed by her friendship to me many times over the last two years, and it always good to have a morning to regroup our thoughts, share our prayer requests and praises and enjoy sweet fellowship. After our walk, we headed back to school for hot lunch. I am so thankful for the parents that have offered to help this year by bringing desserts and chocolate milk on Fridays. Claire coordinated the lunch this week so all I did was show up and offer a wlloset of hands.

All in all it was a good week. Roger had off on Saturday and we were able to spend most of the day at home. I was able o go grocery shopping by myself,  and it was something that desperately needed to get done! We were able to go out for supper as I had purchased a groupon certificate several months ago. It was a special treat for us,  and even more special as the Philbrook family was able to join us for pizza. We have much to be thankful for as we look back over the week.

My mom did call me on Friday to tell me that my dad was in the hospital. That caught me off guard as my dad is generally healthy! He had acquired an infection, and he needed surgery. It probably wouldn’t have been a very big deal except my dad is on blood thinning medications. So they had to put off the surgery until his blood thickened. The surgery did take place on Saturday evening, and my mom said that they are back at home today. I’m thankful for doctors and hospitals. It’s hard to be so far away when your parents aren’t doing well,  but God is watching over them too. I’m sure they would appreciate your prayers though on their behalf.

Jeremiah 10:6 “Foreasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.” 

First Week of School!! (Survival of the Fittest)

As students across the country were returning to classrooms this week, our children were no exception! We spent our last day of summer break preparing for Tuesday. Roger had taken the three older boys fishing last weekend (Travis missed it because he was sick), and they arrived home around eight on Sunday evening. Chandler came home sick! Poor boy! Roger said that he started feeling pretty miserable shortly after they woke up and by the time the float plane had dropped them off at the lake, Chandler was really not feeling well! Chandler spent much of the day laying on a log, covered with Rogers jacket. It was a real bummer for Chandler as he certainly does enjoy fishing! However, it was still a good day for Roger and the boys. The boys have been looking forward to this all summer, and as our days are getting limited in how many more opportunities are available, we were glad to see this adventure happen! They weren’t very successful with catching fish, but memories were made.

Meanwhile back at home, I had the opportunity to play the piano for worship service on Sunday. It’s always refreshing and soothing to my spirit to feel the music pour through my fingers as we worship the Lord together. We had lunch and a short Sunday school meeting after church, and then we headed home. Emma and Travis played outside for much of the day on the swing set that God provided to us for free! (On Saturday I had seen a post on Facebook about someone getting rid of their swing set and it was free!) I was the first to respond, and Roger picked it up for us on Saturday! A swing set wasn’t even something that I had specifically prayed for in awhile, but God choose to answer that prayer on Saturday. I see many hours of fun especially for Emma and Travis. Sunday was also our thirteenth wedding anniversary...it was highly romantic with Roger away for the day! But we have plans to maybe try to get away next year with just the two of us on a vacation...that would be so fun!    

Monday dawned as our last day of summer break. Roger and I went on a walk; I did grocery shopping; prepared for music classes on Wednesday; packed lunches; and savored our last day! The summer certainly flew by! The kids are excited about a new school year, and I’m looking forward to seeing how God continues to work in their lives. Chandler has been very, very nervous about the school year, and he finally told me that he was going to miss being in class with Garett this year! Who knew?! For all their arguing, I know that they really do love each other. Roger said that when he  was away with the three boys for the fishing trip, each of the boys commented at different times how much it didn’t feel right without Travis along with them. Just maybe, just maybe, someday they will become the best of friends. That is one of my prayers.

 

                                                        Free swing set!

Tuesday rolled around, and it was a hot and sunny day! It did not feel like a daybto be going to school but everyone was up early to start the day. Emma will go to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, so she was disappointed that she did not get to go to school today. Roger and I, along with Emma, spent the day catching up on some errands, visiting some folks in our church, and enjoying Rogers day off. I had some work to do at the school, so I picked up the kids from school. It had been a hot day in the classroom, and Roger was going to take them swimming when they came home from school. Garett told me he was worried about the school year and getting all his school work done. Chandler was in tears and told me his day was terrible. I asked why and he replied that there are just do many girls in his classroom (7) and of the three boys, he is the only one that doesn’t play video games and has no idea what “Fortnight” even is (me either!). I’m praying that God will provide a friend for him this school year. I did remind him that sometimes girls like to play games like soccer or kickball and he could ask some of them to play with him. Roger had a long talk with him and they prayed about the school situation. And we are ready to go back tomorrow and try again!  When I asked Travis and Wyatt about their day, Travis replied that he had already gotten a 100% on something. Wyatt indignantly replied that that wasn’t even possible as their papers haven’t even been graded yet! Travis confidently assured him, “Yes, I did! I KNOW I spelled my name right!” Well, that brought some laughter to our conversation! God is good, and we are looking forward to and praying   for a wonderful year.

