When Life Feels Like “Dèjá Vu”, and It’s Still Hard!

 Life has felt a little bit like “dèjá vu” for me these past few weeks. I’ve struggled so much with many feelings these past few days. Lots of tears, feeling overwhelmed, and just plain sad have all run the gauntlet on my emotions. 

Six years ago, we moved to Maine. We enrolled our children in the Christian school in the fall, and about mid-September, we realized that one of our children was really struggling in school. Feeling like I had failed him as a mom and teacher, overwhelmed with how hard school was for him, and feeling all the big emotions that come with a major decision, we decided to move him back a grade. Years later, I don’t necessarily feel any regret over that decision, and I don’t think that child even thinks about it much anymore. It’s been easier also since we’ve moved to a different school, and no one in his class knows that he was moved back a grade. 

And yet here we are again in a similar position. Emma has struggled with school since she’s been in kindergarten, which was also the year school was shut down due to Covid. First grade was very hard, and her teacher thought that she might have a learning challenge, but everyone was so behind from Covid that there was no hope of getting her tested. Second grade came along and with it another new year of challenges. The class was big, and Emma functions best in a quieter environment. Her teacher and I were a bit concerned, but to be honest, we were barely hanging on. Last year was a rough year all around with Roger working in Michigan, I was teaching kindergarten, trying to keep our family stable, and trying to love God and keep all the children alive! (We made it- by the grace of God!) So yes, I was concerned about Emma, but in the back of my mind, I figured I could catch her up over the summer. Well, we worked at it. My mom worked with Emma when she came to visit, and we did try to catch Emma up. But sometimes it seems like no matter how hard Emma is trying, it’s like pouring water in a strainer! Emma has been stressed about school in N.C. From early on, and constantly being overwhelmed or coming home to do more school work did not seem to be working for any of us! I love that the boys have the opportunity to play sports, but it also means that our time at home is limited. When we arrive home, it’s time for supper, showers, homework, Bible time and bed shortly to follow. 

All that to say, we’ve decided to put Emma back in Second Grade. I’ve cried, struggled, and have fought depression over this. However, at the end of the day, it’s what is going to be best for Emma. She was upset at first about moving back since she’s working on trying to make friends in third grade. But also, Emma has seemed a bit relieved since the decision has been made. She’s not keen about being the oldest child in second grade (by quite a bit), but at the end of the day, it’s about what will be best for Emma. God knows exactly where she is, and I’m 100% confident that He has a perfect plan for Emma. God operates on His own time table, and not the time table of Sarah! (Praise the Lord for that!) My friend, Jenna, from Wisconsin, called me randomly out of the blue on Sunday. And while I was crying about my struggles, she gently reminded me that God’s not surprised. And I know that, but as an educator and a parent, it’s hard not to feel like I’ve “failed” Emma in someway. Having your child struggle in school is hard on any parent, and having more than one child struggle in school just adds to the challenges. I don’t know why God orchestrated these events this way. I don’t know why some of our children really struggle in school. I don’t know why this is the path God has directed us to, but wow! I am so thankful that I can rest in the arms of my Heavenly Father Who holds tomorrow. God is still good. He is going to continue to be faithful. He loves our children more than we do…He is truly a good, good Father. 

Emma will be making this transition after we come back from Fall break, which is at the end of this week. Once we return back from this break, Emma will move to second grade. Thankfully, God has given Emma a friend in the second grade classroom. Emma has to hang out at soccer practice after school quite a bit, and there is a little girl that also has to hang around as her brother helps coach the team. It’s been nice that Emma has had a friend to play with while we wait for the boys. 

In closing, we, of course, value your prayers for our family. We are not expecting this to solve all of Emma’s educational struggles, but perhaps this will be a good solution for helping her build a foundation for years to come. We love all of our children dearly, and as parents sometimes we make decisions that are not our favorite, but for the best of our child/children. 

September Moments- God is Faithful!

 Half-way through September already! On one hand the month is flying by and on the other hand, it’s felt like one very long month where every day is Monday! Garett and Chandler had a good time on the High school retreat last weekend, but they came back really tired! (Read that as grouchy!) Our kids tend to go to bed earlier than most teens, but we’ve found that it works for our family. The kids are generally in bed by about 8:30pm and get up around 5:30am. It’s what has worked for years for our kids, so when we find the kids go several days with late bedtimes, it affects all of us! Anyways, Garett and Chandler said that the retreat was fun. It was an opportunity for fun, fellowship and preaching. We are thankful that the school puts the retreat in the calendar.

Travis and Emma have  been playing in a school league for soccer on Saturday mornings. Travis finds it a little bit boring as it’s a lot of younger students, but Emma does enjoy it. Last Saturday several of the boys went to work for the farmer bagging corn, while Travis, Emma and I went to soccer. It was an overcast day, but that was kinda nice. I feel like most of the soccer games we’ve spent sweltering in the heat, so it was nice to not feel overheated! 

On Sunday we re-visited the church that we went to last Sunday. We went to a different adult Sunday School class and this one had couples closer to our ages. The one last week was a great Sunday School lesson, but Roger and I were about the youngest ones in the class! (And we aren’t that young anymore!) We enjoyed the opportunity to interact with couples our age. The boys are in two different Sunday School classes, but they are in pairs of two. Wyatt and Travis are together in a class and Garett and Chandler are together in a class. What did surprise me was how few middle schoolers and high schoolers come to Sunday School? Is that a pattern across the nation? Do you think Sunday School is an effective means of reaching kids and families with the teaching of God’s Word? A lot of older people still go to Sunday School, but what happens when the older generation dies off? Is there a better way to minister to those around us for discipleship and evangelism? Are churches being as effective as possible in reaching the community around them by offering Sunday School? Is the purpose of Sunday School for discipleship or evangelism or both? If both, how is that happening? Sometimes…don’t overreact now…I think that Sunday School for kids has become a repetition of the same Bible stories over and over again. How many times have kids in Sunday school heard the story of Noah’s Ark by fifth grade? But do the know the attributes of God? His character? How to lead a friend to Christ? I don’t have a solution, but it is something that I spend some time thinking about. Roger and I want to be actively involved in our children’s Christian education, as we are the ones responsible, but it’s also important that the church we settle down in have a plan to help come alongside our children to encourage them in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Anyways, that was a little bit of a rabbit trail, and one that I probably have more questions than answers to. 

