A Full Week- Champions, Disappointments, and Life!

 

Fall sports are officially over! Whew! It was a crazy season with lots of ups and downs, but our children certainly learned a lot. We are so thankful for coaches that have invested in their lives. As parents we are so appreciative of each one that invests in our children’s lives for eternity.  

The boys’ soccer team was disappointed to not make it past the play-off game for the tournament, but they are a young team with several years of growth ahead of them. I’m excited to see what the future will hold for them if they work hard and continue to play together. 

The cross-country team finished their season with an amazing grand finale! Yesterday (10/24)  was the state cross-country meet so we pulled all of our kids out of school to watch Chandler run his race. Roger has been busy at work (24 days without rain in this part of N.C.), so he wasn’t sure if he would be able to get off for the race. He did mange to get off for the race. He drove over an hour to watch Chandler run and then an hour back to work. Now that’s a committed father! I don’t think that Chandler probably fully appreciates the sacrifice that Roger made, but someday he will remember that his dad worked hard to come to his state cross-country meet. The boys race was at 1:00pm, followed by the girls race and then the middle school race. It was an afternoon full of races! Chandler had a great run, and so did several of the boys on his team. The boys team finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd as well as 5th and 7th! It wasn’t Chandler’s best time of the season, but he did win the race by quite a few seconds. The boys took home the state trophy for the boys team, while the girls team had a great performance as well that put them into the second place spot. It was an exciting afternoon and a full day!  Chandler also received an award for  having the lowest average of race times all season at just under 20 minutes. We are thankful for the cross-country coach  and the time invested in our child. 

A few other highlights from last week would include lunch with my new friend, Laura, a quick date with Roger, Emma’s opportunity to play at a friends house, the Homecoming Sunday for our local church, and time spent together as a family and with new friends. Last Monday I had the opportunity to have lunch with Laura. We went to this little hotdog place that was literally like stepping back in time. In North Carolina, hotdogs often have chili or coleslaw on them. The prices were reasonable, the food was good, and the company was great! It’s been fun getting to know Laura and her family a little better, and the time flew by! 

Last Saturday, Roger had to work as the fall fire season has been busy. There has not been enough rain this fall, and everything in the area is dry. I took the boys and Emma into school on Saturday morning to watch the championship game for the soccer tournament. After the tournament game, two of the boys went home to play with Laura’s boys. It’s fun to have friends to play football, basketball and be outside with, and we are thankful that Wyatt and Travis have made new friends. Travis especially seems to have a rough class (for yet another year in a row!) and it’s been a challenge to encourage him in the school realm. Both he and Wyatt were disappointed at the Middle School Retreat last week, so we’ve been trying to encourage them to “stay the course” and to be faithful. It’s hard when our children are disappointed are discouraged. While we want them to know that life is not all about them and that life is full of disappointments, we also want them to know that we are looking out for them and advocating for them if necessary. Middle School years are hard! They don’t fit in with high schoolers, but they also don’t feel like they fit in with the “little kids”. Please do keep praying that Travis will be encouraged and continue to work hard even when he’s discouraged.  And also please pray that Roger and I will have wisdom and discernment to be Godly parents! 

On Saturday night, we had kids going in all directions! Garett had been invited to the birthday party of a classmate, Chandler, Wyatt and Travis were going to a teen event, and Emma had been invited over to her friend, Lily’s house. Roger and I had planned to have a date together, but then Roger needed to work. So I dropped off all the kids at various places, and I went grocery shopping! That’s almost like a date when I get to go by myself! Laura and her husband drove my kids and hers to the teen activity, so that was also an added blessing. Roger was able to get off work by six pm, so he came into town to have super with me. It was a quick date, but we were very thankful for the time to have dinner together. Sometimes it feels like we are going many different directions, so getting to actually finish a conversation is a real treat! 

