First Ice Skating Lesson and LSSU Hockey Game

Samantha: 64 Months, Week 2
Aedan: 29 Months, Week 1

This week was going to be a busy one with lots of various meetings, appointments, and commitments. Tuesday was another one of those days for me, although I really can't complain too much because one of my commitments was to attend MOPS. I was really looking forward to getting together with the other moms. It's just a nice two hour chunk of time where Aedan gets to hang out with other kids, and I get to hang out with other moms. They always provide yummy food and hot coffee, and this time the activity was to do "speed friending." We all sat in the church sanctuary in chairs across from each other. One lady out of each pair had a list of questions, and every two minutes the ladies rotated around. I am pretty introverted, especially in a large group where I don't really know anyone, so I have to confess that this activity intimidated me a little bit. I was pretty nervous, and I was the one with the paper, so I felt like I had to come up with conversation topics. Small talk is also not my forte. However, it was good to get to know the other ladies a little bit more, even for just small amounts of time. I discovered that there are two other moms in the substitute pool, so we swapped stories about that and the luck we have had finding jobs. I don't remember who exactly I talked to about what, but it was definitely a fun way to do introductions. After that we had time to make a small craft. We were able to choose fabric and paper in different designs, cut out the right size to fit under a glass rock, Mod Podge the fabric/paper onto the rock, and then attach a magnet on the back. Mine turned out really well, and without even thinking about it, they all fit into a green and purple theme. We always need more magnets for our refrigerator, and these were so easy to make. It's fun that we do little crafts at MOPS, but they are not overly involved or difficult to do if you are not a crafty person.

I meant to leave MOPS right away because I had to get home to meet up with Ben so that he could watch Aedan while I went to the hospital for my hysterosalpingogram. I ended up leaving later than I wanted to, but I still got there in plenty of time. I had to go to my doctor's office across the street to do a quick pregnancy test before undergoing the x-ray procedure, just to be sure. Then, I checked in and went to radiology at the hospital. I was pretty nervous about getting this test done because I had read a few different things about it and heard that it could hurt or give me pretty bad cramps afterwards. Plus, the whole idea of what they were going to do didn't sound very pleasant. I was taken to a changing area where I put on a hospital gown and then went into the x-ray room. The nurse got me positioned correctly on the x-ray table, and then Dr. Amo prepared me for surgery by inserting the catheter that would inject the dye. I won't go into too many details, but the radiologist immediately said that everything looked great. My tubes were clear and everything was normal. Dr. Amo also said my blood test and ultrasounds all checked out fine, giving her no concern on my end as to problems getting pregnant. She encouraged me to have Ben talk to his doctor again since the only number that was low was his motility. I know Ben mentioned that his doctor expressed no concern, but my doctor thought that was curious since it was about half of what it should be. So now we go on to the next step to see if his doctor can give us any more information, and then go from there.

I didn't experience much cramping right after the test, but as the afternoon and evening progressed, it definitely increased. I took medicine, but every time I stood up it hurt worse, and I didn't feel like making dinner, so I took the kids to pick up some Jimmy John's for dinner that night instead. We arrived back home just after Ben did, and I took the opportunity to relax that evening.

Wednesday morning was another day where I volunteered in Samantha's classroom. I was able to make some copies for her teacher, help keep kids on task, and even assist them tracing their letters. While I volunteered at school, Ben lovingly went grocery shopping since I didn't have a chance to go the previous two mornings. I'm very blessed to have a husband who allows me to get out and have opportunities like this, so I can be a part of Samantha's class and school. Then, the rest of the day went quickly with Ben teaching late on campus and the kids and I hanging out together. 

On Thursday, September 29, Ben and I made a big step in faith. As you know if you've read my blog for very long, we have been dealing with infertility over the last year and a half. Ben and I both desire to have another child added to our family, but for some reason, that doesn't seem to be what God's plan is for us right now, especially with all our tests coming back normal. With our recent move to Sault Ste. Marie, we were lucky enough to buy a house that has plenty of room to accommodate our family, plus more room to spare. Through several different situations, God has placed it on our heart to become foster parents. We don't know fully what God's plan is in all this, but we have wondered if one purpose for why we are going through this infertility is so that we can have more room in our home to help foster children, or even to just push us toward taking that first step of faith, whether we ever get pregnant again or not.

Through college and our early married years, I have always felt a desire to help children who don't have a safe home or stable family. Many years ago, I even dreamed of working in an orphanage in Africa or something like that. So, helping children has always been a call on my heart, which is why I went into education in the first place. Ben's grandparents had foster children for over 50 years, and his parents also had a foster child for a year when he was in middle school.

Foster Care has always been something in the back of our minds that we would like to do some day, but with being in graduate school, not making much money for several years, and not being in a permanent long-term location, we put that idea on the back burner. Over the last few months, Ben and I talked about it a few times; however, this past Sunday our church did a sermon on helping orphans, particularly through foster care, as a part of their Neighbor to Neighbor sermon series. I previously felt God pushing me in the direction of taking our idea to become foster parents seriously, and this sermon just drove it home. It was time for us to take action. It was time to step out in faith, even if we don't know how exactly it will go, what the child will be like, or how our family will adjust. I really believe that God has called us to care for these children that have such a dire, immediate need for a loving family, and I needed to stop making excuses of why we weren't ready or it wasn't the right time.

