March News!

We are on our third day of “spring”. The sun has been shining more, and it feels like perhaps the snow days are behind us. I think we are all ready for a steady stream of sunshine and some warmth to go with it. We are down to 46 days of school or approximately ten weeks. Normally, I’m not one to count down this far out, but it’s been a long year. We are looking forward to being together as a family, finding a new “normal” for us, finding a home, and just being done with school. God has been faithful though, and He continues to direct and lead us one step at a time. I don’t always like His timing, but I do know that it is perfect timing. 

Last week we had a short week of school and a few days of vacation. It was a glorious break as the month of March tends to be a bit long at times. The kids and I took a mini vacation with some friends from school. We went to New Hampshire to stay in a hotel and play at a water park. My kids had a lot more fun having some friends along than if it had just been “mom”. We enjoyed many hours at the water park, as well as laughter and fun. The Davis’ family was planning this mini vacation since last fall, and we decided to join them. Emma enjoys spending time with their daughters, and Garett and Chandler have especially enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Jonathan. It was a good few days away from “routine”. I’m thankful for friendships. 

The weather was beautiful, and I enjoyed the opportunity to have adult conversations. The boys are growing up, but they’re still not quite to adult conversation levels most of the time! We definitely missed Roger, and having dad along would’ve been a lot more fun, but we had a good time anyways. We left Wednesday after school, and we came home Friday. Garett and Chandler went to a teen activity with another local church on Friday night. They had a good time ice skating as it is one of their favorite activities. I’m thankful that the older boys were able to go with Jonathan and Zoe to the event as it’s  always fun to go with someone you know. 

On Saturday morning, I dropped the boys off at church for a men’s prayer breakfast. I took Travis and Emma and we went to have coffee at a friends house. Clearly, it’s a mom with young kids if we are having a coffee date before 8:00am on a Saturday morning! I’m thankful for a few women that have really reached out to me over the past six months to make sure I’m surviving. I’m thankful for deep theological conversations about God’s Word as well as sharing of burdens and lots of coffee and laughter. God has been faithful. 

While I’ve had some lonely moments, to be sure, God has always provided the right person at the right time. I’ve been “weary in well doing”, but God has carried me through. I’ve been frustrated and upset, and I’ve wondered if I’ve done anything right, but God has wrapped His loving arms around me and upheld us all. I’ve looked at our boys and wondered when they grew up so fast, but it’s a reminder to treasure every hug. Last fall, I would’ve said that I did not want to homeschool next school year, but now I can see that God has been working in my heart too. Our time left with our kids at home, under our roof, is literally flying by! I’ve been reminded of the brevity of life, and I just want to make sure that our children know that they are loved by an Almighty, Holy God who wants each one of them to live surrendered lives to Him. 

We had some excitement at our apartment on Sunday night. We had just finished up devotions, and we were talking to Roger on FaceTime, when the fire alarms went off. It was SO loud! All the alarms are connected, so it was very, very loud. We searched all over for signs of smoke or fire, and nothing seemed off. The alarm kept stating “Fire, Fire” and the red light was flashing which means ‘move to fresh air’. I called the person we are renting from, and we opened the windows. It was about 7:15pm, and the alarms could be heard out on the street. I was a little worried that someone was going to call the fire department for us, but I didn’t think there was a fire. Emma and Travis both found head phones to put on, and I decided to wash the dishes. Why? Well, because it was something to do while we waited for Jason to arrive to check out the alarms. While I was washing the dishes, Chandler came over to talk to me. “Mom”, he said sheepishly. “Yes?” I replied. Chandler said, “This is probably really dumb, and I’m probably way off…” “Um, okay…” I replied. Chandler continued, “The fire alarm can be set off by gases. I’m not sure if it was me, but I’ve had a lot of gas today. Did I set off the fire alarm?” I tried not to laugh outrageously as I replied, “That’s a different kind of gas. Carbon Monoxide is the gas that will set off the fire alarm, not a person’s personal gas.” I did about die laughing when I told Roger about it later. I’m thankful for laughter! 

We appreciate your continued prayers, as we navigate through some unknown “waters” again. God has always been faithful. I continue to rest in that. Our children, especially one middle child, could use your prayers as well. I often find myself tired, and that can affect my ability to parent well. I just want our children to know that God loves them, that they are uniquely created, and that living their lives for Jesus is the BEST way. The world is crazy and chaotic, but there is rest in Jesus. 

“Mud Season” and Other Tidbits of News!

  “Mud Season”is here! This is the season between winter and the time that spring sunshine dries everything out! Our school playground is like one big muddle puddle, and I’m fairly confident that “mud season” is the favorite season of some of my kindergartners. We will probably still get more snow here, but I know that most of us are ready to greet spring!