Emma was ready for school in Wednesday, but when it was time to drop her off, she cried. Being the  mom of five kids, I left her in the good hands of her teachers and walked away. The teachers told me  that the tears were shortlived and she was soon off to go play dress up! Yeah, that’s what I figured! I had a full morning with teaching music classes. I’m excited about the schoo year, and what God is going to teach both my students and myself. I introduced the Christmas program to them, and we started preparing for the upcoming program. It seems so far away, but with only fourteen weeks of music classes, we have plenty to do! I find teaching music both challenging and delightful. It’s defin a challenge to make lessson plans, prepare for a wide variety of ages, and point them to Jesus, but I’m thankful for the opportunity.

On Friday we had our first hot lunch of the school year! We started off the school year with tacos, which is always a hit with the students. We even had some parents come to eat lunch with their students, so that was good. When I was talking with Garett about what God would want me to do to help at the schoo, this year, he asked me to please keep doing hot lunch. I replied that someone else could take that over, but Garett said how much he liked his mom’s cooking and that he enjoyed seeing me at lunch every Friday. Aw...I love that boy!

All in all, it was a good first week. God is good and faithful. I’m excited about how God is going to continue to work in our lives. Garett will be having some testing done next week. Please pray that the results would be clear and we would know how to best help him learn. He is already struggling with schoolwork, and we are only four days into the school year! He has a great teacher though, and I know that God will give us wisdom as we continue to move forward. Chandler reported to me at the end of the week that his classroom was getting better. He had made some friends with some of the girls, and he told me that the girls weren’t too bad to play with! :) Travis and Wyatt wrapped up the week with a few papers returned that DID have grades written on them. And yes, Travis did get a few 100%!


A few things to pray for:
1) Wisdom for Garett’s education and his educators (our other children too, but especially Garett)
2) Unity and harmony among teachers, staff, and the church
3) Wisdom and clarity of thought as I teach and prepare for music classes and teaching handbells
4) Continued provision for our family and also the needs of the school

Jeremiah 10:6 “Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and they name is great in might.” 

 

First day! 

  

                                                          Music Room!

School for Emma! 

More Birthdays and Interviews!

This was our last week of summer vacation, and we certainly worked at getting the most out of the week! We started off with celebrating Travis’s birthday last Saturday. It’s hard to believe that our youngest son is already eight years old! Travis had a great day as Roger was off of work and it was a beautiful day! We did some work around our house to finish up the lawn mowing and weed whacking. Then we spent the rest of the day doing fun family adventures. We went to play mini-golf together. That was something we haven’t done in a really long time so this was a treat for our family. Emma didn’t quite get the concept of mini golf as everytime someone hit the golf ball she would run over and pick it up for them! (Her brothers very quickly informed her that that is NOT how you play!) It was a bit of a warm day, but we had a good time. The boys tried out the batting cages after mini golf, and they enjoyed that also. We explored a couple of new places in the area including a discount grocery store, and I was excited about that! It’s a grocery store that sells damaged and outdated food items. It doesn’t bother me to feed outdated food to our kids (within reason), and prices were certainly more reasonable than the grocery stores. We were able to stock up on granola bars, jerky, crackers, and snacks for the start of the school year. Saving money makes me happy! We ended Travis’s birthday with ice cream and a few gifts. My sister, Jen, had sent him two remote control cars that were a lot of fun for everyone. Roger and I weren’t sure what to give to Travis, so we gave him a twenty dollar gift card to Walmart. He was very impressed with that and spent the evening dreaming of things he could spend it on the next time he was at Walmart.

 

 

Roger worked on Sunday, which has been a fairly frequent thing of late. It’s not ideal, but we manage. I packs a lunch on the Sundays that he works, and we head to the airport after church to eat lunch together. Sometimes Roger is still not able to eat with us as he is on a flight, but at least we can try. The company has lost a few pilots again, so being short-staffed is always a challenge. Things will     slowly start to slow down over the next month or so, and the days are getting shorter.

We also took a trip to the lake this past week. It’s been very, very warm here, so the lake was a great reprieve. Travis had asked to go to the lake for his birthday, but we couldn’t make it work on Saturday. Instead I took the kids on Tuesday morning to the lake and we came back on Wednesday afternoon. Roger has a great boss and his wife is also special to our family. We’ve been able to make many memories at the lake  this summer, and spend time with Terry (Kevin’s wife). Terry had brought cupcakes and ice cream to celebrate the August birthdays, and we had some excited kids! Travis was ecstatic with the farm rug, tractors, and farm animals that he was gifted with for his  birthday. He greatly enjoys  anything to do with farming, and it was the perfect gift for him. As you know, Garett has a great interest in aviation, so guess what his gift had to do with? Kevin gifted Garett with his first flight bag. It was also the bag that Kevin had used when he first started flying. Kevin had also included a dvd set on flying, a flight log book, and written a note to Garett. As Garett realized what he was being given, his whole face lit up! Garett will receive his first official flight lesson as part of his birthday gift...I have tears in my eyes as I know this is a gift that Garett will remember for many, many, years to come. We are so blessed to have those in our lives that are willing to also invest in the lives of our children and show them that they care.