We dropped Garett off at school at 7:00am on Monday morning for his trip to Washington, DC. He was both excited and nervous to go. It’s a tenth grade trip, so the whole class was going. Garett doesn’t have a cell phone, so we haven’t heard from him all week. I think he might prefer that he had a cellphone this week, but ya know…we want to hold off on giving our kids a cellphone as long as possible. Teens are becoming increasingly attached to their cellphones, and seem to be struggling to have real, personal relationships with actual real people. I have to put my phone on silent at times and remind myself that not every text needs to be answered immediately-I’ll apologize now to those friends of mine that have to go days before randomly hearing from me out of the blue! We are thankful that Garett had the opportunity to go to Washington DC, and we are looking forward to hearing about his experiences. 

This has been a rough week for Emma and her momma! Emma is struggling so much with school. She is struggling far more than we thought that she would. School has never come easily for her, but she has liked school so far. This year it’s been a difficult transition for her to a new school, new curriculum, new friends, etc. She likes her teacher, and Emma is a pretty social child. However, most of the kids in her class have been in this school for several years or all of their lives, so sometimes finding a close friend can be a challenge. I’m worried about Emma, but the Bible clearly tells us that we cannot add height to our stature by worrying…I’d probably be 90 feet tall if that was the case! I worry and then pray. Then I battle with wanting to pick up my worry again, and again, and again. I’m thankful that God does not become weary with me. We are praying and working towards coming up with a solution to hopefully help Emma not be so overwhelmed and weary with her school work. 

This week, Chandler came to school and opened his locker door. Sitting on the shelf starting at him was a mouse! Chandler slammed the locker door and told Wyatt he needed his lunch box container to catch the mouse. Chandler opened the door and the mouse escaped down the hall! Several of the boys in the hall managed to snag the mouse, and the mouse’s life quickly came to an end. The next day, it was discovered that the mouse had had babies, so that caused quite a stir! Thankfully, I think the mouse problems are behind us now! It did provide for a funny topic at the dinner table that night. I’m thankful for laughter! I’m also thankful that I was not a part of being in the hallway when the mouse was being chased around. 

Chandler had another cross-country race last Monday. I seriously do not know how they run in the heat as I think I’d be throwing up! But anyways, Roger was able to get off in time to come to Chandler’s meet. The girls ran first this week, so we were there in plenty of time. Chandler took off with the pack, but by the 1/2 mile marker he was falling behind. He told me he had a cramp in his side. Well about the only thing you can do during a race is keep running, try to regulate your breathing, and keep moving. It worked itself out, but Chandler was in about the sixth spot. He managed to pull off a win with a time of 21:01. It wasn’t his best time this year, but he ran hard and worked through the cramp. We had left Wyatt and Travis at soccer practice which is normally done by 6:00pm. When we pulled up to the school it was 6:03pm, and Wyatt and Travis had been waiting for almost an hour! The coach had dismissed practice early, and there was an assumption that all the kids either had rides or a way to call their parents. However, Wyatt and Travis just had to wait patiently for us to arrive so that they could be picked up from practice. It probably wasn’t their favorite memory from this year, but they survived it! 

I helped with art classes again this week. I’m not an artsy person, but I can generally follow directions. I clean up, pick up and set up for the next class while the teacher begins instructions. We have over 200 kids that come to art classes in one day, so it’s a long day. By the time the last class rolls around, we are tired but it’s like a well-oiled machine. I enjoy working with the art teacher, so that makes the day more fun. 

I do the library classes on Tuesday and Thursday and those are some full mornings also! I have the opportunity to work with a great lady who helps me out a lot! It seems like every time we turn around there is a pile of books that need repairing or sorting, books to be shelved or something else to do! I’m thankful that Jennifer and I also seem to work well together and the time goes by smoothly.  We’ve brainstormed a lot of library ideas,

Garett arrived home from Washington DC around 6:00pm on Friday. He was happy to be home, and we were happy to have him back. Actually, Roger and I were happy to have him back. I’m not sure his brothers missed him too much! Garett was full of stories and adventures from his week away, and we had some good times of laughter and discussion. We are thankful for this opportunity for him. God has been so good to America, and we have been blessed. I pray often and fervently that God will send a revival to America, and that God will use our young people to bring revival. Sometimes it’s easy to feel like the evil has already won, but God’s Word tells us to be faithful, make disciples, be fervent in prayer, and to trust in the Lord. Until the Lord calls me home, I want to be faithful to do what God has called me to do today and that includes loving Jesus, loving my spouse, loving my children, loving other and doing the next right thing. I am so thankful for the promises from my Heavenly Father. What an awesome God we serve!

We went back to the church we visited last Sunday. The kids seem to really be enjoying the services and the boys have asked about going to a teen activity this Friday. We’ve been going to the Sunday night service as well which has been a reminder to us that Emma has not sat as much in church services as the boys have! During our time in Maine, Roger and I were involved with teen group which happened on Sunday nights. Emma would come along with us to teen group, so she didn’t have the opportunity to sit in Sunday evening service. We had to have a discussion about our expectations after the first week, but we are seeing improvements. We don’t go to church to be entertained, and sometimes boredom is not a bad thing. Even when bored, children need to learn to sit still, not disrupt others, and be polite. I see some adults and teens still struggling with those same concepts!

It was a wearying week, but God was faithful just as He always has been. I am thankful for the wearying valleys as they give me another opportunity to grow in my faith. I don’t always like the experiences in the moment, but God gives grace for every moment. It’s still been really warm here, and it’s odd to see people decorating for fall with the temps still in the high 80s! 

