School, Soccer, Fish, and Blessings!

Chandler caught a bunch of minnows in his homemade minnow trap! 

Our school soccer field is right on the ocean bay- its a beautiful spot!

Saw these deer in our driveway! 

Our own children also enjoy the kindergarten room! 

The fish tank! 

Rough moments but sometimes we have to do things we don’t really want to do! Life! 

 We will be starting week #8 of school tomorrow! God has protected us in a mighty way, and He has put a hedge of protection around our church/school property. We pray daily for His continued protection, and I know that many of you pray with us- thank you! 

We thought that last week was going to be the last week of soccer.  But since a team forgot to show up last Tuesday, we have one more game this week! The boys certainly don’t mind that they get to have a few extra soccer practices and another game. And while I am very, very happy that the boys had the opportunity to play, I’m looking forward to being able to come right home after school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday! 

Last Monday we had a home game. The team did not have one of their better playing experiences, and it showed in how they played together. They lost the game, but it was another opportunity to learn something. No soccer game has every been won by one player- work together! On Tuesday we were supposed to have another home game, but the team forgot to show up! Apparently they had forgotten to put the game on their schedule, so they did not show up to play. It was disappointing, for sure, but we got to go home a little early- yay! 

Wednesday was an early release day for the students. We have an early release day once a month where the students are released around lunchtime, and the teachers get an afternoon to have a staff meeting and work on classroom stuff. We always can use more time in our classrooms! Our administrator has three young kids, whom our children adore! All of our children were happy to spend an hour in the kindergarten room eating pizza, playing with the toys, and visiting with each other. I’m so glad that our children enjoy spending time with our administrators children, as that is just an added blessing! Roger was able to pick up our children around 1:30, so that meant that I had the opportunity to do some additional preparing and planning for the school week. I even managed to update one of my bulletin boards- hooray!

Thursday marked the day for an away soccer game. The game was going to be played about an hour from the school, and nearer to a larger city. Since this city has a Sam’s Club, Target and other shopping places, I had planned to leave after my morning kindergarten class to run a few errands before the game. When I mentioned my plans, I was surprised to hear that all five of our children wanted to come with me! Garett told me that he really didn’t want to go shopping too much, but since I was leaving at 11:45am, and the rest of the team was leaving around 2;15pm, he wanted to come with me. That’s a Garett statement right there! The boys asked me if they could invite Austin to come with us on Thursday, so I ended up taking five boys and one little girl with me on errands. The boys were happy to have a friend along, and I am so very thankful that Chandler has Austin in his class. Austin is a good friend to our boys, and it was fun to hear them laugh and visit together as we wandered through Sam’s Club, Walmart, Five Below, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. It was a fun afternoon, and I’m glad I brought them with me. We arrived at the playing field just as the soccer team from school pulled into the parking lot! Perfect timing! The team ended up winning the soccer game on Thursday, so that was exciting for the team. I am very thankful that I’ve been able to be a part of being involved with the team. Due to Covid, we can’t take the team to McDonalds or some fast food place after the game, so my friend, Ashley, and I have made up sack suppers for each away game. Honestly, it’s worked out so well that I think I’d want to continue doing it this way even after Covid. It saves so much time (and money) to just hand a sack supper to each player after the game. The suppers include a sandwich, piece of fruit, bag of chips, dessert and a Gatorade. I’m sure that some players could do with a more substantial supper, but it’ll hold them until they get home! 

Roger has had a few more days off this past week due to weather and scheduling. I asked him if he was working at all this week, and he replied that he was working his “normal” work load of four days a week. It’s been since June 29th that Roger has had a four-day week, so no wonder we wondered if he was working! Last Sunday Roger was able to come to church with us which was the first time since mid-June. I think it was one of the first times that he wasn’t wearing a work uniform or going out to the airport since the end of June! It’s been a long summer (actually a long year!) but now that the float plane is done for the season, we may be able to get a sense of some type of “normalcy” again. We were/are happy to make sacrifices for the good of the company, and we will continue to do so. It was also nice to have Roger around a bit more. Because of the work schedule this week, Roger was able to go on a hike with the junior high boys on Friday afternoon. I never thought we’d be the kid with a child that didn’t want to go on a hike, but we had one this past week. Chandler did not want to go on the hike. I know it was largely due to personality differences, but guess what? Difficult people are everywhere and at every stage of our lives. Roger and I had several discussions with him about the hike, but at the end of the day we had to force him to go, tell him that he was to have a good attitude, and he was to do his best to work with the people that were challenging to him. I was in tears as much as Chandler, but Roger and I both knew that we needed to make him go. And since God worked out the details that Roger could go on the hike, that was even better! I think both Chandler and Garett ended up having a good time, and it was a good experience for the junior high boys to climb a mountain on Friday afternoon! 