We have eleven weeks left of school. I’m not generally someone who counts down days or weeks, but this year has been a year like none other. However, God has been good and faithful. He continues to show Himself strong. He provides grace when I want to open my mouth and scream. He created coffee and lots of it. Our children have been loving and forgiving even when I haven’t shown them Jesus. We look forward to being together as a family soon- God is good. Even when I don’t “feel” it, He is still good. 

This past week was a rough one for Travis. He had a rough Friday last week, and by the time he came home, he was upset and distraught. We sat together at the kitchen table for over an hour talking through something that had happened at school. At the end of the discussion, I decided I still didn’t know much and the picture was still unclear. I am not the parent who generally fires off emails to our kids teachers, but in this instance, I did. Travis’s teacher replied within the hour. His reply: “Please call me.” That’s an amazing teacher who is willing to have a parent call them at 7:30pm at night! Travis’s and Wyatt have been blessed to have a teacher that has been a gift to them and our family. I can so appreciate a teacher that really wants to “get to the heart of the matter”. As a parent, I can tend to make blanket statements too, such as “you all are lazy; no one is listening, etc”. And in my experience, it has never ended well. Generally they aren’t ALL being lazy, not listening, etc. but the squeaky wheel is the one driving the wagon master crazy! Anyways, it gave me great peace of mind to talk to his teacher. Roger and I are so thankful that he is the teacher for our sons. 

We currently live in town, in a smallish apartment, but it’s working. On Saturday, my friend, Allison, reached out to me to see if I wanted to meet her for coffee. One of the perks of living in town is being able to just walk over to meet a friend for coffee. Allison has been my friend for almost six years now- wow! We’ve had some “terribly good bad ideas”. The kinds that sound good as we talk about them, but then by the time the event rolls around, we are tired! :) But God is good. I will miss her when God moves us. 

The week was a long one, but we made it through. We were a bit short-staffed at school this week, but again, God was faithful. On Friday afternoon, I had kindergarten and first grade combined which is 25 kids. We’ve been talking about zoo animals in our science class, so we moved all the tables and chairs and sat on the floor. The students had a great time watching zoo videos and eating popcorn. They ate about four bags of popcorn and 2lbs of animal crackers! I would say it was a good afternoon. Did you know that an octopus has 3 hearts? Or that a blue whale can be up to 100 feet long? Or that there is such an animal as a sloth bear? It was fun to see the students engaged and still learning. 

We have a short week at school this upcoming week, and we are all excited about that! It’s kinda odd having a long weekend as we just had winter break three weeks ago, but I can tell the teachers are excited! Instead of having a week long spring break, we have two long weekends. One is during this upcoming week, and one will be over Easter weekend. March is a LONG month, so I’m happy to have a few days off. We have plans to do something fun with one of our friends from school, so that is adding to the excitement! Roger is also making plans to come home again, so we all look forward to those visits as well. And since we only have a little over two months left of school, soon we will be together again. 

We are so blessed. Really! We have a home, family, beds to sleep in, food to eat, people who love us, and a God who has given us the gift of eternal life. Even while the world goes crazy and then crazier, I can rest in the hope that my God sits on the throne of the universe. He is not worried about what will happen next. As we sing often in my kindergarten class, “He’s got the Whole World in His Hands”! 

We appreciate your continued prayers for our family as we navigate through uncertain waters. We know that God will continue to reveal His perfect plan. I’m not a huge fan of waiting, but it’s in the waiting that I am learning to rest in the Rock of my Salvation. 

March - A New Month! Winter Break and Roger’s Visit

 March?! Already! I’m excited about this month because it means that spring is looming! It doesn’t feel like it when it’s cold and snowy, but I know it will be coming. We had winter break from school last week, and we are back in full swing at school now. It was good week off of school for our family. We didn’t really have any plans early in the week, and sometimes not having a plan is the best plan! 

We had a few days of “spring” weather as well as a snow storm, so the weather was all over the place! On Monday, I went to work out class at 5:00am, then I came home and took the kids out to go ice skating by 7:30am. The weather was beautiful so I also went on a two mile run, and while the kids were at a basketball clinic for school, I walked two miles with my friend, Jess. I managed to get a lot of exercise on Monday! None of the boys are crazy about basketball, but they did have a good time at the basketball clinic. The boys are soccer fans, but it’s good to know about more than one sport. I was happy to have the opportunity to walk with Jess. It’s been a hard year in school, in some ways, so sometimes it’s good to just have a friend to talk to and pray with for many things. I am thankful for the teachers I work with at school. 

Roger came home for a few days this week, and we definitely enjoyed every moment of that! I feel like I can “let down” my guard some when Roger is home. He is able to relieve me of single parenting, and the boys and Emma are definitely more talkative when the conversations are in-person. We are a good team, and we work at it. It’s been a challenging few months, and I’ve learned that I have a lot more weaknesses than I thought I had six months ago! It is sometimes way easier to have endless patience with one of my sixteen kindergarteners than to have patience with one of my own children  that is climbing on last nerve! However, God gives grace, mercy and forgiveness as we cross off the days to being together as a whole family again. 