In closing, God is good, and He is faithful. I am thankful that He loves me unconditionally and that I am forever His child. 

                                                           Fields of Cotton

Our Four Boys

                                                Chandler and Roger at the last Cross-country meet. 

Another Birthday, 17 years of Marriage, and other Life Stories!

 Another week of school is over! It was nice to have a long weekend, and some extra time time with our family. Last week Chandler had a cross-country race and the boys had two away cross-country games. Garett also turned  sixteen! I can’t even believe that our oldest son is 16 years old! Time has flown by, and we are so thankful for Garett in our family. 

Chandler had a cross-country race on Monday, and Emma and I were able to get there in time to see him run in his race. In all my years of running in college, the girls always ran first and then the boys. However, the boys have been running first and it’s been a challenge to get to the races on time. We thought that we would be late due to construction but we made it on time. Actually, the race got off to a late start so we had plenty of time. It was a hot day, but not quite as hot as last week. There were a lot more students at this race due to a lot more schools being back in session. There were probably over 50 boys running in the race. Chandler started off really fast due to a fast pace runner in the front. The pace runner puttered out at about 1/2 mile, but Chandler kept running strong. He stayed up in the front for most of the race, and he held the lead for the last mile or so. He finished first in the race with a time that was almost a minute faster than last week! It’s fun to watch him run as he does it easily. I know he works at it but he’s kinda a natural athlete. Chandler told me after the race that he was glad that I just let him run. I asked him what he meant, and he said that he runs for fun. Another teammate’s parents are serious about their child running and improving every race,  and Chandler said he’s just glad that I come to just see him run. I don’t know…maybe we will get more serious about it over the next few years, but  Chandler’s just a freshman. I know what it’s like to run for fun (and be good at it) and I’d rather not put pressure on our son to perform, but just keep doing his best. Don’t get me wrong- we want Chandler to get better!If he stopped doing his best, we’d be having some discussions, but I’m happy that he’s enjoying it for now. 

The boys had an away soccer game on Tuesday (Garett’s 16th birthday) and Roger was able to get off work early so that he could come to the game with Emma and I. The team lost 1-0, but they played hard. Garett probably had his worst game of the season, and boy, was his brother all over him. Chandler gives 110% when he plays, so his voice could be heard on the soccer field telling Garett, “I need you to give more! Run faster!” The coach came over to us and said to Roger and I, “Well, I’m seeing which one of your boys has a take-charge personality!” Um- yes! The coach told Roger that he feels like Chandler is capable of being a real leader on the team, and that it would be good if Chandler felt comfortable telling the other players to “step-it up” also. It was a hot ride in the car for a few minutes after the game, and I’m not just referring to the weather! The older boys had some working out they needed to do, and the younger brothers chimed in with their opinions also! They sorted it out though, and we had supper before heading home. It was a kinda late night, and it didn’t feel excessively celebratory, but it is what it is. Garett is an extremely easy going kid- unless it’s his siblings pushing him! We sure are thankful for this boy who is quickly becoming a man. Please pray for him as he continues to work through educational difficulties and become the man that God wants him to be. 

Wednesday is our “come home early” day as there are not any school practices. I decided to make a meal for two of the teachers as one of them recently moves and another has a spouse that hasn’t been well. I didn’t think that the dessert that I made was overly delicious, but the casserole was good. I think we were able to be a blessing to both those families, and we are thankful for the opportunity to show teachers our love and appreciation. 

Friday was our 17th wedding anniversary, and we celebrated by going to the boys soccer game! Haha! Oh well! We were thankful for the opportunity to be together as Roger was able to get off in time for us to go to the game. The traffic was bad and we were six minutes late for the game. When we arrived the score was 2-1! (Not in our favor!) The team did a great job and they are improving every game! At one point, we were leading 3-2, but the game ended in a tie! Garett played much much better in this game, and Travis even got some playing time! It’s been a challenge for him, but he was happy to get a few minutes of playing time. While it wasn’t a romantic dinner with Roger and I for our anniversary, we are thankful that we were able to spend time as a family. Our days as a family of seven going places will be over before I’m ready, and we are soaking up the moments with these kids that God has given us! 

Emma has struggled with school these past few weeks. Please pray that she will be able to find a friend, settle in and understand a lot of new material! Emma and I probably struggle the most with feeling like “a fish out of water”, and while we think we are likable people, it’s been a challenge to feel like we are adjusting completely or fitting in. I did have the opportunity to be the art assistant at school the past few weeks, and the person that I am helping has been fun to work with. Maybe it will become a deeper friendship as time goes on. 

We went to a different church on Sunday, and we went to Sunday School and worship service. It’s a bit different visiting on a holiday weekend, but I am glad that we went. We plan to re-visit next Sunday, so we will see. We continue to pray, look at websites, pray, gather information and pray some more. We don’t want to rush into anything, but we are definitely looking forward to settling in a church soon. 

Monday was Labor Day, and it was nice to have the day off! We spent some time at the beach, but the jellyfish were biting! Emma, Travis and Roger all got bitten by jellyfish, so we didn’t spend a lot of time in the water. It was a relaxing day as a family, and we were once again thankful to spend time together as a family. 

I got a special package in the mail this past week, and it totally made my day! My friend, Allison, sent me a “fall basket”, and it was so nice to see fall colors and pumpkins! It doesn’t feel like fall weather, but fall is coming according to the locals! I’m definitely not ready for long sleeves and boots, but I’m ready to put up fall decorations! I’m thankful for Allison’s friendship over the years and across the miles. 

We have some friends come to visit us at the end of the month, and Travis and Emma are especially excited. Two of their Maine classmates are coming, along with their mom and younger sibling, and we are excited to have guests for a few days. 