On Sunday our church was hosting it’s “Homecoming” Sunday. That was a word that I wasn’t familiar with being associated with churches until we moved here. I had always heard of “Homecoming” in relation to a high school prom and not a church anniversary Sunday! But apparently fall is the season for “Homecoming services” in the area. I’m pretty sure that we could attend a “Homecoming” service for several weeks straight if we were looking to do that! It was a blessing to fellowship with other believers, hear preaching from God’s Word, listen to good music, and also enjoy a good meal. The church meal featured Eastern North Carolina bbq, which is pork seasoned in a vinegar based sauce (I think). I thought that the meat was okay- probably not my favorite, but I would try it again. Three of my boys thought that the meat “tasted funny”. However, we’ve now been introduced to another North Carolinian food! 

On Sunday night, we had a family from church over to our house. They have four boys and one girls also, so we have a lot in common! Some of their boys are older than our boys, but they all enjoyed playing soccer in the yard together. Our house is nowhere near as “homey” and finished as I’d like it to be, but if I wait until everything is “ready”, we might not ever have people over to our house! We enjoyed an evening of getting to know this family better, and it was nice for our teens to see older young men (out of high school) that are desiring to live for Christ. We need those people in our children’s lives also. 

Yesterday the boys had tryouts for basketball. Travis, Wyatt and Chandler all tried out for the JV team, and  so did a lot of other boys! I know that the two younger boys were disappointed to not make the team, but they are young. It’s hard though when you enjoy sports to not have something like practices and games to help the weeks go by. And it feels like one more disappointment for them. I’m telling you what- middle school is hard! Garett wasn’t sure if he wanted to play basketball or not this year, but he did end up trying out for the team. I’m not sure if he will make it, but he did try out. For our kids, playing sports is an added motivation to work hard in school and keep up their grades. A few of our boys (actually all of them!) have to work hard at school to keep up with grades, homework and all their other responsibilities. I’m thankful that November is just around the corner! 

We are having a “Book Character” day at the school on Monday hosted by the library people. It’s a hard battle to encourage kids to read these days, and we are working hard at encouraging reading. Kids today are so used to being entertained every moment of every day, and I’m pretty sure that some of them have forgotten how to use their imaginations! We are hoping that many children will participate on Monday. Emma has decided to be Laura Ingalls Wilder and I’m going as Mary Poppins. It’s for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade, and these ages are usually pretty easily excited about most things! I’ll give you and up date next week! Last week we had a “pumpkin” themed library day. Jennifer and I made over 200 mini pumpkin muffins. We read a book on growing a pumpkin and the students tasted pumpkin seeds. It was a lot of fun, and the kids seemed happy to come to library so that’s a good start! 

In closing, please keep praying for our children especially. School does not come easily for most of them, so we are trying to help them learn good study habits and how to take good notes! Travis is discouraged about a lot of things , and it’s not his personality to be an “Eyore”.  Please pray that we will know how to encourage him or what to do about his schooling. God is faithful, and I’m so thankful that we serve a God Who never changes! 

Another great song! 

Soccer, Sportsmanship, and School!

 

The last two weeks have been so busy that I wouldn’t be able to say if we were “coming or going”! Soccer is about to wrap up for the season, and I have to say that I am actually looking forward to that! The last two weeks, we’ve had a soccer game or a cross country meet every day of the school week except Wednesdays! At the Monday game last week, Wyatt forgot his game shorts (thankfully, he had an extra pair even though they weren’t quite the right color!). On Tuesday, Travis came to school and realized that he had one soccer cleat and two feet! Um- yes! Thankfully, Roger was able to swing by home to get the soccer cleat before coming to the game. So, we’ve been making it through these long days, but I don’t know that we’ve been thriving! 

Two weeks ago on Saturday, (10/8) signaled  the last of Saturday’s soccer games for Travis and Emma. They were happy that they had the opportunity to play and even Travis ended up enjoying those Saturday mornings. He’s the youngest player on the school’s traveling soccer team, so he doesn’t get a lot of playing time. After the Saturday game, we had our first introduction to Krispy Kreme donuts! We’ve become friends with the Hardison family (they have three boys), and they invited us to come to Krispy Kreme. The boys thought that Krispy Kreme had better donuts than Dunkin Donuts, and we had a great time of laughter and fellowship. 