As we return to school, we also are down to the last thirteen weeks of school! It’s crazy how fast the school year is coming to a close, and I am feeling the pressure of how much I still want to teach my littles before the year is done. But it’s also important to me that I help my kindergartners develop a love FOR learning. I want them to learn to do hard things, to be diligent, and most importantly to know that Jesus loves them. We live in challenging times! We need to we fervent in prayer for the next generation, but also actively involved in training and teaching them God’s Word. I’ve been teaching my students the books of the New Testament. I asked them today why they thought I wanted them to learn the books of the Bible in order. One of my students piped up, “So that we can find the books of the Bible and read them, right?” Yes!! 

We thought that the days with Roger at home would be busy and full, but because of the weather and conflict of other people’s schedules, we ended up not being nearly as busy. Chandler was supposed to have a soccer game on Friday, but due to the snowstorm that was cancelled. I had thought that we might have a teen activity on Saturday afternoon, but that ended up not happening. We were supposed to go over to someone’s house for dinner on Sunday afternoon, but due to a scheduling conflict that didn’t happen either. So we spent a lot of time drinking coffee, making food, playing games, and just being together. It was not a bad thing, but our apartment is quite small so sometimes we do feel a little more confined than we would choose to be. 

Roger left to return to Michigan yesterday, and the days immediately following that are always a little rougher than I’d like them to be. We get through them, by the grace of God.  Roger and I spent a lot of time praying and talking about our future, our family, and God’s plan for us. We are tentatively planning on sending Garett and Chandler on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic in April. There are a lot of details that would need to fall into place, but if this is what God wants for them, it will come to pass. My sister takes a bunch of kids from her school every year, and since the medical trip to Haiti was cancelled this past January, none of us have been on a missions trip this year. Chandler is definitely more interested in going on a missions trip that involves a Vacation Bible School rather than medical clinics, and Garett would be interested either way. The big hiccup continues to be the passport equation, but since we are taking all the steps one at a time, we will take that step as it comes also. I will say that it is a bit unnerving to book airline tickets for the boys without one of them having the necessary passport. But the passport agency will not do a short turn-around passport unless you have a ticket booked, and you are leaving the country in less than seven days. But again, God knows! If this is His perfect plan, we will continue to walk by faith and take one day at time. 

Today was a bit of a rough day at school, but at pick-up time one of the parents brought me a gift. Bethany gave me a beautiful little plant and said that she was thinking of me. It meant so much to have someone speak a word of encouragement and love to me. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that someone is praying for us. I often leave school feeling just utterly tired, and then going home to face five children that have some huge needs is often enough to make me tired before I get out of bed in the morning! Did I mention that the grace of God sustains us every moment?! 

Please continue to pray for us as we navigate continued uncertain paths ahead. But as the world around us continues to erupt in chaos and confusion, I can find such rest in comfort in know that God holds the world in His hands. I’ve had food to eat, a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, a hot shower, a vehicle to drive, family that love me, and so much more. We’ve prayed often and fervently for the Ukrainian people this week, but also for the Russian people. We are all created in the image of God, but wow- we live in a sin ravaged world, don’t we? 

Winter Activities and Winter “blahs”

 Happy Valentine’s Day! Four years ago, Roger and I spent the evening of Valentine’s Day in the E.R. With Emma due to Lyme’s Disease. This Valentine’s Day, I’m heading to the pediatricians office with Travis. I think he broke his toe! I’m not sure how, but it’s turning colors and the swelling is quite significant. It’s his big toe, so he’s feeling the pain. I think he broke it on Saturday while at soccer practice, but here we are heading to the doctor’s office this morning. We will see what they say about it. Edited to add: We did have the X-ray done, but since we never got a call back about the results, I’m assuming his toe is just sprained. It’s not as colorful anymore, but it’s still painful for him to walk on. However, he did manage to get his ice skates on yesterday (Tuesday). He said that the most painful part was putting them on, then the pain wasn’t quite so bad.  

In other news, we are surviving the long, slow month of February! I always seem to feel a little bit “blah” and depressed during this month, and it’s been a bit worse this year without having Roger around all the time. But we are getting through one day at a time. Roger will be coming back for a few days a week from Thursday, and we are all looking forward to that! We have winter break next week from school, and I’m not sure who’s looking forward to the break more- the teachers or the students! Currently, I’d put money on the teachers! Burn-out is a big deal everywhere in every school, and it’s the same for some of us teaching in Christian school too. Sometimes I can see the fatigue in the eyes of my co-workers, and it really is the grace of God that sustains us through some long days. I think the single handed  one thing that parents could do to support teachers is to teach their children to obey and be respectful. (We haven’t conquered it either, and we are all a work in progress. But obedience is so important to learning!). 