Although the weather was hot at the lake, it was a great way to wrap up summer break. We spent hours in the lake, visiting together, soaking up the sun, and enjoying the relaxation that the lake brings. We headed home mid-morning on Wednesday as I needed to cook some food for the school open house on Thursday.

Thursday was a long day....are we ready for this? Emma had a preschool open house in the morning, and I came with four of the kids. Our parent group was providing coffee and donuts for the open house, and I was able to interact with some new parents...and hopefully some willing volunteers! Garett turned twelve on Thursday!!! Pure craziness!! He asked if he could go to work with Roger for his birthday. Kevin graciously agreed, so I had dropped Garett off there in the morning, then set up for the open house, the open house, a staff meeting, back to pick up Garett, run a few errands, and  back for the picnic and open house for the elementary students...whew!! All in all it was a good day,  but we are waiting until Roger has another day off to celebrate Garett’s birthday as a family. He made  a five dollar tip at the airport. We needed to go to Walmart and Travis was excited to spend his gift card. Chandler asked Garett what he was going to buy with his five dollars. Chandler hinted strongly that they needed some pellets for the pellet gun. Garett thought for a moment and then replied, “ It’s my birthday and I’m sure I will get a gift. I will buy pellets because we can all use that together.” Wow! So they do know how to be sweet!! At Walmart Travis looked at many, many, things to buy with his gift card. However, it didn’t take him long to tell me he had decided on what to get with his gift card. He said, “I’m going to buy a backpack and lunch box for school. There are a lot of  things that I really like at Walmart, but I need those things for school.” I was so happy for his decision! He may struggle with school work at  times, but he made an excellent choice in spending his  gift card.

We spent Thursday evening at the school for the open house. It was a long day, but I’m thankful that the open house was well attended. We are welcoming several new families to the school, and it was good to have a few of those families attend. I’m excited about the future, and continuing to pray that God will direct the right ones to our school both for staff and students....He is so faithful. I often think that we fail to get God’s very best simply because we don’t ask for that. Our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think...and I firmly that!

We had two school friends come home with us on Thursday night. Josiah and Caleb are good friends with our boys, and their parents are in Ukraine for an adoption finalization. Our boys were so excited to have their friends stay over. They spent time outside, and time on the Wii, and time just playing with LEGO’s and eating lots of food! I’m glad that we were able to have them over, and it made the day pass quickly. Roger worked on Friday, but he has off the next three days!! Roger has as special outing planned for the boys. Chandler greatly enjoys fishing, and Garett and Wyatt do as well. Roger has planned to take them up north to camp, fly out to a lake and fish. Travis was planning on going, but he has had a bad headache all day. I think he’s a bit worked up about the school year, and he probably just needs some time to chill. It’s not ideal for the boys to miss a Sunday, (and our anniversary), but Roger has worked SO much this summer. I know the boys need some time with just Roger, and this has been a plan that we’ve been trying to make happen all summer. There will be othe days to celebrate our anniversary, and our boys are approaching the age where they need to spend time with their dad. I’m thankful that Roger has been able to make this happen. Roger left with the three older boys and I took Travis and Emma to the lake this afternoon. We had a good time at the lake with our friends, the Philbrooks and another family from church.

Roger and I will be celebrating our thirteenth wedding anniversary tomorrow!! The years have certainly flown by, and I’m thankful for my best friend. He loves me, provides for me, quietly points me to Jesus, loves our kids, he is faithful, honest and true...I am blessed.

Since we’ve had so many birthdays this month, I’m also including the interviews I did with the birthday kids. It’s always so fun to hear their responses and to look back over the years. These responses are unprompted and unedited.

Garett: Age 12 
What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your favorite restaurant? Hu Hot or Culver’s (neither of which are on the east coast)

What would be the perfect amount of money to be given for your birthday? $100.00

Who is your best friend? Dad

What is your favorite food? Tacos

Favorite movie: The Apple Dumpling Gand

Favorite place to visit in Maine: Monkey C, Monkey Do (an adventure ropes course) or Mrs. Terry’s cabin

Favorite thing to do: go to the airport and fly with Dad

What do you think you might like to do when you grow up? Be a pilot and be as good of a husband and dad as I can be

Travis: age 8

Favorite color: blue

Favorite place to eat: Culver’s

Perfect amount of money for your  birthday: $1.89 (I asked him why this amount. He replied that it wasn’t too much money and if he didn’t ask for too much money, he might get it!)