Garett and Chandler left for the Senior High retreat on Wednesday afternoon, and they were excited about going! Garett probably mentioned three or four times that he hopes the “food will be good!” We are praying that God will work in a mighty way in their lives over the next few days. We need a revival in our country and may it start with our own young people! We all know that young people are capable of amazing things by the power of God, and we are praying for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives this week. God is so good, and we are so thankful that the boys have the opportunity to go. It’s been quieter around our house the past twenty four hours, and we do miss the older boys. It’s also nice to have some extra time with our other children. Garett will be leaving for a school trip to a historical city on Monday, and he will be gone all week. We are definitely getting to the place where the boys are growing up- jobs, trips, experiences, wow! 

I’ve been working in the school library, and I’m amazed at how much work goes into keeping a library running smoothly! I’ve been cleaning, doing bulletin boards, filing books, cataloging, organizing, and deciding on which books to read for read-aloud. I’m thankful to be working with another mom from the school, and we’ve had some good conversations about books, libraries, and students. My prayer is that I will do a good job with the library and maybe even help a few students decide that they like books and reading! In our technology driven world, getting kids to engage in reading is definitely a challenge! Children’s books especially seem to go out of print quickly and new authors, graphics and ideas are constantly coming on the scene. The students seems to really like books about sharks, bugs, aircrafts, tractors, and books that are non-fiction but the pictures are up to date! Sometimes the information can be accurate, but if the book is outdated or there’s very few pictures, I don’t want to read it either! 

We love you all. We are so thankful for each one of you that love and pray for us. We’ve been in North Carolina for almost three months, and while it’s not been without it’s challenges, God has been so faithful. When we’ve been weary, He’s encouraged us. When we’ve been overwhelmed, He’s directed us to the next step. He’s been faithful and He will continue to be faithful. 

Birthdays, Soccer, Cross-Country, Life’s Crazy Adventures!

                                                       Happy 12th birthday to Travis 

 Week #2! This week was Travis’s birthday, Chandler’s first cross-country meet, two soccer games, parent/student orientation, and a day of subbing in kindergarten! We are not bored, but we are definitely in the balancing stages of life as we juggle a lot of events and activities. 

There are things that we really, really like about the school, and of course, there are things that we aren’t crazy about. Just as the church is made up of imperfect people, so are Christian schools and ministries - I know because I’m definitely a part of the imperfectness! I would love to say that we’ve adapted and adjusted and we feel like we are fitting in, but the truth is that hasn’t quite happened yet. Travis is in sixth grade, and he’s been struggling with loneliness. Wyatt is in 7th grade and he’s struggling with were he fits in. Chandler is in 9th grade and he’s feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork and homework and it feels like Algebra 1 is kicking our butt! Garett is a whole new kettle of fish as we try to navigate through his IEP, what that looks like, and what would be best for Garett. Emma likes her teacher and she hasn’t found the school work to be too hard yet, but she has asked every night to go back to the school in Maine. So yeah, we are adjusting but we are not adjusted yet. Please continue to pray for that transition to come. I’ve been staying busy with prepping in the library, working in various classrooms, and trying to figure out which way is up these days! I realized that menu planning is going to be imperative as we are going to get really tired of quesadillas! Thankfully, it’s a quick meal, but I don’t want to eat it for five nights a week! Maybe one of these days, I’ll get my act together and make some freezer meals to  have on hand. 

Chandler ran in his first cross-country race on Monday. I was expecting there to be more teams and more students participating, but it was a small race (probably about 50 boys). I have a study hall that I cover the last period of the day, so Emma and I barely made it to the race on time, but we did! In my cross-country years, the girls ran first and then the boys had their race. For the event on Monday, the boys went first. It was a humid day, but the school cross-country teams did very well. The boys had runners 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, so that was exciting. Chandler won his first cross country race, so he was excited about that. He also didn’t realize how tired he would be on the way home! Haha! I very much remember those days of running, and how the adrenaline crashes and leaves you exhausted shortly afterwards! It was a good experience for him, and we are thankful that he is able to participate on the team. Thankfully, Roger was able to pick up the other boys from soccer practice so that was helpful. 

Tuesday was also a long day as the boys had their first soccer game. The team is pretty large as there are 17 kids on the team in grades 6-12. They are playing varsity level teams with students in grades 9-12, so there are some big players on the field. Travis really didn’t get any playing time at all (a minute at the end) and Wyatt had a little bit more. They were both disappointed, but we are working to remind them to be faithful and that they have several more years ahead of them. Garett and Chandler played almost the whole game, so they were very, very tired. I don’t usually make comments about the reffing styles of the games, but this was a rough one. It’s confusing to the players when the ref doesn’t know which side is getting the throw-in or who kicked the ball out of bounds. We didn’t win the game, but they did score, so that was exciting! Hopefully, they’ll continue to improve throughout the season, and I’m excited for them. Playing sports has provided an added incentive to keep on working on their homework and grades. 

Wednesday is the day that we get to come home earlier than usual, as there are no sports practices on Wednesdays. We were able to be home by 4:00pm and that was quite nice. The church we visited on Sunday does have Wednesday night services, but they were having a church meeting on committees and budgets. It was nice to be home a little earlier, and I ended up needing to go to Wal-mart to pick up a few groceries as we did not have enough to make it through the week of school lunches. It’s going to take a bit to figure it all out. 

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to substitute teach in Kindergarten. Kindergarten is one of my favorite grades, and I was happy to be asked to sub in there. Someday maybe I’ll have the opportunity to have my own classroom again, but for now I’m happy to have the opportunity to sub on occasion. I also filled in for after school care. The school offers after-school care for those parents that are unable to pick up their child at 3:00 pm. There is a charge associated with this service, but there are still quite a few kids that need this as an option. So, while the boys had cross-country practice and soccer practice, Emma and I hung out with the after school kids on the playground. It didn’t pay to go home after soccer practice as there was a parent/teacher orientation meeting @7:00pm. Thankfully we had already made plans with Travis to celebrate his birthday on Saturday- there was just not enough time in the day on Thursday! We attended the meeting which was basically a meeting telling the parents what was going to be required of them and their student. It wasn’t exactly new information, just stuff that’s already in the handbook but most people don’t read. Garett did win a $25.00 voucher to be applied to school expenses, so that was nice! Chandler said that he was praying the whole time that no one would pick his name because he didn’t want to walk up in front of all those people! It was a late night, but thankfully Friday was just around the corner. We did manage to sneak out for a snack between practices and the meeting, but we are looking forward to a meal around our table on Saturday night and a few gifts for Travis. 