The school board recently hired another person to help out at the school. This person does maintenance, tutors students, helps with lunch and recess duty, and so much more. This man is a member of our church, and he has been such a blessing to our boys. Mr. Waugh has worked in a Christian School in the past and also with junior high boys. Mr. Waugh helps with students that may need additional learning help, and Garett is one of those students that will benefit from that. Wyatt asked me this week what he needed to do to get to have a conversation with Mr. Waugh! I was like what?! Wyatt replied that he liked Mr. Waugh, and he would like to have some one-on-one time with Mr. Waugh too. (Wyatt’s grades indicated that he is doing just fine in school!) It was a blessing to hear though that our other boys like and appreciate Mr. Waugh, and they treasure their time with him. I am so thankful that God brought Mr. Waugh to the school. We’ve been needing some more positive male presence in the school, and we are rejoicing in what God continues to do. 

Chandler caught me some minnows for the fish tank, and the kindergarten class is thrilled with their fish! So far, we’ve kept them all alive, and that free fish tank has been such a blessing! I love how God provides little things along the paths of our lives to encourage us, strengthen us, and bless us. What an amazing God we serve! 

Yes, we’ve been busy with school, church and family activities. We’ve also been in fervent prayer for our nation, as I trust you have been also! Much of our nation is living in fear, confusion and chaos. I am so thankful that as believers we can leave all of that at the foot of the cross! God promises that He will raise us up on wings as eagles. He promises that he will hold us in the cleft of the Rock. He promises that He holds tomorrow! Let us pray, fast and ask God to work in a mighty way! 

Unexpected Blessings, Discouragements, and our Faithful God!

                                   Soccer Fun! (Photo credit: Emma Philbrook) 

Fun with the 3D pen! 

                                                   Another beautiful spot in Maine! Our away soccer field on Saturday. 

                     Garett is the soccer goalie. (Photo credit: Emma Philbrook) 

 One more week of soccer season! The three older boys have really enjoyed playing, and Travis is happy to come to practices and play whenever he gets the opportunity. The boys have really improved in the past few weeks, and I am so thankful for this opportunity for them. They tied a game last Monday, they won a game on Thursday; the lost a game on Saturday, and also lost a game on Columbus Day. However, what I do see in the team is a marked improvement in sportsmanship, consideration of others, and a lot less whining and complaining....praise the Lord! The team has learned a lot about the game of soccer and working together. I am so thankful for the coach and all his work with the team. 

We had a long weekend last weekend, as we had Friday as a teachers inservice day and then Monday was Columbus Day. However, it was a crazy busy weekend with an away soccer game on Saturday, church on Sunday and another soccer game on Monday. Roger was working on Saturday, so I ended up taking all the kids with me to the soccer game. I drove the church van, and my friend Ashley drove her van with a bunch of my kids and hers also. I hadn’t planned on going to the game, but then someone was needed to drive the church van, and there I was! We left at 9:00am, and we were back in the church parking lot by 3:30pm. Whew!! We had enough players for Saturday’s game, but we were missing a few kids. We only had two subs for the bench, and then one of our players wasn’t feeling well. Our coach asked the other team if they would mind if Travis played on our team even though he’s only in fourth grade. They said he could play, and that made Travis’s day! He was thrilled!! He did really well, and played the whole second half of the game. The team hung in there though, and we lost 4-2. But it was a game well played! 

On Monday we had another soccer game, but this one was on our home field. We played this team last week, and we tied the game with three overtime periods. However, we didn’t manage to pull that off on Monday, but the team still gave it their best effort. One of our players had forgotten her soccer cleats, but Travis had brought along mine (just in case he got to play again), so that worked out for one of our players to borrow my cleats. Last Monday when we played this team, one of the boys had on shorts that were about to fall off. I had borrowed a chair from my friend, Hannah, and I ended up taking the draw string out of the camp chair bag to use for a way to tighten the shorts. Oh yes, improvisation is sometimes the name of the game! 

