Fall!!

Well, this fall is flying by. The kids actually just finished up the first semester of school and their school soccer season. Part of the speed at which it has seemed to pass is that I spent 18 days in Thailand. While I was gone, time kept moving and here we are almost to basketball season. I am enjoying the couple of days (aka one week) between sports seasons. :)

Below are some pictures of the boys playing soccer. Stephen (#2) and Jackson (#16) both played on the middle school team this year. Alex (#4) played on Varsity. Alex's team ended up going undefeated in the conference (made up of Christian schools) all the way through the championship. YAY!! They struggled a bit within the district (which includes public and private schools based on size) but were seeded 5th going into the postseason. They won their first round game but lost the second. The season was a lot of fun to watch!!

I will try to add some pictures and stories from my trip to Thailand. It was a great trip and I would love to be able to go back someday, though I would love to have my family along as well. :)

Back to school photos

9th Grade

7th Grade

5th Grade

2nd Grade

 

My kiddos...

I am so proud of my kids and the young men and woman they are becoming. The boys are all playing soccer for school this year, so our schedule is already busy. Alex is in high school and playing on a Varsity team so he is learning to adjust to new expectations and challenges. Jackson is in middle school and is also finding that life is a little different at that level. For Stephen he is a part of the intermediate school and the level of responsibility is definitely different as he moves from elementary school. Emma is loving 2nd grade and is back into the swing of things. She loves being back with all of her friends.
The school year is off to a great start! We are excited to watch as the kids are stretched and pushed to the next level in their academics, athletics and life.

A few Lake pictures...

The wet get wetter

Makin' a big splash (backwards down the slide)

Emma went down the slide on her own this year. And LOVED it!

It's all about the pose...

Who is this?!?! There is NO WAY this could possibly by my son, he looks so old.

I think this may be the only shot I got of all four kids together.

All the "younger" cousins playing "King of the Tube" with a little splash from Cousin Joe on the wave runner.

Jackson found he loves to drive. LOOK OUT WORLD!!
(He will be 13 in just a few days, so we are all too rapidly approaching the driving stage with him.)

The 3 stooges jumping off the boat. (However, on this jump, someone didn't actually jump...)

The best view of the lake, from the top of a double decker pontoon...

Lake Cumberland is such a beautiful lake with amazing shorelines. 

The road in and out of the state park is long, but filled with so much beauty. 

Still here...

Yes, we are still here. Life has taken a different turn for us this summer. No longer is summer break a full break from school. We now have a Varsity Soccer and JV/Varsity Basketball player and so summer is full of conditioning and open field/gym playing. So in light of that our schedules didn't seem to slow down much this summer.
And here we are at the end of the first week of preseason soccer for all three boys. So far they have survived conditioning with just minor muscle pains. This is thanks to summer conditioning they all did over the past month or so. Next week there will be some scrimmages as well as another week of prep work for the season. This year I am not coachign soccer, so I get the pleasure and priviledge to simply be a soccer mom.
School starts on the 25th of August, and we will have a child in each area of the school (except the preschool-PTL!). Alex will be in High School as a Freshman, Jackson will be in Middle School as a 7th grader, Stephen will be in the Intermediate School as a 5th grader (which also makes him eligible to play middle school sports this year) and Emma will be in Elementary as a 2nd grader. 

While summer was busy we did manage a few trips. We took a few days to travel to Indiana to celebrate the 40th anniversary of my parents. The kids did spend their two weeks with grandparents in Indiana. And then we took a family vacation to Lake Cumberland in KY. Both trips were filled with so much fun, providing many great memories. 
I am in the process of taking 100's of photos off of camera, so I will try to post a few soon.

This time of year becomes so full with back to school events and sports and work, etc... I am working hard to take time at the end of each day to reflect on the moments I saw God at work. I was reminded yesterday as I looked at the passage in 1 Kings 19, that God often appears to us in the gentle whispers of our day. Am I listening for those moments or am I so busy I often miss it? What about you?

Pictures (someday I will post regularly again...)