This past week, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Allison on Monday. Our lunch times will be coming to a close when we move, but I have so come to treasure her friendship to me. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes I cry, but there I’m thankful for a praying friend. I sure hope that you have one of those in your life! 

Garett and Chandler had the opportunity to go snowboarding/skiing with some friends on Wednesday. They haven’t snow boarded in a few years, but they sure were excited about going! They were picked up at 6:00am on Wednesday morning and they got home around 8:30pm. Chandler walked in the door and told me, “I had a good time. I didn’t get hurt. I’m super tired. I’m going to bed. Love you.” Alrighty then! Garett was a bit more talkative, and I had to remind him that we all needed to get up for school the next day. They had a great time snowboarding with Levi and Ava and their family. I am thankful for good, solid Christian families that will invest in the lives of our children. The boys were tired and exhausted, but their minds were full of wonderful memories from the day. 

Roger continues to work through some long, cold days as well. It’s hard to be cold all day long, and we aren’t getting any younger! However, we continue to work hard and stick with it. We’ve been doing a lot of praying, soul-searching, and talking about our future, and our children. I have one particular child that I am especially concerned with right now. I want him to be happy with exactly how God created him to be. Sometimes it’s hard to be in the middle  with two older brothers ahead of you, an annoying little brother and sister behind you (at least in the eyes of this child). Roger and I have just been praying that he will find his joy to be in Jesus, and to fully be content with what God is doing in and through him. (It’s hard- I know!) 

We are in the “talking stages” of missions trip for our older boys. My sister, Jen, takes a group of kids to the Dominican Republic to help with a Vacation Bible School. Garett and Chandler would like to go, but we are still praying about it. Chandler would need a passport, and that was the snag last year. Apparently, you can now call the passport office directly to set up an appointment for a minor whereas last year it was all online. However, the passport office had too many problems with people reserving appointments and then selling those appointments to other people that didn’t necessarily need a passport as badly as some of the others on the list. What a crazy world we live in! Anyways, we would appreciate your prayers as we seek God’s direction for our boys (and their parents). 

We made little gifts for the teachers/staff at our school for Valentine’s Day. As we were dipping the strawberries last night, one of the boys said, “I feel like we do this every year.” I replied that I think we had done the same gift for the last few years. I asked him if he wanted to do something different for his teacher to which he replied, “No, I like chocolate covered strawberries and this way we get some too!” Haha! It’s good to make a gift which you also don’t mind eating! 

It’s been cold here lately, but the boys have been skating twice this past week. On Monday, Travis’s toe hurt so badly that he didn’t want to go, so I took the three older boys down to the pond and dropped them off. I told Roger it “felt like the old days, when people dropped off their kids and told them they’d be back. Kids without cell phones and just their common sense and brains to rely upon.” And the boys were fine! They had a great time skating, and met and older couple down by the pond. The boys helped shovel off the pond with the older guy, and they had a fun time skating for a little over an hour. On Tuesday, we all went down to the pond and met up with our friend, the Philbrook’s. The boys (and Emma) had a great time skating with their friends. It was still a very chilly day, but the kids certainly didn’t seem to mind. We looked like we had the whole neighborhood out there, but it was really just Taylor’s and our kids! Nine kids out on the ice and laughing and having a great time. Everyone came home hungry and cold, but it was  fun time. 

Lately, I’ve had the words to the song “Jesus, Strong and Kind” in my mind. The chorus sings, “For the Lord is good and faithful, He will keep us day and night. We can always run to Jesus, Jesus strong and kind.” Whew! I am so thankful for that. 

Family Time, January Birthdays, & Life

 The entire month of January has been long- except for the five days that Roger was here! We’ve been in survival mode and not thriving mode, but the grace of God gets us through one day at a time. 

On Sunday, January 16th, my friend, Jess, helped me coordinate moving our vehicle to the car shop. The van was still running, but it was needing a tune-up. I have people that are willing to help me, it’s just hard sometimes to ask for help as I feel like I am inconveniencing someone. However, I’m thankful for Jess. She met me at the car shop, we took Emma and her daughter to a birthday party, and then Jess drove me out to the airport so that I could pick up a vehicle we were going to borrow. I am thankful for friends that allow us to use their vehicles- and their very nice vehicles! Roger contacted some of his dear island friends, and they agreed to let us borrow their nice truck. We were expecting to have our van back in a few days, but we ended up driving their vehicle for about a week. I am so thankful! God is good! 

I left school a little early on Friday with Travis and Emma. Garett and Chandler wanted to stay at school as they really enjoy having gym class on Fridays. Wyatt was going with a friend after school to go bowling. But Emma and Travis were happy to come along! It worked out well that the other boys stayed behind as we wouldn’t all fit in the vehicle. It was so good to see Roger, and we soaked up every minute! We attended a church dinner and bowling activity on Friday night, and it was good for Roger to reconnected with some of the people in our church family. 