Nearly two weeks ago, Chandler had a cross-country meet. This one was different than cross-country meets in the past as there were over 500 runners at the meet. The boys race had over two hundred boys running in the race. It was a good race for Chandler as it came him some good, stiff competition. We’ve been wondering if Chandler could break 19 minutes if he was pushed, and he did it! Chandler came in 7th in the meet. He had a time of 18:27, and it was his best run of the season. Roger, Emma and I had to leave after his race so that we could get back to pick up the other boys from soccer practice. Chandler said that he thought he’d like to come home with us, but we encouraged him to stay to get his award. Chandler does not do great getting up in front of people, but this was a positive thing for him to do. We are proud of all the hard work he has put into the season. He has one more race this season, and it’s for the state cross-county meet coming up in a week. 

This past week I’ve felt like we spent a lot of time washing uniforms and finding clean soccer socks. The boys had an away game on Monday, Tuesday, and a home game on Thursday. Chandler had a night cross-country run on Friday. The soccer team got to play a game “under the lights” on Tuesday night, and that was a fun experience for them. It was made even better by the fact that they won the game! We haven’t won a whole lot of games this season, so a win was very exciting! The team is young, and I’m excited to see what the next few years will bring for them as they continue to play together. 

However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the season its that I’d rather coach a team of “not the greatest” players than be the coach of some of these teams that have such poor attitudes and a poor testimony. It’s very sad to me that all the teams that we play are in “Christian” leagues, but they surely don’t all act like it. Last week, the referee called out a player for making fun and using poor language against some of the other players. Attitudes like that are often “caught and not taught”. If poor sportsmanship, bad language and poor attitudes are allowed during practice or off the field, that will certainly be carried over into the games. One of our sons made the comment this past week that some of these players act worse than some of the public school kids he played with last year. My word! These things should NOT be! It’s led to some interesting dinner conversations around our table though in the last few days. A student asked me, “Is it morally wrong to be a poor sport?” My answer: “Yes, it is, actually. If our lives are to be a reflection of Jesus Christ, then so should our words and actions.” I was reading a devotional by Charles Spurgeon once and the statement was made ‘Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words.’ I want my life to be a reflection of my relationship with Jesus Christ. My prayer would be that others would see Christ in me. 

I was able to substitute teach in fifth grade last Friday, and I really enjoyed it. It’s good to get to know the students, and fifth grade is a fun grade- most of the time! It was a long day, and then it was followed by soccer practice and a cross-country meet. Wyatt and Travis had the opportunity to go home with some friends after soccer practice, and that was such a good thing for them. Finding good friends and building new relationships can always be a challenge, so I was glad that they had this opportunity. I often find myself sitting with Laura (the mom of these two boys) at about every soccer game, so it’s been a fun time of laughter and fellowship as of late. Speaking of late, it was a last night! Chandler had a rather rough run on Friday night, but he did it. I don’t think he ate enough during the day, and then running a 5k at 7:30 at night was rough.  But he survived it. Garett, Emma, Roger and I made it to the meet, while Travis and Wyatt were able to hang out with their friends. It was a very late night, but Saturday was on the horizon! 

Also this past week, Garett did his driving with the instructor. He drove the 6 required hours and observed for six. He is now ready to proceed to the DMV to get his permit! (I’m not sure that I am ready for that, but here we are already!) I think that Garett will be a very cautious driver, and it will be nice to not have to sit around for sports practices to be done! I am excited for him, but I’m not sure I’m ready for this new transition! 

Speaking of transitions, the pastor spoke on trusting God on Wednesday night. He was referring to the Israelites getting ready to cross the Jordan River and how that was a time of transition for them. Sometimes during transitions, it can be hard to trust God.The pastor referred to many different types of transitions, and whew- our family has been through a lot of them in recent years. Here are a few:

1) Loss of a loved one (in 2020, Roger’s boss and dear friend died suddenly. It shook the company and his death was the first one that greatly impacted our family)

2) Geographical change- this has happened twice just in the last two years. Last October Roger was taking a job in Michigan. This October our family is in North Carolina. 