One of our children is still very much struggling with school. A lot of it has to do with classroom dynamics, personalities, and life situations. This child comes to school because he has really enjoyed playing soccer, so I am praying that God brings along something else that he would really, really enjoy. This particular child has often been discouraged lately, and it’s hard to know sometimes what to do as a parent. I’m telling you that parenting is the hardest job, I’ll ever do! I had planned to coordinate  a Teacher/parent conference, but God just plopped an opportunity to talk to his teacher in my lap this morning. God knew that I needed to talk to this child’s teacher, and it was a good conversation. I cried....nothing new there, but I could see tears in the eyes of the teacher. I was reminded again of how much this child’s teacher also cares for the students in her classroom. We are so very blessed to have this experience to enroll our children in a private Christian school. It’s not without its struggles, but God is so faithful! 

Our governor came out with her “stage four” guidelines for our state during the Coronavirus. While our numbers clearly do not dictate a need for mandatory masks, she has now decided that private schools also need to mask their students. I about became unglued as I read through the article. Fourth Amendment anyone?! Hippa Privacy Act?! Oh, it’s been a week, that’s for sure! I again fall back into the protection of my Father’s arms and rest in the confidence that He is unchanging!  

God also provided a few unexpected blessings this week. Last week, when we went over to a friends house, Chandler was given a turtle. He’s been keeping it in an animal cracker container, but he really needed a tank for his turtle. We didn’t want to spend too much money, so we’ve kinda just be waiting to see what pops up. Well, Roger happened to spot two free fish tanks beside the road a few days ago!! The aquarium has lights, rocks, fake plants...everything! Chandler has a tank for his turtle, and it looks like the kindergarten classroom will be getting a pet fish!! God is so good! 

Several months ago (before Covid), the boys were at a birthday party. The child received a 3D pen for a gift, and my kids were in awe of all that this cool pen could do. We looked it up online, but the pen costs like $50.00! No way! Not even for a birthday gift! The boys put it out of their minds, but this week I popped into Goodwill to look for some books for my classroom. I found a 3D pen in the box, with a lot of extras included. And it cost $5.00! The boys have been having so much fun with that pen, and it was such a fun surprise! We looked up the retail value of the pen and the extras, and it costs $85.00 on Amazon! Now God totally did not have to provide the fish tank or the 3D pen, but He did! He’s such a good, good Father to His children! We are so blessed! 

Fall!

 These weeks have been passing by so quickly! I feel like we blink, and the week is over. We are so very thankful that we have been able to have in person school this year. For the most part, our children are all happy to be in school. One of our children is struggling, but God has been faithful through it all. 

The older boys are really enjoying playing on the soccer team, and Chandler told me that he wished that we had soccer practice or a game every day. Um....I don’t! Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled with the soccer team, but it sure does wreck havoc on meal planning, packing lunches, and other after school things! But I’m not complaining as it’s only for a few weeks, and it has been great for the boys to have this opportunity. 

We had a ministry meeting at our house last Thursday night, and I made chili supper for about 19 people. It’s good to gather as a group of ministry helpers and coordinators every once in a while just to make sure we are all moving in the same direction. Youth group has been hard for Roger to commit to this past summer just with all the changes within his job. But through it all, the teens have been faithful, and we are excited about the fall. Rogers job should be slowing down some as they’ll be wrapping up the float plane season. Roger is one of the most faithful and dependable people that I know. He definitely doesn’t do it all like I would do it (thank goodness!) but he leads by quiet example. I know the summer has been long and hard for him, but he’s rarely complained, and he continues to do the next right thing. 

This is a short week of school as we have Friday and next Monday off due to Columbus Day. Our children are happy to have a few days off of school, but they do have a soccer game on Saturday and on Monday. I’ll be having a teacher inservice day, which will include a few meetings and then some time in our classrooms...very thankful for that! Somehow I envisioned a lot more time than I have these days, so I’ll be happy for any extra time I can spend preparing and planning for teaching kindergarten. These littles are so special to me, and I really want to help them develop a love for learning and to know that God loves them. Some mornings are exhausting, but the time sure is short! 