On Saturday Roger took the boys to their soccer game, while Emma and I stayed at home to watch Hannah and Josh’s kids. Emma was so excited about gymnastics last Saturday, and we had paid for a month of lessons for her Christmas present. Emma enjoyed the class and she was looking forward to going  again this Saturday. However, we got an email this week stating that the gymnastics class would be moved to Sunday for the next seven weeks due to a coach conflict. Well, that certainly wouldn’t work for us. Emma was pretty disappointed, but she was happy to play with the little children on Saturday. We watched the kids for several hours so that Hannah and Josh could get away for a date. 

Sunday was a full day with church and teen group and spending time together. The days really did seem to fly by! Roger and I spent Monday together doing all kinds of fun stuff like laundry, banking, errands, etc. But it was good to spend time together, and I so appreciate having Roger available to pick up kids and participate in our family life. Roger and I went on a date with another couple on Monday evening. Allison and Jason invited us out to supper, so that was a nice treat. I can’t remember the last time we had a supper date with them! We enjoyed the food and fellowship, and it was especially nice as the restaurant is literally just a minute walk out the door. 

Dinner and sweet fellowship 

Roger took the day on Tuesday to spend with the boys. We had a delayed start on Tuesday, which was kinda nice as that gave us a little extra time together. Roger took the boys to Portland to look for a hockey stick for Chandler’s birthday. Wyatt decided not to go because his class was going to be doing a science experiment. We don’t let the boys miss school for every whim, but having Roger around is a big deal. It provided an opportunity for uninterrupted conversations with the boys, and a chance for them to talk to Roger about some of their challenges and struggles. The boys will talk to me, but the older two boys frequently tell me “Mom, you think like a girl!” Um- well! 

Roger had to leave on Wednesday morning. He spent some time with the boys and Emma in the morning, and then Emma and I took him to the airport around 10:00am. It was kind of a  rough morning for all of us. Having Roger leave is kinda like the let down after camp is over. Everyone feels a little out of sorts and grumpy. It takes us a few days to adjust to life without Roger for a few weeks, but we will get through. We’ve made it through the longest parts, I think. Roger plans to come back in February, March, April, May and then in June, we will begin the process of moving nineteen hours across the United States. 

God has been so faithful during these months. He’s provided friends to encourage me. He has allowed me to have deep conversations with our boys. He’s provided the boys with the opportunity to play soccer through the winter months. He’s given grace when I was sure I couldn’t conjure up another moment of patience. He’s given rest when we’ve been falling apart. He’s provided housing in a market where there isn’t any. He’s given Wyatt and Travis a teacher who really cares about them and wants to build a relationship with them. He’s given Chandler a teacher that loves him and prays for him regularly. He’s given Garett a depth of discernment that I haven’t seen prior to this year. He’s allowed Emma to grow and mature through challenges (although the boys would say she has a long ways to go!) 

The second quarter of school has closed and it’s on to the last two quarters. I just counted up the days today and we only have 76 school days left- and so much still to teach! Please continue to pray for me both as a teacher and a mom. I want to invest in the lives of my students, but I still need to have energy and patience with my own tribe. 

Chandler’s 14th birthday was on Wednesday. Fourteen years have flown by! He has matured so much in the last year, and I am so thankful for his work ethic,  entrepreneur spirit, his laughter, his determination, and his resilience. It’s been a hard, long year for him but in spite of tears of frustration and discouragement, he still plods along. Chandler sees the world in only two colors- black or white. He’s been this way since he was very, very young. He thrives on relationships and people taking the time to get to know him.  His love language is quality time. He can be head-strong, impatient, and outspoken, but he can also be sensitive, sweet and kind. I am so thankful for this boy of ours, and I pray for him daily that he will grow up to love Jesus and serve Him with his whole heart. His teacher at school brought him cupcakes for his birthday, and one of my teacher friends gave him an air-soft vest and in invitation to come over and play air-soft sometime- right up his alley! Despite the fact that Roger had to leave on his birthday, Chandler handled the day with maturity and a sweet spirit. He was thankful that Roger was there in the morning.  Happy Birthday, Chandler!

Roger made it back safely to Michigan, and we are thankful for that. It was so nice to have the opportunity to discuss many things in person rather than over the phone or FaceTime. There really is no substitute for actual real in-person conversations. I treasured our time and memories together. This morning one of my teacher friends, Shaina, gifted me with a sweet note and a gift card to Dunkin Donuts. She wrote that she can’t solve the problem of distance, but coffee could possibly help?! Oh, yes!!! I was so thankful for the note and gift to dunkin. I’ll definitely be putting that to use! 