Best friend: Dad

Favorite food: salad and corn on the cob

Favorite movie: Minions

Favorite thing to do: play farm or build legos

Favorite place to visit in Maine: The lake

Favorite animal: horse

What do you think you might like to do when you grow up: be a farmer in Haiti


Emma: age 5

Favorite color: pink

Favorite food: fruit

Favorite restaurant: McDonald’s

Perfect amount of money for your birthday: $2.00

Best friend: Charis (her little cousin)

Favorite movie: Minions

Favorite place to visit: Story’s house in Wisconsin

Favorite animal: cows

What do you think you might want to do when you grow up: Be a worker at Sam’s Club (one of her favorite places to go)

It was so fun to do this with the kids, and it’s so fun to look back at their responses over the years. I am so blessed to be their mama, and I don’t take this blessing lightly. Roger and I have a big responsibility and challenge to raise these kids for God’s glory, and we have no time to waste. Please pray with us as we strive and work to raise them for Jesus.

Our love,
Sarah

Travels, Family & HOME!

Two weeks have passed since I’ve written about our family, but it’s not because I haven’t thought of it! We (myself and the five kids) spent five days visiting my parents in Wisconsin.

 

 

The days were full of adventures with Papa for the four boys! They were able to go fishing off a pontoon boat with a man who visits the church my dad pastors. The man graciously gave each of the boys fishing poles and a small tackle box, which the boys are anxious to have Nana and Papa bring to them the next time they visit Maine! The boys caught a lot of fish that afternoon, and they enjoyed a fish fry for supper. The boys also went camping with Papa, drove the four-wheeler around the yard (many, many times), helped pick and eat food from Nana’s garden, and spent the majority of every day outside!

I was able to catch up with several of my friends while I was there and although it is never enough time, I am thankful for the time. Jenna came over to my parents house on Wednesday morning with her three little ones, and Emma greatly enjoyed having her friends to play with! Jenna and I spent the morning talking and visiting like it wasn’t two years ago that I moved away. It’s a deep frienship that continues even when I don’t get to visit  very often. I am so thankful for her. She also met me for an early morning breakfast on Saturday morning while the boys were camping with Papa. I’m thankful for each opportunity to visit with Jenna. She is a dear, dear friend to me.

Another dear friend, Gretchen, was also able to visit with me. We have the type of friendship that I can come over to her house to pick up one of her sons for a fishing trip with the boys, and while there I can open her fridge, announced   I’m hungry, and make myself lunch! Gretchen has children that are similar in ages with ours, and her son, Ben, had several adventures with the boys while we were   visiting. Gretchen is my friend with the gift of hospitality. She is always willing to open her home,  have our big family over to visit, and we pray often for each other. She’s a friend that God brought into my life when I didn’t even know I was looking for a friend. Gretchen and Sean opened up their home to have us all over on Saturday night. It was also my mom’s  birthday so my parents, my sister, Jen, and several other families came over to have supper at Gretchen and Sean’s house. It’s amazing to me how much her kids have grown and changed in a year, but I’m sure that our kids appear the same way to those that aren’t around them too!

We attended the church my dad pastors at on Sunday morning. Jen had come home for the weekend, and she was heading back to South Dakato on Sunday afternoon. Roger was also flying into the area on Sunday afternoon, and we were headed to South Dakato on Monday morning. Chandler and Wyatt   wanted to go with Aunt Jen and since we would be staying overnight at her apartment on Monday night, we decided to let them go with Aunt Jen. My uncle, aunt and cousin had come down from  Wausau to visit with us. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen them, so it was good to have some time to spend with them. Roger’s flight was late, but we did make it to church on Sunday night. We went to our home church and it was so nice to see so many familiar faces. It felt good to connect with people, and to have a chance to visit with so many. We were actively involved in that church when we were in Wisconsin, so it was good to visit with those that we worked with in Childrens church and other ministries. I had a short time to visit with a friend, Star, who is now the mama to teenagers. The older I get the more I realize that I don’t know! It was good to have a brief but encouraging conversation about the upcoming years of boys in the teenage years.  Some friends I only had time to share a brief hug with or a few sentences, but I’m thankful.

After Sunday night church, we again went to Gretchen and Sean’s for ice cream and pizza! Several  of our friends were able to join us, and it was a good time for Roger to be able to reconnect with some of his friends. Friendships are important to me, but Roger also needs good, Godly, guys in his life,  and those type of friends seem to be hard to come by! It was a late night of fellowshipping and
laughing, but I’m thankful for the opportunities that God provided to encourage both of our hearts   and the hearts of our children during our days in Wisconsin. My parents graciously allowed us to interrupt their lives, fed us willingly, visited with us, invested in the lives of our children, and we  created memories to last until the  next time.