The team had a soccer game yesterday, and my friend, Hannah, graciously took Emma and Travis after school. Roger was able to get away for the game, and it was a good game. The kids played really hard, and they managed to hold the tie game at 2-2. After three overtime periods of (5 minutes each) the game was declared a tie. While the boys would’ve enjoyed a win, they were very happy to have a tie game. It’s amazing to me how much the boys have learned and developed in the last few weeks. I am very thankful for the opportunities to watch them play, and it’s fun seeing three of the four boys on the field together. Garett played much better in the goalie position, and while every shot on the goal made me nervous, he did a good job. 

We would appreciate your continued prayers for our family, our school, and our church. 2020 has been a challenging year, but I hope and pray that you have seen the faithfulness of God in your life as we have in ours. 

Dates, Flights, and Soccer Games!

 “God created, God created,  night and day. Night and day, that was the on the first day, that was on the first day. It was good. It was good” to the tune of Frere Jacques song. We’ve been learning about Creation in kindergarten, and it’s interesting to me because that has currently carried over into my music classes. I’m teaching 5-8th grade music this year, and my main focus to start off the school year is studying what the Bible says about music. Hmm....if God created ALL of creation to proclaim His glory, how great our responsibility to glorify Him must be! I’ve started a hymn study with my  music classes. Did you know that Charles Wesley is credited with writing the most hymns? He wrote over 8,800 hymns in his lifetime. That’s a lot of hymns!! Anyways, it’s been a good study for me too....hopefully, my students will learn to enjoy it also. 

Soccer, soccer, soccer! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the team is out on the field after school practicing. Our older boys are really enjoying the opportunity to be a part of the team, and they’ve learned a lot! Garett has been playing in the goalie position. He has his size going for him, but he just needs to increase his aggression towards the ball. If you know anything about Garett, aggression is not part of his personality! Chandler plays mid-center, and Wyatt is playing right wing. They work hard in practice every time, and I’ve enjoyed helping out with the practices as well. It’s exercise, and that is good for me too! 

We had our second game of the season yesterday, and we lost. Sadness! We played very well the first half, but kinda became tired and fatigued in the second half. The final score was 1-6. While it was disappointing to lose, a lot of lessons can be learned. It’s interesting to note that the same players that were blaming each other in practice for bad passes, mess ups, etc, were the same ones in the game -still blame shifting! Edification! That is a big word that we are trying to teach the team. I will say that I am very, very thankful for the boys soccer coach. A dad from our school stepped up into the coaching role, when he realized that we wouldn’t be able to have a team unless someone coached. His own children are too young to play, but yet he is willing to coach the team. I was not impressed with the coach of the other team we played yesterday. All of my boys made the comment on the way home, that they were very thankful that their coach didn’t act like that. You know what? I’d 1000 times rather have a coach for my boys that might not be the worlds best coach but is willing to invest in their lives and point them to Jesus than to have a coach that knows all the rules of the game but is not a good example! The truth of the matter is that actions and words do matter! So, all that to say that Roger and I are very thankful for the man that has stepped into the role of being the head coach for the team this year. 

Last week, Roger and I got away for a quick date! Whew! I didn’t even know we knew that word! It’s been at least since March that we’ve been able to get away for a lunch together. Roger had a long time friend that was visiting in the Down East area of Maine. Roger and I were able to sneak up to see Kyle and his girlfriend. Roger flew the plane, we landed in Bar Harbor, met our friends, had a quick late lunch, and then Roger had to be back with the airplane. It was a fast and quick afternoon, but we were thrilled to get away. I’m thankful for my friend, Hannah, who took my tribe after school to her house for the afternoon. Roger and I had originally hoped to leave around noon, but it was closer to two pm before we were headed to Bar Harbor. It was a beautiful day for a flight, and we had a great time together. Roger and I were able to get coffee and take a walk together before we needed to pick up the kids, and it was just a much needed afternoon together. 