I was so thankful for Friday to roll around! It was an emotionally draining week, and since we didn’t have all our regularly scheduled specials, the week seemed a little longer than others. I kinda was feeling like a broken record by Friday afternoon, but we made it through! I have a student teacher working with me for a couple of weeks, and I’ve savored the extra learning that we can get done by having an extra set of hands and ears. Kindergarten is a lot of sounding out letters/words, and most have not mastered the concept of silent reading! I love them dearly, and it’s going to be a change to not be teaching kindergarten next year. Kindergarten is one of my favorite ages, and I’ve enjoyed this class even when I’m exhausted. God is good. 

Thank you for your continued prayers. We don’t know what the future looks like, but I’m thankful that God sees the bigger picture!

Saturday was a snow day! It was windy and snowy all day long, and it was nice to have the day to catch up on lesson plans, schedules, reading and playing some games with the kids. We made chili and brownies and watched the snow fall. The kids went outside several times, but the cold wind drove them back inside before too long. I’m thankful for snow and seasons. I also wouldn’t mind if God moved us to a warm, sunny state sometime in our future! 

Snow day! 

                                          Emma loves to “teach” school! 

Bowling on Friday night 

 Our boys and the pastors son 

Welcome to January- the month of 31 Mondays! (Kidding!)

 We returned to school last Monday after two weeks of Christmas break. I think every day last week at school felt like a MONDAY! :) It was a long week for all of us, but by the grace of God, we made it through. I know our kids were feeling the effects of lots of driving, missing their daddy, too much sugar and junk food, and the challenges of starting school again. Like I said, by the grace of God, we made it through! 

My friend, Allison and I did get away from school for a bit on Monday, (1/3) to have lunch together. Our time always flies by, but she’s a gem of a friend and one I will miss deeply when we leave Maine. Garett and Wyatt both had healthy child visits last week. They are both healthy and strong, but Garett does have a fatty tumor growing on his arm that needs to be removed. He had an ultrasound done last year, and we decided to leave it alone. But a year later, he’s starting to hit the lump on objects, and we should probably get it removed. Garett is in the 95% for weight for kids his age and the 92% for height. Wyatt is in the 50% for weight and in the 37% for height. We are thankful for healthy and strong children. 

Roger has his ticket bought for the month of January! We are excited to see him next weekend actually! He will be coming home from January 21-26, so we are all looking forward to that. Chandler’s 14th birthday is on January 26th, so it’s nice that Roger will at least be here on the morning of his birthday. Roger has spent some time driving by some homes in Michigan, but that’s all we’ve done so far. There are not very many properties on the market, and per usual, Zillow can make all the properties look amazing! We are just trying to be patient and wait for God to provide us with the perfect property for our family. 

We had a snow day on Friday (our first one this year). We were all happy to have a snow day, and I was so happy with the opportunity to try to catch up on some things around our house. It felt like we came back from our trip and jumped right back into life/school/church/ so it was nice to be able to work on some home projects. The kids and I went over to my friend, Hannah’s house for a bit. My children love her kids dearly, and it was fun to see them all tromp around in the snow. Since we are living in an apartment, our outside space is minimal. The kids were happy to shovel off the yard and put the snow into one big pile to build a snow fort. I was happy to sit and talk with Hannah, hold her baby, and drink coffee. And…all that fresh air helps everyone sleep better at night! 

Last Saturday afternoon, we were able to go over to a friends house for a while. I teach at our school with Jess and Stef. We needed to have a curriculum planning meeting, but since we all have kids, it seemed easier to try to plan to do something not at school. We spend a LOT of time there already. Jess invited us all to come over to her house on Saturday, and the kids were excited about that. Since we had a snow day on Friday (YAY!) there was plenty of snow to play in. The kids (I think we had 12 of them all together) played outside and inside and all over while the three of us sat at the table and talked. It was an opportunity to talk and pray about many things. It’s an easy time of year to feel a little discouraged and sometimes a lot discouraged. We did talk about curriculum, but also about some of the challenges and joys of the school year. We wrapped up our time by praying about many things. If we really think that God can change things (and He can), it’s imperative that we ask Him to help us. I’m thankful for both Stef and Jess, and I count it a privilege to work alongside of them. This year has been different than any other. We’ve had multiple challenges, and it does feel like the Devil is fighting hard. I know that I will probably look back on this year as being a blur at moments and a complete drag at others. But through it all, God is faithful, kind and strong. I’m so thankful that we can always run to Jesus. 