3) Family separation- Roger was working in Michigan last school year and I was teaching in Maine. Our family was separated for weeks at a time and that was hard on everyone. 

4) Changes in finances- when God began to reveal that Michigan was not His long-term plan for our family, there was a shift in our financial situation. God has always been faithful. 

5) Family changes- we are transitioning from parenting children to young adults. This is a huge transition as we navigate through uncharted waters. In some ways, parenting young children was easier. The days seemed so long when the kids were young, but now we are working through much deeper issues of the heart. 

6) Church changes- we attended the same church for the six years we were in Maine, and now we’ve had to work at finding a new church home.

7) School and academic changes- we’ve changed schools; I’ve changed job positions; we’ve experienced a whole new set of academic changes and procedures! 

However, through ALL the transitions, God has been faithful. I’ve had my moments where I’ve wondered what God is doing or how this is going to bring glory to His name, but He has been so faithful! I’ve doubted and worried, and God has given peace in the midst of the storms. We serve an amazing God! What a privilege to live my life for Him! 

We spent the weekend recovering from the week! It was nice to have a low key day at home. Of course, I did have to go grocery shopping because everyone still likes to eat! As I mentioned, we are entering the last week of fall sports. The boys have a soccer game tomorrow that they would really like to win. I’d like to see them win this game, butI want them to give God glory no matter what the outcome may be. Wyatt and Travis will be going on the Middle School Retreat tomorrow, and we are praying that God will work in their lives. Middle school can be a challenging time for children, and we are praying that they will be encouraged to live their lives fully for God right now! 

Thank you for your prayers.

Fall Break, Visiting Friends and a Hurricane!

 Happy Fall!! We’ve officially experienced a few fall temps here in North Carolina, and the kids even had to dig out a sweatshirt! Last week was fall break from school, our first introduction to a hurricane, our first visitors (other than family) a few minutes with Roger’s parents, and enjoying a few days off of school! 

So last Tuesday evening (9/27)the boys had an away soccer game. I generally manage to get to all their games, and Roger has been able to make it also. But on Tuesday, Roger was running late so Emma and I left for the game before him. The boys have been playing hard all season long, but the soccer team has yet to actually pull off a win. We’ve tied some, lost by one, lost by more than one, but we haven’t yet won a game. Anyways, Roger’s parents surprised us by meeting us at the soccer game! It was nice to see them again, and Roger was able to get to the game for the second half. Roger’s parents treated us to supper and ice cream after the game so that was a real treat! It’s always nice when I don’t have to think about what we are going to have for supper when we get home after a game! Roger’s parents hadn’t been planning on staying overnight, but as long as they don’t mind a bit of a mess, we were happy to have them! 

On Wednesday morning, Roger went to work, his parents left and we headed to Raleigh to meet some friends from Maine. Claire, and her three children came to visit us for a few days. Travis and Emma were particularly excited about that as they have been good friends with Abel and Lucy for a long time. We had originally planned to eat at Mr. Beast Burgers, but that turned into a total flop! Instead we ended up at a mall where we found a Lego store and a food court! Sweet! 

We had planned to go to the beach on Thursday into Friday, but a tropical storm warning was in effect for those days. Oh well. We went anyways. It wasn’t raining on Thursday so we spent time walking on the beach, roaming around a small beach town, playing mini golf and enjoying each other’s company. We found our beach house around 4:00pm, and we went for a walk on the beach. Travis, Emma, Abel and Lucy all enjoyed getting wet by the waves coming onto the beach. The water was warm, and they didn’t get in past their knees, but they loved it! The rest of us scavenged the beach for shells, cool stuff and just enjoyed God’s creation. The beach is one of my favorite places as the water can appear angry, or peaceful, agitated or serene. It’s always amazing to see God’s handiwork at work, and I love it! It rained ALL DAY on Friday, but Claire and I went for a walk on the beach anyways. Chandler, Wyatt and Travis started off with us, but they decided that they did not want to be soaked. So, Claire and I wandered on the beach for a while. Going with the wind and rain was fine, but once we turned around to head back it was a wet, wet walk back! We enjoyed the moments though, and we created some fun memories with our children. On the way back home, we stopped at a trampoline park. The entire area was empty! We had the place to ourselves, and the kids were able to run around and jump and wear themselves out some more! The ride home did have some tense driving moments, as the rain continued to pour down, but God kept us safe. We were happy to get home!