Travis is 12 today! (Thursday) So the boys are now 12, 13, 14, 15 for the next week. We are so thankful for our sweet youngest boy. Travis is a hard and diligent worker. School does not come easily for him, but he works hard at it. He is a blessing to have in our family, and he’s quite funny at times. My prayer for Travis this year is that he will be able to understand his school work, find a special friend at school, and keep working on becoming the man that God wants him to be. I sure do love that boy! 

The boys had a soccer game on Friday night also, and Roger has been able to get off work a bit early so that he can watch them play. Garett and Chandler are both starters, and Wyatt has gotten some playing time, but Travis is still waiting for his turn. It’s disappointing for sure, but they are playing teams with  players in the 9th-12th grades. The team played hard, and they really worked together, but they still lost 0-1. We are looking forward to the day when the team will win a game- well, we hope and pray that will happen! 

Saturday was a day spent at home! Hooray! Our house likes us to be home to cut grass, take care of the garbage, and do laundry. The boys have really stepped up in helping out with laundry as their school clothes are limited, but we did spend part of the day doing “catchup”. We did have a special family meal to celebrate Travis’s 12th birthday, and he opened his presents from his Aunt Jen, us, and Wyatt bought him a birthday present also. Travis asked for tractors and farm machinery for his birthday. I love that he hasn’t outgrown wanting to play with farm toys, and he and Emma can spend hours playing “farm”. Every once in a while, Wyatt will join in too, and I want to keep them little a while longer. Wyatt said that he wanted to get a birthday tractor present for Travis because he wanted to play with the tractors too.  It was a low- key day, but we need those kind as the weeks are busy with sports and activities. 

On Sunday we visited yet another new church. I’m telling you that I did not expect finding a church to be this hard! We were invited to visit this church, and while I think it would be an awesome church for some folks, we probably aren’t in that category. The message was sound, the people were friendly, but it’s probably more conservative (often can come across as legalistic) than we’d like to be. I have nothing against hymns, but I don’t want an only diet of that. I’m happy to dress up for church, but I’d also like to know that I’d be welcome if I didn’t choose to wear a skirt or dress to church. I’m thrilled for people that love that church, and the pastor was welcoming. However, we will keep looking. We’ve visited more churches than I thought we would and yet nothing seems to say “welcome home” and the peace that Roger and I should both have is missing. Please continue to pray for us in this. We have another invitation to visit another church this weekend, and we will probably visit there. We know that God is faithful, and we know that He has a plan for us. We continue to wait and pray. 

We are beginning another week of school this week, and it’s a full one with one away cross-country meet and two away soccer games. We are doing our best to be at all of the kids games, but it’s a challenge! But it’s also very important to us as parents to support our kids in these endeavors. 

                                                                          Cross- Country 

                                                                                Soccer

Thank you for your love and prayers! It’s been a week of adjusting to “new” things all the way around, and it’s exhausting! We are thankful that God brings us through each new adventure, and that He continues to know exactly where we are and what we need. 

First Week!!

 We made it through the first week of school! It might have only been one and one-half days, but it counts as the first week of school! Whew! We also had our first cross-country practice for Chandler on Monday, as well as parent/teacher meetings on Tuesday. Wednesday was our last day of teacher in-service, and school started on Thursday for the students. 

Chandler has decided to run cross-country as well as play on the soccer team, so he has some very busy weeks ahead of him! We met the cross-country team on Monday, and Chandler participated in the practice. There’s not a lot of time before their first cross-country meet as it’s actually tomorrow (Monday!). Chandler hadn’t run a 5k in a while prior to Monday’s practice, but I figured he would do okay. He’s kinda a natural runner as long as he eats enough healthy nutritional foods  before running. He did great in Mondays practice and ran a 5k in under 20 minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season progresses for him. It works out nicely that he wants to do both sports as cross-country practice will be directly after school and then soccer practice is from 4:30-6:00pm. It makes for some long days, but we are happy that the boys have the opportunity to be involved in these sports. We are excited for the boys, and they are going to be having a week full of activity with having a cross-country meet and two soccer games this upcoming week!

Roger had been planning on coming with me to the parent/teacher meetings on Tuesday, but he was needed for fire patrol. Fires have been relentless this summer as it was so hot and dry in July. Emma wanted to go with me to meet her teacher, but when she confound out that I was going to be meeting with all the kids teachers, she decided it would be too long! And it was kinda long! It was good to meet each of the boys home room teachers, but we know that school will be an adjustment for the boys as they will be rotating to different classrooms for each period. The boys had the opportunity to work for our neighbor and two boys stayed home with Emma. The teacher in-service days have had me away from home more than I would like, but we did make it through. Thank the Lord! I’ve also been working in the library, putting together bulletin boards, copying papers, organizing papers and whatever else needs doing as we prepped for the school year. 

On Wednesday we had our last day of teacher inservice and the pastor of the church brought the sessions for the staff/teachers/volunteers. It was a good time of discussion, interaction and getting to know many new faces. At the end of the in-service, they honored the school staff with a special luncheon. The administrator and pastor gave out gifts to the new staff which included a nice travel mug, a cookbook, a gift card, a gift of money and some pens. It was an unexpected and very sweet way of welcoming the new staff on-board. I wasn’t expecting to get a gift, but it was very nice. 