Sunday is always a full day for us, and a day that I especially miss Roger. Going to church has always been a priority in our family, and it’s hard when we aren’t doing it as a family. I’m finding that Garett and Chandler are really struggling to enjoy going to Sunday school, and it’s a challenging age for young people. I think I’m going to have them start going to the adult class with me. It seems like no matter where you go to church some of the challenges are the same. The challenge for people to be committed is a hard one whether it’s church related, job related and sometimes even family related. Or the challenge is finding people that are really fitted for the job. If every person in the body of Christ was exercising their gifts and talents would the challenge still exist?I tend to think not. I’ve just finished reading a book called “Hearts on Fire” and it was the story of eight women who have lived through extreme persecution and difficulty yet are on fire for Jesus. It was such a convicting read for me, as well as a hard one. I don’t like pain or persecution and the thought of someone harming our children makes my stomach feel sick. I’m thankful that God promises to go beside us and before us, and I don’t need to dwell on what my response might be. God will provide strength as it’s needed. I do know that I want to be faithful. I want to be faithful to love God with all of my heart, to be faithful to my spouse, to strive to raise our children to love Jesus passionately, and to serve Him fervently. I don’t know what any of the future holds, but I know that I want God to use me in a mighty way. (Preferably without pain- if I’m going to die, I’d prefer it to be quick) I know that sounds morbid, but I know what eternity holds for me- do you!? 

Yesterday I had to step out of my classroom for a bit to take Travis home. He had come up to my classroom shortly before lunch to tell me that he had a bad headache. Per usual, I told him to drink some more water first. About 1:30 in the afternoon, he came up to my classroom again. He was white-faced and told me that his headache was so bad that he had thrown up in the bathroom. I knew he was having a migraine, and generally what helps a migraine is rest! Thankfully, our administrator and the secretary were able to cover my classroom for about ten minutes as I took Travis home. It’s miserable when you don’t feel good, and it’s always hard when it’s one of your kids. Travis slept the entire afternoon, but by the evening hours, he was feeling better. He doesn’t get headaches real often, but when he does, they are usually pretty bad. One of the highlights from this month so far has been the flowers that Roger ordered for me. He ordered some flowers and after school on Tuesday, Garett walked over to the flower shop to pick them up. It definitely brightened my day, and I was thankful for both Roger’s thoughtfulness and Garett’s willingness to serve me by walking over to pick up the flowers. 

Overall, we are surviving the month of January. It’s been more challenging than I would like, but God already knew what we would face this month. I’ve been reading through Lamentations and one of my favorite verses in that book is “His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.” 

Christmas Memories, Lots of Driving, and Time with Family!

 

Wisconsin memories! (I’ve played pond hockey on this pond more times than I could possibly count!) 

Two days until the start of a new year!? There were moments when I thought that 2021 was never going to end, but through it all God has been faithful and true. I am so thankful that in the moments of despair, discouragement, and fatigue, that God has brought us through. 

In 2021, we saw a job change for Roger, our house selling, lots of school and staffing changes, a move into an apartment for our family, Roger starting his new job in Michigan, and numerous other changes and challenges. Through it all, every morning God provided new mercies and grace for every moment. Oh, how I take heart in that! 

I’m looking forward to a new year -2022. I know that God will continue to show Himself strong and faithful. The first half of the school year has been rough on one of our children in particular, so I would appreciate prayers for a better second half of the school year. I am praying that this child, in particular, would see God do great and mighty things in their life over the remainder of the school year. This child has told me numerous times that they’d like to be homeschooled, they are ‘weary in well-doing’, and is just all around struggling. Roger and I have been daily asking God to provide us with wisdom in how to help this child. I firmly believe that God is using these experiences in this child’s life to shape and mold them into who God has created them to be, but at the same point in time, I am this child’s parent. God has given Roger and I the responsibility of parenting. Sometimes this means removing a child from a situation due to constant frustration and discouragement. Sometimes it means praying often and fervently that God will use this situation in their lives to help them understand that God can and will help them through hard things. All that to say- we need wisdom! 

It was a busy week of break, and I am not ready to go back to school -yet! First we have to drive back across the country and then I’ll think about school again! In the last ten days, we finished up school before Christmas break with the school Christmas program, the church Christmas program, and then the drive to Michigan for Christmas with Roger. School was supposed to not get out until Wednesday, December 22, but we unexpectedly had the week off. So the kids and I left on Monday to head to Michigan. 

God provided great weather and smooth driving conditions for almost the entire trip to Michigan (19.2 hours) The last 100 miles hosted terrible driving conditions in snow, blowing snow, and dark roads, but we made it! We arrived at the hotel in Mackinaw City on Tuesday evening- two whole days before we thought we would be there! That was a special gift for our family. One of Roger’s dear friends from one of the islands in Maine, had gifted our family with a gift of money which was especially timely as we had a longer hotel stay that originally anticipated. Roger had to work on Wednesday and Thursday but the kids and I spent the days swimming, walking around the town, and exploring the area. There are not a lot of hotel options in Mackinaw City this time of year, and the one hotel was open Monday thru Wednesdays and the other hotel was open Thursday thru Sunday. So we had to go across the street on Thursday afternoon to switch hotels which provided a humorous situation, but it was a memory! 