 

 

We headed out the door for South Dakota early on Monday morning. It’s a twelve hour drive to Jens house, and we wanted to get there before it was really late. We left my parents house about 6:00am, and we made good time to Rapid City. Travel seemed so easy with only three kids in the van! We arrived early enough in the evening that everyone could spend some time out of the vehicle before settling down for bed. The boys and Emma were excited about the family reunion the next day, and Roger and I were making lists of the things we would need for a week of camping in a cabin at the reunion. I don’t think we would’ve been able to make the family reunion work without the help of many people, but especially my sister, Jen. She allowed us to borrow bedding, towels, camp stove, pots and pans, camp chairs, and anything else we needed for the week. She had already bought some food for us, and while we ate well at the family reunion, the boys made the comment that we ate very random stuff. Yeah, hotdogs for breakfast is not what we normally have! But no one complained, and everyone was fed.

Roger headed out to the family reunion in the early afternoon on Tuesday with the kids. I went grocery shopping and then Jen drove me out to the family reunion. When I got there about three pm., the kids had already been swimming in the pool. Emma had made a fast friend with her little cousin, Charis, and they were already playing “house” in our cabin. It was a busy and fast week at the reunion. About thirty of us climbed Harney Peak on Wednesday. Emma climbed about 75% of it herself, and I carried her in the carrier for the other percentage. It was a long hike, but the kids did great! We ended up at the top with our five kids and about seven other kids and Roger and I. Everyone was hungry at the top, and Garett said we didn’t bring enough food! Too bad son! The only way to more food is to get off the mountain and back to the vehicle! So down we went, and that is  much harder on the knees than going up. Roger twisted his knee, and Travis got a blister on his toe. They walked a bit slower while I continued in with the other 13 kids that came down the mountain  with us. They all did very well, but I made it very clear that they needed to be within eyesight of  Roger or I. It’s one thing to be responsible for our own kids, but it’s another thing to feel the   responsibility of other children! Hurray! We made it off the mountain! Chandler said that he didn’t plan on taking that long of a hike again for a very long time! We headed back to the campground for     swimming and supper.


My sister had given us some tickets for a local rodeo so we had thought about doing that. It would’ve  been relatively cheap as children under ten were free and adults were $10.00. We had thought that other members of the family would join us, but when it was time to leave, it was just us. We headed down the road for about ten minutes, before we talked through our decision. The purpose of the family reunion was to spend time with other family members, but this wasn’t working as it was just our family. We had some very disappointed kids, but the older ones understood why we were making a decision not to go to the rodeo. We drove back and Roger and the older boys got out of the van. I turned back to head into Rapid City as we accidentally had a phone cord that belonged to my sister. Travis and Emma rode with me and Travis was in tears for almost the entire ride. It sure is hard on a  mama’s heart when you see your child/children upset. We dropped off the phone cord and headed  back to the campground. I was thankful that my little ones fell asleep in the car. Roger called me to say that much of the family was headed to Mount Rushmore to see the light show, and I could meet him there. We headed to Mount Rushmore and met up with much of the family. I had never seen the light show, and it was not what I was expecting. I think I was envisioning fireworks, perhaps strobe or multi colored lights, but it was a plain white light on the faces. The honoring of the veterans and those in service to our country was neat though, and I certainly can appreciate the patriotism of the program! It was a bit of a late night, and we had some kiddos that were happy to get in bed.

On Thursday Roger went golfing with his brothers and Chandler was able to go along. Chandler didn’t golf, but he happily went along to look for golf balls! I think the other boys were a bit disappointed that they couldn’t also go, but Chandler had asked many months ago, and it seemed like it might be a bit much if all four of the boys went. The other kids stayed at the campground and played games with Grandpa and Grandma while the ladies headed to town to eat, shop and we did an Escape Room! I had never done one before, so that was a new experience for me. It was fun, a bit challenging, and it’s hard to separate needed information from just information! It was a good  challenge. Wyatt told me that he had such a good time playing games with Grandpa, and Emma stuck  like glue to grandma in the pool as Grandma would throw her in the water!  We had dinner that night with Rogers parents and sister, Linda, and her son. It was another busy and full day! I also went for a walk with Rachel (Rogers oldest sister) in the morning. It was good to talk about many things from  schooling to churches to our lives. I enjoyed the moments to catch up with her.  Sometimes it’s hard  not to feel like outsiders as we live so far away from everyone and I’m an in-law.

On Friday morning it was a quiet morning at camp. Most everyone had gone horseback riding, so there were only a few of us at the campground. The boys played frisbee with Grandpa, and Roger and I visited with Nate and Ruth for a bit. We decided to see about going to get coffee together, and Robin  and Rachel came along also. It was a beautiful morning for coffee and talking, and I’m thankful that we had the opportunity to do that. Ruth and I had several longer conversations about everything from churches to raising children and I was thankful for the opportunities to visit with her. Friday evening found the entire Robertson family reunion on a chuck wagon dinner ride! That’s twenty three youth and children, and seventeen adults...I think! It was a lot of people! It was an opportunity for everyone to eat dinner together and have a horse drawn wagon ride.