School....it’s another thing we do these days! Every single day I pray for Gods protection on our school, our church, the property, the families, and the students. We’ve needed prayer all of our lives, but this year it is especially important to keep praying for Gods protection. It’s a miracle that we are actually able to go to school, and several schools in our states are doing various stages of remote learning, scattered days in school, some have opened and then shut, and the level of fear and panic is high! Please pray with us for God’s protection, Divine wisdom, and direction and discernment. He is worthy of our praise, honor and glory! He is so faithful! 

We are wrapping up week number four of school, and I am really enjoying teaching kindergarten. I’ll be the first to admit that rainy days are not my favorite, but we haven’t had too many of those! I love seeing the faces of my students in the mornings, and they've been very fun to work with this year. I want to teach them to read, but also to love learning. They have a lot of years of school ahead of them, and I want to help them enjoy learning. I’d also appreciate your prayers for me as I teach them to read and write, but also teach them about God and His Word. 

Life is not all roses. Ha! If you’ve read my blog for very long, you’ll pick up the fact that I share ups and downs in our lives. We’ve been battling with difficult life experiences with one of our children. School has been hard for him this year, not academically per se, but just school experiences. This particular child told me last Saturday that he hated school (we don’t use the word hate in our family, so that In and of itself speaks volumes). He told me that he didn’t think it mattered if he obeyed and why would he want to because generally it’s not the well behaved kids that get the attention! Well, after I picked up my jaw from off the floor, we had a discussion. At first we were both upset and it was a go-no where conversation. But once I started listening to what he was saying, reading his facial expressions, and filling in the spots between the lines, we were able to move forward. We had a long discussion about character, integrity, and matters of the heart. He told me that he knew that he wanted some recognition for doing the right thing, but deep down he knew that he needed to do right no matter what other choices others were making. YES! Character is doing the right thing regardless of who’s watching or if you’ll get a “pat on the back”. Integrity is being honest even when no one is looking or even expecting you to show integrity. It was a long, messy, teary, emotional conversation, but we both came away loving each other and  desiring to communicate better with each other. I’m sure there will be other conversations along the way, but I’ll never regret the moments spent with my children praying over difficult situations with them. This particular child seems to always find himself in a classroom where there are other children that rub him the wrong way. I wanted him to have an easy year...I wanted an  easy year. But the truth of the matter is that God is going to do great and mighty things through this child when he is submitted to God’s will. Gods refining fire is not just something that happens to experienced Christians. God is working in the hearts and lives of our children also. I don’t always like the ways that God chooses, but I do know that God love our children even more than we do. 

Our governor extended us into another state of emergency. Honestly, it’s so ludicrous, but what do I know?! It’s only our seventh one! Yes, the 7th one! At some point in time, regardless of whether you’re a democratic or a republican you have to ask yourself...is this about money- perhaps federal funds?  And maybe not about the needs of the American people? Many, many Maine businesses have gone under in the last few months, and the sad part is that they won’t be replaced by other small businesses. The economic hardship that is on our state is evident all around us. For the first time in 19 years, our school won’t be holding its annual fundraising auction. We just simply can’t go asking businesses for donations for our auction when so many of them are barely getting by! So, if you know anyone who wants to donate a sum of money to a wonderful Christian school, just let me know!  

God has been so faithful to us, our family and the school. We can’t see the big picture, but I know that to be in the center of Gods will today, we will just do the next right thing. We will continue to be faithful, endeavor to have real and deep conversations with those around us, love people, and stay focused on our Heavenly Father. 

Travis spent hours trying to fix his shoe sole. He ended up taking off the sole and making slippers. 😬🤦🏼‍♀️

Soccer, Sleepovers, and Life!

 As most of the weeks in our lives, this past one was full and memorable! Our youngest two children treasured the memory of a sleepover at a friends house, while the older boys enjoyed having soccer practice after school every day last week! We were a little behind the eight ball in preparing for a soccer season because we didn’t know if we were going to be able to find a coach or be able to play. But God provided a soccer coach, and the team was diligent to practice after school every day last week. By Friday, the coaches were tired even if the students were not! 

Last Friday afternoon, I had the opportunity to have lunch with my friend, Allison. Her birthday was last week, and it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to get together with just the two of us. It was a special afternoon, and why does time fly by so quickly?! I am so thankful for her friendship, and the fact that she doesn’t mind that I wrote her birthday note on a post-it sticky note! 