We found a local ice arena for the kids to skate at on Wednesday and Thursday, so that was a highlight for them. After six years of not having skates due to my kids wearing my size of ice skates, the boys decided to buy me a new pair of ice skates for Christmas. I got my gift early so that I could use them ice skating on Thursday with the boys. However, when we arrived at the ice arena for skating, Travis told me “Mom, I am really glad that you got new skates. I should’ve said something yesterday, but I didn’t want to say anything cause we were buying skates for you. But, Mom, I can’t get my ice skates on with my socks too.” I looked at Travis’s feet and noticed that he had blisters on his ankles. He had worn his skates on Wednesday without socks so that he could get them on! I told him that wearing skates with socks is very important, and that we would’ve happily have bought him skates if we had known that he needed some that badly! (The kids are constantly growing and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with who needs what!) Anyways, I offered to let him try on my new skates, and he insisted that I should go skating and that he would just watch. We compromised and shared the new skates. Travis wore them first (at my insistence) and then I went skating a little later. When I put on the skates and skated on the ice, Chandler told me, “Mom, you’re actually a pretty good skater for a girl and how old you are!” Um- thank you? I think! Oh, these kiddos surely keep me on my toes! 

On Christmas Eve, we drove down to a bigger city to do some shopping, wash the van, change the oil, eat lunch at Culver’s, and we bought a new pair of ice skates for Travis! It was a fun time as a family, and we will enjoy the memory. Our family likes to go to a Christmas Eve service, but I was having a hard time finding a church via online that was stating that they were having a Christmas Eve service. I found one area church that was having a Christmas Eve service with carols first and then a visit from Santa. Hmm…well, that didn’t sound like what we were looking for necessarily! The Baptist church didn’t have anything posted, but there was one community church that was having a Christmas Eve service at 7:00pm. I knew that it probably wouldn’t be exactly like our church in Maine. We arrived at the church building a little early, and the sanctuary had low lights, candles waiting to be lit, and music playing. That all seemed fairly traditional but as we sat down and listened to the music, one of my kids started snorting (like laughing). He said “Mom, the song that’s playing is “Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer”!” Sure enough it was! I’m kinda a traditionalist (Roger would say “not kinda, she is”) so I really wanted to hear more traditional Christmas music. Someone must have adjusted the playlist because the next song was “Mary, did you know?” And then other Christmas carols. The pastor was very nice and friendly, and the service opened with prayer and then some singing. We knew most of the congregational songs, but then before the message there was a special.  A dear old lady (probably in her 80s) got up to do “Interpretive song”. Basically she twirled and danced and did some sign language to the music. I dared not to look at the boys! I will say that the people at that church seemed to really love Jesus, they were excited to be in church, and they enjoyed worshipping. It wasn’t how I’d do it, but I can appreciate their sincerity! We enjoyed the candle lighting and singing “Silent Night”. When we were on our way back to our hotel, Chandler asked if we would be visiting that church on Sunday morning. I asked him if he wanted to go back. He replied, “Well, that wasn’t necessarily my style. But if you wanted to go, then we will go.” That was a very diplomatic response, but I think we will try another church on Sunday. 

Saturday was Christmas Day. We enjoyed the morning with a family walk, reading the Christmas story, and opening a few simple stocking gifts. We went to the airport for lunch with a few of Roger’s co-workers, and then we came back to the hotel for more swimming and Christmas movies. It was a day that was low-key, but well spent. 

Roger had to work on Sunday, but the kids and I made plans to visit one of the local churches. It’s often very hard to tell from a web-site or Facebook exactly what a church is like, and neither of those can tell you if the church family is welcoming and friendly. The kids and I visited a small church in Saint Ignace. The people were friendly, the music was songs that we had either heard before or sung in our church, and the Pastor preached from the Bible. All of the boys said that they wouldn’t mind visiting again. I enjoyed the few brief moments interacting with the church people. After church, we dropped Garett off at the airport and the rest of us started the 5.5 hour drive to my parents house. We’ve traveled a lot this Christmas break (and I’m tired!). 

We’ve enjoyed a few days at my parents house along with my sister, Jen. The boys and Emma have enjoyed the snow, ice skating, hunting, and other winter activities. It’s been a busy few days, and we start the trip back to Maine tomorrow morning bright and early. This was our last trip out here before moving. Roger will be coming to Maine every month from now until June, and we will be moving to Michigan in June, Lord willing. We do not have a house so that’s a definite prayer request. Also, we’d appreciate prayers for a safe trip back to Maine. Please pray that I feel refreshed and ready to return to school on Monday as well as our children. We want to glorify God with all of our lives. 

Praying that each one of you had a blessed and wonderful Christmas season. It’s an exciting time of year, but I pray that you will take the time to really reflect on Jesus. He is the greatest gift! He is not a helpless babe in a manger, He is the Lord of the Universe. All Glory to God!