Generally, going back to school is one of the hottest weeks of the summer, but this summer in August has been unseasonably cool. I’m sure another heat wave is coming, but having the weather in the low 80s has been a change! 

Our first day of school was on Thursday, and thankfully, it was a half-day. Everyone was up early from nerves and excitement, and we were at school earlier than we needed to be. The high schoolers and middle schoolers are in a different building, so we walked over there to drop off the boys first. The boys were intimidated and nervous, but also excited and eager to start. After we dropped them off, Emma and I walked over to meet her teacher. Emma has been looking forward to meeting her teacher, and her teacher eagerly welcomed Emma to school. Due to the rising cases of covid, the students were greeted outside by the teachers. It made for some chaotic moments, but by 8:05am, the front of the school was empty and all the students were inside. I helped in a few classrooms with unpacking school supplies, handing out tissues, and showing students where the bathrooms were at. The morning flew by with lots of activities, and then around 11:00 am I got a phone call while working in the library. The middle/high schoolers were having an abbreviated schedule on Thursday so that they could at least meet the teachers of their classes except for 7th period. Garett’s schedule was a bit different than the other 10th graders, as he has a different math class and he’s in Spanish 1 because he can’t take Spanish II without taking the first class. Anyways, Garett got off track in the first period. His home room teacher is the one that is teaching Geometry, but Garett can’t take Geometry yet. Garett told me that he thought he was in the wrong class, but he didn’t know where he was supposed to be, so he just sat through geometry, which meant he missed the Physical Science class he was supposed to be. The morning just went downhill from there, and Chandler’s teacher was the one who called me around 11:00am asking if I knew where Garett was supposed to be at this time. Much of the confusion came about due to the fact that the administrator’s assistant had been sick the week before school started so the teachers hadn’t received Garett’s new schedule. When I followed the school secretary over to the building and found Garett, he still had a smile on his face but lots of confusion as well! Garett did make it to the last period for the correct class- hooray! We are thankful for the teachers who tried to help him, and for the teachers that made him feel welcome amidst the confusion. God is good and faithful! Thankfully, school was done at 11:30am, and there were no sports practices, so that was nice for all of us! Emma had a great first day, and while the other boys were overwhelmed by all the newness, they did very well. Travis is already nervous about falling behind in his subjects and not passing, so if you could ask the Lord to help Travis have calmness of heart, we would appreciate that greatly! 

Friday marked the second day of school, but also the last day of this first week! Garett did much better with the schedule, and he made it to all of his classes. He did have a rather disheartening experience in one of his classes, but we will hopefully be able to resolve that quickly. Perhaps I’ll write about that next week how God orchestrated that event to help Garett…we are still praying and waiting to see what the outcome will be. 

I spent the day on Friday helping out in various classrooms, hole-punching papers, cleaning, doing recess coverage, and working in the library. I’m not an experienced librarian so I have a lot to learn, but I know that I do love reading and books. Hopefully, I’ll do a good job at it and help the students learn to love reading also. It’s overwhelming, for sure, but as I often remind our children -it’s not my job to worry about it. It’s my job to do my very best. 

On Friday afternoon, we had multiple sports practices that were happening after school. Chandler had cross country practice and he quickly realized that he had not had enough nutrition during the day! He looked like jello while he was running, and it was clear to see that he didn’t have any energy. However, he did learn a valuable lesson, and he will probably be doing a better job at packing his lunch in the future! Roger was able to get off work a little early so he brought the boys home from soccer practice, and Emma and I were thankful for that! Wyatt came home from the second day of school with a terrible migraine, and he spent a lot of time on the couch that evening. Thankfully, he seemed to bounce back on Saturday. 

We re-visited a church today. It takes a little bit to figure out if a church is going to be a good fit. We’ve visited churches that we’ve known after the first visit that we wouldn’t be re-visiting, and then there’s some churches that take several visits, conversations, etc to decide if it’s what God has for us or not. We wanted to be involved, settle down, and build relationships, but we also know that we don’t want to rush into anything in haste. Every time we move, there are different factors that are involved in choosing a church. The last time we needed to make a church move our children were 9,8,7,6, and 3. It’s quite a bit different with the boys all being old enough to be involved in a teen group or assisting with various jobs around the church. Please continue to pray for us. The kids did all seem to like the church we re-visited today or are they just tired of looking?! We attended Sunday School today, and while the Sunday School lesson was okay, it wasn’t great. We’re not trying to be picky, but we also know that if something seems “off”, there’s a good possibility that it actually is “off”. 

Anyways, I often find myself becoming “weary in well-doing”, and it’s a reminder that God is still working on me. He is faithful even when I am not. He loves me even when I’m not lovely. He’s faithful even when I’m unfaithful. He’s the God of the impossible, and I can rest in that. 

We are thankful to have made it through the first week. The teachers seem to be excited about the school year, and we are praying for each of our children to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Thank you for praying for us! 

Birthdays, Teacher In-Service, and Changes

 Last Monday Emma celebrated her 9th birthday, and this Monday we are three days away from the start of school! I’ll be honest and tell you that I don’t feel like summer break was long enough this time. It was/is such a transitional time with moving, settling into new routines, finding a new school, looking for a church home, and everything else. I feel tired, and we haven’t even started the school year yet! I’m reminded that God has brought us this far, and He will continue to direct and lead. 

Last Sunday (8/7) we re-visited a local church in our area. It is close to home- that’s nice. The people are friendly- also nice. Several of the people that attend are actually people that live on our road- nice too. A few things that we aren’t crazy about are holding us back, but sometimes things that we aren’t crazy about aren’t doctrinal issues and sometimes they are doctrinal. We will probably have the pastor and his family over for dinner to get to know them as well as ask a few questions. We continue to wait and pray as well as visit other churches. 