Our friends left on Saturday morning to head back to Maine. We enjoyed having our friends come for a visit, and I know that Travis was especially encouraged. He is really struggling to make friends in his class, and it’s not because he isn’t friendly. He is a bit quiet, but when you get to know Travis you’ll discover that he is sweet and kind. He needs a good friend, and please pray with us for that for him. 

We are always thankful for the opportunity to host friends and family in our home, even though our home still needs work. If you’re ever coming through North Carolina, we will be happy to have you stay with us!

Saturday was a quiet day around the house as I worked on laundry, the boys fixed their dirt bike (again), and we enjoyed a mostly quiet day at home. (It’s never really quiet with five kids around!) 

Sunday we spent the day worshipping with other believers. We’ve been enjoying our Sunday school class, and the boys have mentioned that they’ve really enjoyed their classes as well. 

Emma headed off to Second grade on Monday morning. She seemed relieved about the transition, and she even picked out a gift for her “old teacher” and her “new teacher”. Emma’s love language seems to be gift-giving, and while we currently foot the bill for that at times, I am thankful for her sweet spirit that thinks of her teachers. She picked out chocolates and a candle for both of her teachers, and she seemed to have a great first day. I tend to try to pick back up my worries, but I know that I need to just leave them at Jesus’s feet. What about high school? Emma will be 19 all of her senior year! What about events that are by age/grade? Will Emma feel awkward or embarrassed about that? I know that for now Emma is confident in this change. I’m praying that she will mature into a sweet, Godly young lady who is far less worried about her age or “if she’s in the right grade” but rather concerned about her relationship with God and others. We sure do love this daughter of ours, and we thank God for her every day. 

Chandler had a cross-country meet yesterday (Monday) and it was a chilly day! It was about 57 degrees, which is the first time that it felt like FALL temperatures. I was unable to make it to the meet as it was 55 minutes away, and I wasn’t able to leave school until after 3:00pm. The boys were going to be running first yesterday, so I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to make it. Thankfully, the athletic director did give me a call towards the end of the race, so I could see Chandler’s finish. Chandler ran a great race on Monday with his best time of the season. He has now officially broken my fastest time for a 5K, and he reminds me that he’s a freshman in high school and I was in college before I broke 20 minutes for a 5k! Haha! Its another reminder that I am getting old! Chandler was happy to have the opportunity to ride back to school with the cross- country team, and I’m glad he enjoyed that. It was nice to have a short conversation with the athletic director about Chandler on Tuesday, and hear that someone else is also pouring into our children’s lives and pointing them to Jesus. We are thankful! 

Tuesday was a beautiful day for a soccer game! The boys were thankful for another opportunity to play, and it was nice to have a beautiful afternoon to watch them play. It was our first win of the season, and that was a big encouragement to the team. Three of the boys got to start in the game, and it was exciting to see the team play together for a win. I had the opportunity to sit and watch the game with a few school moms, and it was so nice to have someone to laugh and chat with during the game! It was a blessing and encouragement to me. I’m so thankful that God provides us with encouragement, new mercies, and constant reminders that He knows exactly where we are…I might not always be delighted with the way things are in the moment, but God has continued to be faithful. I’m reminded often of the song that we sang in my kindergarten class last year- “Jesus, Strong and Kind.” 

God has been good and faithful for eternity past, and I know He will continue to do so. I was so blessed and encouraged this week by friends who sent a text to say that they were praying for us, or conversations with both of Emma’s teachers to encourage us. 

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.