My friend, Claire, invited Travis and Emma to have a sleepover at their house on Friday night. We aren’t big into sleepovers, so this was a big deal. Emma packed her own suitcase, which was mostly full of toys to play with Lucy! The younger two were able to enjoy a boat ride, collecting a few lobster traps, lots of outside play, and they came home tired but happy  from their adventure! I’m so glad that they had the opportunity to enjoy some special memories, as our youngest two endured hanging out at the school last week while their siblings had soccer practice.  

On Saturday, the three older boys made a soccer goal out of our old trampoline net and some pieces of wood. It certainly looked precarious to me, but they played outside for hours on end. I try not to interfere with their creativity, but sometimes it’s the cleaning up afterwards that needs the direction! But they had a wonderful time, and no one was fighting! 

On Sunday afternoon we had a baptism at the lake. Four people from our church family wanted to be baptized, and that is always a special time at the lake. It was a long day, but a good day. We had a missionary visiting at church who is preparing to go to South Africa. She was so sweet, and interacted very well with the children’s Sunday school class. It was a blessing to hear of the ministry to orphans in South Africa. 

Late in the afternoon, I met my friend, Ashley, to pack sack suppers for the soccer team. The soccer team had their first away game on Monday, and due to Covid, we can’t really take the kids into McDonald’s to eat supper after the games. So instead they are getting a sack supper on the evenings that we have away games. It felt like a very busy Sunday, and it was, but we were mostly ready for the week! 

On Monday soccer game was an away game, and it was a long ways away! The game was about 2 and 1/2 hours from the school, so it was a long day for the players. Roger had planned on going to the game, and I was planning on riding with him...it was going to be a date! Claire had offered to take our younger two again for the afternoon and overnight, so I was actually looking forward to some alone time with Roger. But then again, life happens! The head coach of the soccer team ended up unable to go due to a cold, so I was asked if I would be willing to coach the soccer game! Um, I guess! College was a long time ago, and running was my thing. I only played soccer intercollegiate style, but I have been coming to all the practices for the soccer team. Since we have three boys on the team, and I like exercise, I’ve been attending soccer practices too. I called Roger to let him know that I would need to leave earlier than planned to go with the team for the game. Roger said to go ahead, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to make the game anyways. He’s had a lot of responsibilities on his plate yesterday, and not all of them have been overly fun. I finished up kindergarten at 11:30am, prepped for the next day, gathered my thoughts, and got in a vehicle to head to the soccer game. About ten minutes into the drive, I thought I was going to be sick. I hadn’t taken the time to eat lunch, and sitting in a church van was making me quite nauseous. Thankfully, I had water, and when we stopped to take a restroom break my boys shared some snacks with me. We made it to the game without anyone getting sick! 

The team we played yesterday was fairly evenly matched with our team, and it was a great first game of the season. We did lose, but the score we 3-2. Everyone had the opportunity to play some, and our young team learned a lot. So did their coach!! It was a good experience for me, and I’m thankful to do it for the team. I’m also happy to just assist the coach, attend practices, and be a support for the team! I guess now I can add coaching to my resume....kidding! It was a beautiful day, and it was a great opportunity to be thankful that we have the opportunity to play soccer! 

It was a late night yesterday, but it was a good day. Roger ended up making it to the game, so that was a pleasant surprise for the boys. After the game, we had several players that went home with their parents. Roger took our boys and Austin, and I rode with Ashley on the way home. It was just her and I in the car, so that was a sweet time of fellowship for us. It’s easy to become weary in well doing, but it was good to be reminded that we are so blessed. God has given us exceeding abundantly, and I want to be thankful! 

School! Survival of Week One!

We have some crazy ideas together, but God is good! 

Beautiful day for a teen event at the lake! 

So thankful for Christ! 

 What a week! We are exhausted and tired, but we made it through the first week! We are thankful for the grace of God that continues to strengthen, sustain, and surround us. 

We started our week of school on Tuesday with bright and shiny faces. Since I am teaching kindergarten this year, we arrive at school earlier than in years past so that I have time to finish up last minute things for my classroom. We were all ready for school on Tuesday morning, and the staff met together to pray for the school year at 7:15am. As I listened to the prayers of my fellow teachers and friends, I was overwhelmed by the goodness of God. We didn’t know if in-school learning was even going to be possibly a few months ago, but God brought it to pass in His perfect timing. We needed several positions filled this year, and even at the 11th hour, so to speak, God provided for all our needs. He’s been so very faithful! 