As I mentioned, last Monday was Emma’s 9th birthday. I can’t even believe it! This girl celebrated her first birthday in Wisconsin, her second birthday in Arizona, her 3rd-8th birthdays in Maine, and her 9th birthday in North Carolina. It’s completely different raising a daughter than raising sons, but we do know that we still want her to grow up to love Jesus and serve Him with her whole heart. We had a simple birthday dinner for her, and then everyone had to rush off for sports practices. After sports practice we came home for ice cream cake and gifts. Emma enjoyed the Lego set the boys bought for her as well as a new lunch box from Aunt Jen and nine dollars from Nana and Papa.  Emma received a birthday box from her friend, Lucy, on Wednesday, and that was a really special surprise. It was kinda weird not having anyone over for her birthday dinner, but we haven’t made any close friends yet. We know a few people, but not people that we have established relationships with yet. It’ll come, it just takes time. 

Often on the kid’s birthdays, I ask them a few questions. Below is Emma’s birthday interview: 

Favorite color: rainbow

Best friends: Lucy, Olivia and Story 

Favorite food: shrimp and salmon

Favorite sweet: ice cream cake

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Answer: a teacher

Where would you like to visit? Maine

Favorite thing to do: gymnastics or go to a trampoline park 

Favorite activity to do with dad: fly in the airplane

Favorite activity to do with mom: shopping

 Favorite Restaurant: KFC and Dunkin Donuts

Favorite teacher: Mrs. Davis

Favorite Bible story: Jesus dying on the cross and rising again 

Our children are each so special and unique, and we thank God for them daily. It’s been a transitional year for them too, and we still have several major transitions- please continue to uphold them in your prayers. God is so good. 

I started teacher’s inservice on Wednesday. I know that I’ll be the librarian this year (soooo much to learn) and I’ll be doing a study hall. I’m not sure what else I’ll be doing, but doing a variety of things will give me an opportunity to meet a lot of people. We had three days of in-service last week, and two days this week. I’m not a huge fan of leaving the kids alone for six hours a day, even though they are fine. It’s just not my preference. For the past five years in Maine, we had multiple friends that the kids could go play with during in-service. Perhaps next year will be different. This week was a little more challenging altogether as the boys were needed to work on the farm for the neighbor. I ended up asking two boys to stay home so that Emma wouldn’t be by herself (obviously) and we’ve been getting by. Roger has been very busy with fires that aren’t supposed to be in existence as it’s not fire season! However, it’s been so dry that Roger has had to put in extra hours and he even was called in on Sunday due to a fire. 

It’s been a bit crazy around here as we try to figure out everyone’s schedules! Once school starts then the boys will be done working on the farm, and we will have school and sports to figure out. Chandler is planning on running cross-country and playing soccer. He wants to try anyways. It works out for Chandler as cross-country practice is right after school and then soccer after that. It’s going to make for some long days for our children, but one thing that they’ve been excited about is the opportunity to play sports. My prayer is that they will be able to adjust, maintain their grades, and that this will be a wonderful life experience for them. The four boys are playing on the same soccer team, and the soccer coach has been thrilled to have the four boys join the team. Chandler has his first cross-country practice tonight, and he’s looking forward to that. The sports season starts off with a bang as they have their first cross-country meet next Monday, and a soccer game on Tuesday with practice on Thursday and Friday. Emma and I will be doing lots of reading and hanging out together while the boys practice and compete! We are excited about this for them though, and I do think that so much can be learned through sports. I played sports in my middle school and high school years as well as in college, and I learned so much through those experiences. I’m excited that the boys will have opportunities for other coaches to mentor them as well as the boys to learn to work together with others (and yes, there are people more annoying than your sibling!). 

This past Sunday the kids and I visited another church. The people were friendly and kind, and the pastor preached a message on the power of our words. The songs were ones that we were familiar with, so that was nice. The thing that was a little disconcerting was how quiet the congregation sang the songs. I don’t mind a worship team, but sometimes it seems like the worship team overpowers the congregation singing and then no one seems to be singing! I don’t think there’s a need to be obnoxiously loud, but since God created singing, it brings Him delight when we worship Him with song- so sing! When you look around the congregation and only some of the people are moving their lips, it’s a bit concerning to me. Are they not singing because they don’t know the words? Or are they not singing because they really don’t think it’s that important? Or do they really not believe that there is “power in His name”? Just a curious church person over here! One of the boys made the comment on the way home about how he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be singing when the overhead said to “please stand and sing” because no one around him was singing! Just goes to show you that yes people are watching, so worship and praise His Holy name! 

We are going to be having parent/ teacher meetings tomorrow. This is an opportunity for the parents to meet their child’s teacher and for the child to meet the teacher. Emma is excited about meeting her teacher, but the boys said that they would meet their teacher on Thursday. (They have the opportunity to work tomorrow). One benefit of the teacher in-service has been the opportunity to get to meet some of the teachers ahead of time. Roger is hoping to take off tomorrow morning so that he can go with me to meet the teachers, but that remains to be seen. 

Thank you for your love and prayers! 

Fun Moments! Driver’s Ed?

 Two weeks?! That is all that is left of summer break! We start back to school on August 18th. Part of me is ready for the school routines and structure of the school year. The other part of me is overwhelmed with all the changes that I see looming in the near future. I’m once again reminded that I am not in control, and that God is already at work. He’s at work by confirming that I’ll have a job in the school where the kids are enrolled. He’s at work by a family member giving a donation towards our very large school tuition bill. He’s at work by giving us a home and togetherness. Regardless of how I may FEEL on the day to day, I know that God is working. 