Saturday dawned the last full day of the family reunion. By this time we had five tired kids, and it     was family picture day! I’m thankful for the work that Audrey (our niece) and Dale (Roger’s brother)  put into finding a spot for the family pictures. It’s a big deal to coordinate pictures for that many people, and I was thankful that it went as smoothly as it did. Chandler wasn’t very excited s out pictures to start with,  but he did a good job cooperating...until he was chastised by someone who thought he was misbehaving and wasting time. He may have been, but with that child, it certainly wasn’t intentional! I can’t think of a single person who would want pictures to be done sooner than he would! It went downhill a bit after that with that son and Roger had to speak to him about correcting his attitude. However, it was a perfect opportunity to point out that life isn’t “fair”, and sometimes  you just have to deal and move on! The day did improve for him though as he greatly enjoyed the afternoon activity. We went on an outing to the wildlife loop in Custer State Park. We saw buffalo, deer, burros, and goats. Grandpa rode with us first, and the boys have enjoyed visiting with him. Grandpa rotated vehicles at each stop and we enjoyed the time with aunts, uncles, nieces and  nephews. Garett had the opportunity to ride with one of his other cousins, so he enjoyed that. Garett had a great week with his cousins, but especially with Landon and Jeffrey. Chandler struggled to find a playmate his age that wasn’t a girl or too little. He’s not old enough to fit in with the older cousins, and the younger  boy cousins are quite a bit younger, so he did shed some tears...growing pains.

Sunday marked the last day of the family reunion, and checkout was at eleven. It was a rainy, cool,  morning, so it didn’t take us long to pack up. Roger really had to pack the van carefully though as we had two extra ice chests that I had brought when Jen had dropped me off. We had dirty clothes, camping gear, ice chests, five tired kids, and it was time to get ready to head home. The campground offered a pancake breakfast, so we ALL (as in the whole family) trekked up to eat pancakes. The lady helping serve pancakes was a bit overwhelmed by all of us, but we are nice people, (we try anyways).  and she calmed down. Nate and Ruth and family needed to make it to Minneapolis to catch a flight to Georgia,  some were returning to Wisconsin,  some to Canada, some to Iowa, and some to Maine. We only needed to make it to Rapid City on Sunday as we were staying overnight with Jen before heading to Minneapolis on Monday. It was hard to say goodbyes, and I know Roger misses his family greatly. These are the brothers and sisters that he grew up with, the parents that raised him, and the  bonds that will last a lifetime. Three years until the next family reunion seems like a long time away!

We got on the road to Rapid City about ten, and began the unloading process at Jens apartment. We had so much stuff to put away, laundry to do, and wow, did we have some tired kids?! Jen came home from church and offered to take the boys to lunch with her. We had been invited to join up with some of Rogers family that were still in the area for lunch. Emma wanted to come with us, while the boys  wanted to spend time with Aunt Jen. We went our separate ways, and then came back for rest time in  the afternoon! I’m thankful that Roger and I were able to have one more dinner with some of the family, as it’ll be a while before that happens again.

We enjoyed the afternoon with Jen, and then she had a fun adventure planned for us in the evening. In   Rapid City there is an indoor water park. It is one of our kids very favorite places to go, and we often try to squeeze it in while we visit Jen. Jen had purchased evening water park passes for our family, and those kiddos we so excited! For four hours straight they tubed, and slid, and waded, and swam,  and swung at the water park. Emma kept us on our toes as she now wants to do the waters slides with the boys, tube in the lazy river, and jump on the lily pads! It was a fun way to end the week.

Roger and I had planned to get on the road to Minneapolis fairly early in the morning, but by the time     we got our act together it was already 9:30am. We had a hotel in  Minneapolis and a flight scheduled for Tuesday afternoon back to Boston. Since it was an afternoon flight back to Boston, we were able to show the kids the Mall of America in the morning. Roger had taken Garett and Wyatt to return the car, and I walked over to the Mall with the other three kids. They were just in awe that a place could be so big! It was fun to see their expressions as we walked around, showing them the roller coaster, the mini golf, the LEGO Store, and so much more. I mean, the best part is that it’s free! Yeah, you could spend a lot of money in there, but it was free to get in and walk around. Emma wanted to go in the doll store, but her brothers told her that there was not enough time for that! We headed back to the hotel around noon to checkout and take the shuttle to the airport. We made it through security and to our gate and sat  down in time to discover that our flight was delayed! Originally scheduled to take off at three pm, we eventually took off at about six pm. It made for a long day as we didn’t land in Boston until around ten, which meant we had missed the bus to Portland. There  was one more  scheduled bus to Portland at 11:25pm. We did get on that bus, and made it to Portland at about 1:45 am. Then we had to take a taxi from the bus station to the airport to get our vehicle (it was free to park at the airport), and by the time that was done it was 2:00 am. It’s still about a 1.5 hour drive to home, and I knew that neither Roger nor I were in  any shape to make that drive. God allowed us to find a hotel that would give us a bit of a break since we were only staying part of the night. The first room they gave us had a big industrial fan blowing on the carpet that smelled like mold! Two of the boys had already crawled in the bed, but I asked roger to go see if a different room was available. The hotel was able to find us a different room with two double beds...and seven of us! The boys crawled into the bed horizontally, while Roger, Emma and I slept in the other bed. It didn’t matter as we could’ve all about slept anywhere at this point! I was the first one awake at 9:10 am! Thankfully the breakfast went until ten, so we were able to get everyone fed before heading HOME!! We walked in  the door of our beautiful home in Maine at about one in the afternoon. Oh, how wonderful to be home! The yard may look like a hayfield, the laundry needs doing, the bathrooms need cleaning, but we are home!