After school on Tuesday, the first thing Chandler said to me, “Mom, you’ve got to see my hands! They’ve never been this clean!” I got a chuckle out of his clean hands. One of the things that we are increasing this year is good hand hygiene, so everyone has lots of hand washing! Three of our five kids came home with headaches, and one of the three had a migraine. Wyatt is not usually the child who gets a migraine, but he had a very intense headache on Tuesday. Our kids were ready for bed by 7:30pm, and there were no complaints about going to bed! 

We had Landon, the boys cousin, here for a few days this past week. They all enjoyed time outside, lots of food, lots of time playing badminton, and laughter. While it was a crazy week, we are thankful for family. 

I’ve enjoyed teaching the kindergarten class this week. We learned a lot about school routines, classroom expectations, a nature walk observing colors in God’s creation, scissor practice, shapes, songs, art, gym, and our first chapel. It was a full four days of school! I’m thankful for the opportunity to teach this class, and I would appreciate your prayers for me as I teach. 

On Thursday afternoon we had our first soccer practice. I had three very excited boys! Travis is not quite old enough, but he was happy to watch the practice. I’m thankful that this opportunity has been presented for our students, as well as for the many parents that are needed to help this happen. It’s going to be a great opportunity this fall. 

We had a teen activity on Saturday to wrap up our summer weeks of teen group. Our friends, Allison and Jason, hosted the activity at their cottage on the lake. We had a bunch of teens show up to play games, fish, swim...and eat! Did I mention eating?! They surely ate a lot of food! Allison and I decided that we would grill hamburgers and hotdogs. Allison was having trouble starting the grill, but we could faintly smell propane. I don’t grill at our house as I have a bunch of boys that are always happy to grill food. So the first mistake was offering to help! However, after checking to see that the propane was on, and pushing the starter button, I used a lighter to light the grill! Boy, did it light! Wow! Thankfully, God protects us even when we don’t make the wisest choices! However, the hamburgers that Allison grilled sure did taste good! It was a fun afternoon, and probably one of our “good, bad ideas”. Allison and I often talk about our good ideas that really are great ideas, but the timing or situations sometimes make them “bad”. Having a teen activity after we were tired out from the first week of school made this one of our “good, bad ideas”. However, the teens enjoyed it, we had a great time visiting and laughing together, cooking food, and spending time with the teen group. We are happy that we did it, thankful for our pastor who drove out the church van, and for a great group of teens! 

Today was our dedication Sunday for the school year. All our teachers were invited to come to the worship service today, and we had a special time of prayer over the school, teachers, staff, students, and parents. Our children also sang special music. I don’t think that any of them were necessarily jumping for joy at the opportunity to provide special music, but they did it! I was so proud of each of them for using their voices to sing unto the Lord. I noticed that Emma sang without shoes, and Travis kept his hands in his pockets the whole time. On the way home, I asked him about why he kept his hands in his pockets. Apparently the draw string to his pants was broken, and he was worried that he was going to lose his pants! That kid has more wardrobe malfunctions than any kid I know! This is also the child that tied the knot in his wiseman costume so tight that we had to cut it off. This is the child that got his finger tied into the drawstring of his pants when he was supposed to be playing a chime for special music! Oh, the laughter! He wasn’t delighted to sing, but he did it anyways. I sure am thankful for each of our children.

The video below is from our church service. You are welcome to watch all of it, but the childrens’ music is at about thirty minutes into the video. 

 

Back to School!

 Tomorrow is our “Back to School” Day! It is with great anticipation and with much prayer that we plan to return to in-school learning tomorrow morning. I feel like we have prayed for this day since March, and while Satan has been attempting to thwart those plans at every turn, God has proven Himself to be strong and mighty once again. 