We’ve been busy per usual! Both Roger and I are now officially residents of North Carolina. I took Travis and Emma with me to the DMV two weeks ago, and it was quite a lengthy wait! They did very well waiting in a small space with about 7 other people ahead of us in line. As we were finally called, I noticed a little sign that said to please not bring children to the DMV…oops! Too late now as we had already waited and it was our turn. Thankfully, the DMV lady didn’t make any comments other than to say that my kids were better behaved than some of the customers that came to the DMV. Once it was our turn, it didn’t take long to complete the process. I’m very much a list oriented person, so I had all my paperwork ready to go and I was even able to register to vote! Finally after about an hour of waiting, we were back in the car and on our way! As we began the drive home, I picked up my drink that had been in the car and proceeded to take a drink. “DON’T DO THAT!”, Emma shrieked from the back seat. What in the world?! Emma proceeded to inform me that she READ the signs at the DMV. “Mom! The sign said, ‘Do not drink and drive!’ I don’t want you to go to jail!” Travis was gaping at Emma like she had lost her head, and I was quickly trying to process what was happening. I realized that she had been reading the signs about drinking and driving and the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol. Whew! Now that I had that figured out, I could address the confusion! I explained to my distraught daughter that it’s okay to drink water, tea, soda, etc in the car, but not alcohol. It was a bit confusing for a moment, but we figured it out. I did have a good chuckle with Roger later as I explained what had happened on the way home from the DMV. And go figure- the next day Roger went to the DMV, and he didn’t have to wait at all! 

My sister was here last week, and she bought a pool for the kids. It’s one of those ones that’s not terribly, terribly expensive, but expensive enough that you want everyone to take care of it and be responsible! The pool was  supposed to arrive on Monday, but by Monday afternoon we still didn’t have the pool. Fed Ex claimed that it had been delivered, but where?! We contacted our neighbors and no one on our road had seen the 200lb package. Seems like a weird thing to go missing! We decided to wait until the next day and then call Fed Ex. Roger called on Tuesday afternoon and gave them the tracking number. They informed him that the tracking number was wrong. While I was trying to get the right tracking number from my sister, our neighbor called. She said that the pool had just been delivered to her house by and enterprise car rental truck! Um-okay! It was all around confusing, but the pool has been set up and is now in use! It’s cold right now, but with the temperatures consistently being in the 90s for the past week, it’ll warm up quickly! We still need rain, so if you’re wondering about that, please keep praying for rain! 

We visited yet another church on Sunday morning. This one is in the opposite direction from the school and about 13 minutes away. I will say that this was the friendliest church we’ve encountered, and the preaching was good. Both Garett and Chandler had positive things to say about the sermon, and Emma went off to children’s church on her own. Roger and I were a bit baffled by the taped off pews as who’s still doing that?! But then people seemed to just ignore the taped off pews and sit down anyways. Many churches have gotten away from passing the offering plate for the past few years, but this church took up a formal offering which didn’t seem to jive with the taped off pews. The music was good albeit a bit different. The congregation song was “Raise a Hallelujah” (which we had sung at last week’s church) but it was followed by “Blessed Assurance” (the hymn). Those aren’t two songs that I would’ve imagined going together, but it’s fine. I can appreciate a church that doesn’t throw out the baby with the bath water so to speak when it comes to music. Not ALL newer Christian music is inherently bad, nor do I think we should ignore all the hymns either. Probably a weird opinion to have, but this isn’t the place to have a discussion on church music! We appreciated the friendliness, the sound doctrinal preaching, and the role that the church seems to be trying to have in their community. We will probably re-visit the church again in the near future. 

Garett and Chandler have been busy with Drivers Ed this week. How are we here already?! It’s been a full week of classes for them from 8:00am to 2:00pm. The first day of class was a bit of a mad house as about 200 cars seemed to be pulling into the high school to drop off kids for drivers ed. The instructions were to stay in your car until you spoke with the drivers ed instructor. I figured that there would be about 25 students taking drivers ed- not 200! Thankfully, we were early and were able to get in the driveway of the school. The boys said that the instructors made it very clear that no nonsense would be tolerated and that all cell phones had to be turned off. Garett said that out of the 200 kids there were probably about 7 kids that didn’t have cell phones. Chandler says the number is closer to 5 that don’t have cell phones! Seriously?! I knew we were “weird”, but that means 192 kids ages 14-15 have cell phones! Wow! I’m not opposed to technology, and Garett will have a cell phone someday, but no wonder technology is an addiction. This week 4 kids have been dismissed from drivers ed because their phones were on when they were supposed to be off! We do plan to allow Garett and Chandler to have cell phones, but not until we are prepared and equipped and we’ve had a serious discussion. Since those things haven’t happened yet, we will wait. The boys will be glad to have Drivers Ed behind them, and so will I! The county is a bit behind on getting students through their six hours of behind the wheel with an instructor, but at least we are making progress. One big blessing for us is that drivers ed is free for our kids! It’s free for students attending school in that county, and since the boys will be attending school in the next county over, they are able to take drivers ed for free- how awesome is that!? 

Emma’s birthday is on Monday. How is it possible that she will be nine years old?! Emma and I are probably the ones that have struggled the most in recent days. She’s missing her friends, and I’m missing mine. The boys are off busy with working, fighting with each other, and eating, but Emma and I are feeling a little “off”. We miss our friends. We will adjust, but it’s been a long week. Emma’s been a bit emotional about not being able to have any friends over to celebrate her birthday, but we are taking everything one day at a time. God brought us this far, He can certainly bring us friendships. We are trying to come up with some fun ideas for her special day, but so far nothing is popping into my brain. Regardless, we will celebrate the fact that Emma is nine years old and we are thankful for the gift that she is to our family. God is good. 

I will be starting teacher in-service next week, so please be in prayer for that. I’m going to miss teaching my own classroom this year, but we are so thankful that I’ll be able to work where the kids are enrolled in school. Also, please continue to pray for our children’s adjustment to a new school. Pray that God will be glorified through their lives, that they would grow in their relationship with their Heavenly Father, and that they will be a good friend and find good friends. 

Due to the lack of rain, Roger has been working fire patrol more than we originally anticipated. It’ll all balance out later when he can take off a few days here and there, but it looks like he will be on call this weekend for fire patrol. The job has been good, and we are thankful. There’s always a few challenges along the way, and please pray for him to have wisdom and patience. 

As always, thank you for your prayers and love.