I am so thankful for all those that made it possible for us to travel to the reunion. My parents, Roger’s parents, friends and family made sacrifices so that we could make it happen. It wasn’t easy, and at times it seeemed impossible. However, we serve the God of the impossible and I was reminded of  that again on these adventures of the past two weeks. God is so good! I hope that you know Him as your personal Savior. Eternal life is not a gift just for me. Christ died for your sins too. (Romans 3;23; Romans 6:23, John 3:16). If you have any questions about how you can know Jesus, please ask. We love you,
Sarah

    

 

 

 

 

Parades, Birthdays, and Adventures!

It was a busy week! So busy that I had to look back over the pictures I took to even try to remember some of the things we did! To summarize....we were in Maine last week and this week we are in Wisconsin!

Roger has worked some crazy long days, but we are looking forward to him joining us next week for the family reunion in South Dakota. The kids and I took the bus to Boston on Tuesday morning, then got on a plane to Minnesota, then a taxi to pick up our rental van, then a four hour drive to my parents house! Did I mention that I was a bit of a long day?! Truly we are so thankful to be here for a few days. I only wish that I could make myself be in two places at one time as I try to spend time with my family, but also connect with many friends that I have here in the area. It’s a struggle to be sure, and sometimes it’s hard to know what choices to make. I miss Roger!

Last week was hot in Maine so we spent a few afternoons at the lake with Allison. These days of summer are flying by, so we are trying to make the most of the time. I also took the kids with me to church one morning to clean the music room. I’m preparing for another year of teaching music which both delights and challenges me. It’s a lot of work to make lesson plans, pick out Christmas programs, prepare music, organize handbells and notes, and it’s a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. The kids did a great job helping me, and I was thankful for their willing hearts.

We went to the Lobster Festival Parade last Saturday. Emma was very excited about going, and the boys weren’t as excited! However, I did have a good time with the kids. It’s hard sometimes to make the effort to do things without Roger, but I am working at making memories with the kids too. On the Sundays that Roger has been working, we’ve been eating lunch at the airport. I pack a lunch before  church, and then we head out to the airport to eat together as a family. It’s important to me that our kids see their Daddy as much as possible during these summer days, and they certainly do enjoy spending time at the airport. Rogers boss is great at making the kids feel welcome, and on Sunday afternoon three of the boys spent the afternoon there. Chandler has been struggling with headaches probably due to the heat lately, so he came home with Emma and I.

We celebrated Emma’s fifth birthday today. She was very excited to have her birthday in Wisconsin, but sad that Roger had to miss it. Nana gave her a very pick dress up princess dress, so Emma thought that was wonderful. She also received a book and doll from some dear friends of ours, and Nana made her cupcakes with pink frosting! This birthday was hard on this mama. Five seems like such a big number when it’s our baby girl we are talking about. Five years has passed by in the blink of an eye! I was pregnant with Emma when we came back from Alaska; Roger was away in Florida for flight training during her first birthday;  we celebrated her second birthday in Arizona; she turned three shortly after our move to Maine;  and now she’s five! Wow...I could just cry! We are so blessed to have a daughter and the deepest desire of my heart is that she will accept Jesus as her Savior and love Him with all of her heart for all of her days. She is truly a gift from our good, good Heavenly Father, and she belongs first and foremost to Him. He loves her more deeply that even I do, but I’m thankful that He blessed our family with our sweet daughter, Emma.

I’m wrapping this up and bringing you some pictures of our adventures the last few days!

Birthday Girl! 

   

Picking potatoes 

  

   

  

 

Ready to travel!

Summer Break! Bountiful Blessings!

 

 

 

The last day in July has arrived!! I only want to know how on earth did it get here so quickly?!  Summer break is flying by, and we realized today that we have 35 days of vacation left! And for fourteen of those days we will be away from life in Maine. I am flying out with the kids next Tuesday to head to Wisconsin for a few days. Then Roger will fly out to join us and we will head to the family reunion in South Dakota. It’s going to be a fast fourteen days! The kids are excited about seeing Nana and Papa in Wisconsin as well as a lot of friends that they remember there. Then we will be able to spend time with Roger’s parents, siblings, and lots of cousins. It’s sure to be fourteen days to make memories to last a lifetime.