This past week we celebrated Garett’s 14th birthday!!! I can’t even believe that this boy is already 14 years old! Where has time gone?! He wants to get his work permit and start working with Roger just as soon as he can. He has loved aviation since before he could walk or talk and that has not changed! Garett is one of the most mellow teenagers I know. He has a great easy-going personality (as long as it’s not with his siblings!), and he is changing right before my eyes into a tall, gangly giant! His voice is changing, but he will still sing. I am so thankful for this first born son of ours, and we pray fervently and often for his heart to continue to be moldable to whatever God wants him to do. I asked Garett a few questions for his birthday interview. Here are his answers:

1) What is your favorite color? A; “Blue, Mom you ask me this question every year, and my answer is still the same!” :)

2) What is your favorite food? A: Mexican food (also this answer hasn’t changed in several years)

3) If someone was to give you an amount of money for your birthday, what would be the perfect amount? A: Probably like $30.00. ‘Cause it’s not too much and not too little.

4) If you had to pick a job today, what would you pick? A: I’d want to work where Dad works and fuel airplanes, deliver freight, and load and unload airplanes. 

5) Who is your best friend? A: probably Dad

That last response made me nearly cry. I don’t know very many 14 year olds that have their dad as their best friend. Garett’s life has been completely changed in 2020, but he still considers his dad his best friend. I consider that a major praise in our lives! 

Last week I spent a lot of time both at home and at school working and preparing for the school year. I think teachers could prep for practically eternity and never feel truly ready, so at some point in time, it’s time to just start! And that’s where I am- ready, prepared, probably more nervous than my students, but ready to start school! 

I’m thankful for friends in these past few weeks that have opened their homes to our children. Our children have enjoyed several play dates with friends this past week, and it’s been encouraging to both them and myself. We are blessed! 

Roger and I also celebrated 15 years of marriage this past week. I don’t feel old enough to have been married 15 years! However, here we are at the 15 year mark! All praise and glory to God- it certainly hasn’t been all roses, but God has been so faithful. Time and time again, God has proven Himself to be mightier and stronger than any problem that we’ve encountered. I am so thankful for His faithfulness. 

Thursday evening was our open house for back-to-school. We had a good turnout of parents and students. Due to our governors restrictions, we had to divide the families by last name, but it was still a good night. (Our governor has called for another state-of emergency in Maine. This is the SIXTH one! I’m not going to get sidetracked by giving you my opinion on that, but it’s certainly not what I would’ve done!)  

The kids and I spent some time at the lake on Friday afternoon, and that was a good way to wrap up the week. It was relaxing to sit and watch them swim and fish in the lake, while Allison and I visited together. 

Our parents group hosted a yard sale on Saturday. It was a HUGE yard-sale, and it looked more like a flea market on Saturday morning! We had stuff everywhere! It was a ton of work, and we worked extremely hard from six am to about 3pm on Saturday. People gave generously. We also had two people drop off their donations at our yard sale ...who does that?! They came to check out the yard sale, and then said, “Oh we have stuff in our car for Goodwill, can we just leave it here? You can sell it?” Um, okay. It provided some light hearted moments thats for sure. Travis and Chandler came with me on Saturday. Chandler got a ride home around noon, but Travis stayed for the day. He stuck with the clean up at the end. He told me on the way home that he had never packed up so many boxes of the same stuff in his life! (He helped pack up the glassware and there were boxes and boxes and boxes of that!) I am so glad that the yard sale is behind us, and I have no desire to do another one anytime soon! However, God abundantly blessed and we are thankful for the funds to help enrich the students and teachers lives this school year. 

It was a busy and full week. We closed up the week with having some of Roger’s brothers come in for a visit. Our nephew, Landon, also came along to visit. The boys have enjoyed having another boy to play with, and I know that Roger was thankful to have his brothers come for a visit too. While it’s a bit of a crazy week, God calms my heart and reminds me frequently that He is still in control. Even when the world around us seems crazy, I can rest in the fact that God has not given up control. 

Yard sale morning! Coffee in hand!

Family lunch at the airport. We do whatever we need to do to spend time as a family, so sometimes it’s lunch at the airport!

Garett’s birthday!

How did this kid get so tall?!

Travis had a good time at a friend’s house this past week.

15 years of marriage! 

Open house school night! So thankful for this sweet lady! 

Our tribe @ 13,12,11, 10 years old - Emma is 7

Yard sale treasures!

A good imagination to work with a digger without a bucket! 

Chandler was happy to hold baby Ruth at the yard sale!

Welcome to Kindergarten!