 

Spring soccer has begun for Stephen.

We had some special guests for Stephen's first game.

They enjoyed the playground a bit more than the game. It was very windy and cool so they probably noticed the weather less by running around and playing.

 

 

The school has a middle school baseball team this year. Alex and Jackson are both playing and enjoying this new sport.

Jack playing outfield.

Jack on 1st.

Alex batting. Being a lefty at the plate, he gets more walks than hits.

Alex is the starting 2nd baseman.

Jack getting advice from Coach during a pitching change.

Christner's on the corners. Jack on 3rd, Alex on 1st.

 

And then there was Easter...

Calming the chaos

Happy New Year, a bit late.

Our family is in the midst of one of the busiest seasons to date. Which is probably astounding, since I think I comment on our chaotic schedule every time I post. :)

Alexander and Jackson are each playing basketball. While both in middle school they are on two different teams, with different schedules. Aaron is once again the assistant Varsity Girl's coach, so there is yet another basketball schedule. It is typical to have at least two games a night right now, usually at different ends of the county. In addition to these schedules, Stephen has started back into soccer practices, fortunately it is once a week for now. And I just began teaching a class at Lancaster Bible College in addition to my regular job. We are just a bit busy. Poor Emma just gets the joy of going from one place to another right now. Though she did just ask if she could take dance lessons. (Oh my! Not sure I could add another practice schedule to my calendar without it exploding or imploding or something.)

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and a bit out of control when the schedule gets too busy. Here are some tips we have found keep us sane:

1. Know your priorities! Is it work and advancing your resume/career? Is it your kids and their involvement in various activities? For us family is a priority. Because of this family dinner is something we strive to keep consistent. Know what your priority is and keep it in mind as you build your calendar.
2. Put entire sports/school/class/meeting schedules on your calendar. Add those extra items you are already aware of (like date nights, youth group, vacations, days off, dental/ortho appts., volunteer hours, etc...) so that you don't forget and double book yourself. 
3. Include space in your calendar. If need be, block out an hour a day or a couple hours here and there when you know it is time dedicated to your family/home. This is the only way my house gets cleaned some weeks.
4. Set a time once a week to look at the upcoming week. Talk about who needs to be where at what time, and who is responsible for whom. Have a plan for each day and the week ahead. Include travel times, meals, etc...
5. Take one day at a time. This may seem contradictory to #4, but once you have the plan for the week ahead, this actually helps with the day to day chaos. It also helps keep the sense of being overwhelmed at bay. Focus on the plan for today. Don't worry about tomorrow.
6. Be willing to be flexible. Weather or illness can easily cause plans to change. Embrace the changes as opportunities. Weather often creates "forced family fun" and togetherness. Illness is a chance to love on someone in a specific way.
7. Be willing to ask for help. You may have to find someone to help you balance the schedule and help with one or more items on the calendar. (Be willing and ready to help others as well.) Find another mom or dad who can share carpooling responsibilities.
8. Say "No!" when other things come along to fill your schedule. If it conflicts with something already on your calendar, remember your first commitment. If you "could make it work" it probably is something you don't need to prioritize. (For us, this often comes in the form of "Mom, can I go to  ________'s house.) Sometimes it is necessary to say no to things just so you can be together as a family, even if you don't have specific plans.
9. Keep the future in perspective. It may be that you are asked to participate in something that is a few months away. Take time to consider the following questions: Will life look different at that time, and if so, how? If you would have to prepare for the opportunity, when will you be able to dedicate time to think about it? Does that give you enough time or will it create greater stress because of a limited timeline? Is there anything that could potentially be a priority during that time frame (like that family vacation you need to nail down dates for or the camp that one of the kids really wants to attend)?

I am sure there are many other great ways to calm the chaos, these are what we have found work best for our family. Hopefully these ideas help you and your family.

To end this post here are some pictures of some of our chaos. :) And a momma's moment of bragging: both Alex and Jack are in the top 5 scorers on their teams. They have both stepped up as leaders both on and off the court. It has been fun to watch their skill levels improve this season as well.