Last week after we dropped my sister, Jen, off at the airport, we did a few days of nothing. The weather was a bit dreary last week, Garett was gone to camp, and Roger was working. The kids and I hung out at home a few days, took a trip to Goodwill, and did get to go out to the lake with friends on Friday. Generally we don’t find any treasures at Goodwill, and it’s a quick in and out stop. However, we did find a bike for Emma last week. She figured out how to ride a bike earlier this summer, and then her bike broke. She’s been asking for a new one for a while, but bikes are way out of the budget. However, she spotted a bike at Goodwill, and although it is red, it is her size! She told me that she asked God to give her a pink bike, but God must want her to have a red one instead! (Sometimes kids can just amaze me!) Travis told her that if God was giving her a bike she better be thankful no matter what the color might be! Yes, thank you, Travis! The bike was $8.00, and Chandler carefully  inspected the bike before buying it. He examined the wheels, the tires, the chain, and then declared  that “For $8.00, it’s an okay bike.” Well, alright then! We’ve had one happy girl as she has ridden up and down the driveway several hundred times a day!

Chandler has been collecting scrap again, and he even asked my sister, Jen, to stop at a free pile on the way home from somewhere. He collected a few chairs from that free pile, took the seat cushions off and put the metal in his pile. He found a few cords in a free box at a yard sale, brought them home, stripped off the plastic, and took out the copper. His pile has been growing, so when Roger had a day off last week, Chandler wanted to go take in his scrap. He and Roger took it to the scrap yard, and then Chandler took the check directly to deposit in the bank. He made $14.87! He was very excited, and he certainly has an entrepreneurial spirit!

Garett came home from camp on Friday. Emma asked every day when he was coming home, but none of the other siblings asked! I missed him, but I was certainly thankful that he had the opportunity to attend camp. He had a great week at camp. He said that the food was great, the preaching was good, the games were fun, and he would love to go back again. That’s a good report! Another family had driven up to pick up kids from camp, so I only had to drive to a local pick up point to get Garett. When I picked him up and he climbed in the car, I immediately smelled an unpleasant scent. Being his mother, I asked him if he had changed his socks and underwear during the week. He looked appalled that I would ask, and Immediately replied, “Of course, Mom!” I knew that something smelled! When we arrived home, I sat at the table making a grocery list, and he sat at the table and talked to me about all his adventures. Then...he took off his shoes!! Oh wow!! Yup! That was the nasty smell! He had forgotten to bring another pair of shoes, so he had worn those shoes all week! They had probably gotten wet, and along with stinky feet, the smell was over the top! Emma  came into the kitchen and immediately pinched her nose. “Somethin’  smell in here! And it not good!” Uh, yeah! I told Garett to put the shoes outside to air out, and told him to go take a shower  and use lots of soap on his feet. He did take a shower, but he came back wearing a set of clothes that I had sent to camp in his bag! When I asked him about his outfit, he replied, “I didn’t have time to wear these.” What?! How on earth?! You know what, I didn’t even ask! My stinky, smelly, wonderful son is home, and he is clean again, and I love him dearly! I’m so glad that he had such a good week at camp.

As you know, we are heading to a family reunion in South Dakota. This was a big commitment for   our family and a huge challenge to figure out how to get a family our size out there. God provided tickets to fly to Minneapolis at a decent price, and although not cheap, we could make it work. God provided some additional funds through a few people that have helped us, and Roger has been working extra days (a tiring feat) to try to make this trip feasible for us. Roger and I try to operate on a cash budget as much as we possibly can, so we have been diligent to try to make things work.  However, there is one event that the whole family (as in all the siblings, parents, cousins, etc.) wanted to do in South Dakota during the family reunion. I did the math every which way possible, lost sleep over the matter, prayed about it, and we just decided it wasn’t going to be feasible for our family to do this event. Roger is working, not just for our immediate expenses,  but also to be able to send the kids to the Christian school, and replacing the suburban is looming directly in front of us (before December). We just couldn’t come up with the extra money for our family to do this event with the rest of his family. I know it was hard for Roger to call his parents and tell them we couldn’t do it, but he did it. Although at peace with the decision, it wasn’t an easy one. However, God is so much bigger than my feeble mind can comprehend! The next day Roger called me from work to say that our family was going to do the activity! I was wondering why he had changed his mind about it. He said that someone (I have NO idea who) had called him to say that they were going to pay for our family to attend the activity with everyone else in the family! I, of course, wanted to know who paid for our expense, but Roger said that they wanted to remain anonymous. They wanted to help out our family,  they knew about this activity, and God,  in His sovereignty,  chose someone to bless us! So, God has provided yet again for our family, and I’m sure that we will enjoy making memories with Rogers family in South Dakota!

We appreciate your prayers as we head across the country on a trip next week. Also, please be in prayer for the upcoming school year as the students, staff, and school board all need our prayers. And please pray that Roger will continue to be safe as we hurtle through  the last few weeks of the very busy summer season.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” 

We love you, 
Sarah