All that to say, we met with Lauri Brown from our local DHSS to begin the conversation about getting licensed to be foster parents. She came to our house at 9:00 a.m. and went over a whole bunch of material with us. We have lots of work on our hands from filling out data packets, to getting medical check-ups and fingerprints. It's a lot of work, but it makes sense that they want to make sure they are getting good families to place these kids in. We also have to do a few things around our house, like some babyproofing with outlets and doors as well as gates to go around our fireplace and pellet stove. We would like to be available for any child 5 and under since that's what we have experience with, we have plenty of toys for those ages, and would feel better prepared in that regard. However, we do need to have a crib available in our home as a pack n' play can only be used temporarily. I gave our extra crib and changing table to my sister for her baby due in December, so now I don't have an extra one around the house. We also need to figure out if we can fit three car seats across our back seat or if buying a mini-van will have to move up further on our list of priorities. The meeting was a bit overwhelming because it was so much information and so much for us to do and get done in a timely manner. However, we are excited to be stepping forward in faith. We will definitely be challenged, but we are ready to open our hearts and our home to a child in need.

After our meeting with Lauri was over, Aedan and I went out to get a new set of sheets in preparation for our visitors coming over the weekend. (Our old set has huge holes in the fitted sheet and couldn't be used anymore.) Then, it was such a beautiful day that we stopped at Project Playground to play for awhile before heading back home for lunch. Aedan had a blast running around the playground and playing with me. We played monster, dug with the digger, swung on the swings, and he pretended to be the driver of the ship with a little wooden key and everything. I love to see Aedan's imagination expanding in how he plays, and I love to see what he comes up with all on his own when Sissy is not around to be in charge of how they play. I took this picture on the playground because it shows how the leaves are changing color. I love fall. I love the vibrant colors and the cooler weather, but we have been blessed with several warm days full of sunshine and clear skies.

After Samantha got home from school and as I was making dinner, the kids went out into the backyard to play. They were really good moods that afternoon, were getting along well, and were having such a fun time together. At one point they were singing and dancing together, and I had to take a video even though it's hard to see because of the screen in front of them. I love afternoons and evenings like this, when we have good times and the kids are being kind and helpful.

On Friday I had a sub job at Brimley Middle School, so Ben was home with Aedan for the day. I gave him a list of jobs he could do for me around the house in preparation for our visitors, like cleaning and vacuuming the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, changing the sheets, and that sort of thing. He did all of that, plus he had Aedan help him put his bench together that we ordered. Aedan was really helpful to Ben all morning, helping him clean and helping him put the bench together. Ben said that Aedan put all the dowel rods and bolt nuts in as they worked together. He was really excited to be helping build something with tools. So here Aedan is with his paci ready for nap time, posing on top of the newly completed entryway bench. Now we have a place to put our shoes (it's just missing the shelf that goes across the middle), and there is also the drawer on the side we can keep a basket in for hats, gloves, and winter gear. I like that we were able to find cherry colored wood to match the other wood in our house, and the thicker black cushion at the top makes it look nicer than a lot of the other benches I was looking at. I'm glad it was so easy to put together, and now we can sit here to put our shoes on rather than sitting all over the floor.

My day subbing was not as successful as Ben's day at home with Aedan. I had mostly 7th grade classes, with one high school art class thrown in as well, but I was having a really hard time keeping the kids quiet and getting them to do their work. For the first two periods, the kids were supposed to be working on a science paper where they ran programs on their computers. However, most of the computers took 15-20 minutes to even turn on and log on. A few never did get their computers working. It's frustrating when technology prevents you from doing what your supposed to do rather than helping you. I got the first class to work quietly for the last 15 minutes or so, but the second class would not listen as well. Some boys talked instead of worked, and even though I gave out tickets to the kids who were working hard and quietly, some just didn't care. Third period was one of the worst because it was a group of 8th graders that did not go on the field trip, probably for disciplinary reasons. Some of those boys were totally disrespectful toward me and refused to work at all. I just didn't know how much leverage, if any, I had with them, and I didn't want them to be taking advantage of me because I was a new sub. I wanted them to get the work done that the teacher assigned to them.

From there, I had a half an hour lunch break, and then I had a high school art class, and this was another one of the worst classes. They were supposed to be working on a color composition, and most of them came in, got their supplies, and got to work. However, there was a group of boys again (why is it always the boys?) that refused to do any work. I told them what the teacher wanted to do, they saw others working, and they just sat there and talked. I gave them extra work that the teacher had out in case they finished, but they just scribbled on it like it was a joke and said they were done. The teacher said they could talk quietly or listen to music on their phones while working, but what do I do if they refuse to work? I didn't know what to do, and I felt so stupid not being able to take control of the class. I almost had a thought to call someone in the office to come talk to them. I told one boy who was talking very loud, disrupting others around him, and not working at all on anything, that I was going to write a note to his teacher about him. He said with a shoulder shrug, "Well, I'm already in trouble, so what is the point in doing anything now. I probably should work, but..." This rude and disrespectful behavior gets under my skin, and I felt totally helpless in that classroom. I couldn't wait for the period to end.

I had a free period and then the 7th graders back again for the last two periods of the day. They were to watch a National Geographic movie and answer some questions about what they saw. Besides for a few reminders when they were making too many comments during the movie, they really did well and it was a good, more relaxing end to my day. I was glad to finally have a job as a regular classroom teacher, but I think I need to stick with elementary kids where I feel more comfortable and have more experience on how to manage a classroom. It's difficult for me to walk into someone else's class when I don't know the kids or how they run their classroom. I always had pretty clear expectations of my students, was pretty strict in following through with consequences, and kept pretty tight control over their behavior. So, it's hard for me to be in classrooms where students are talking instead of working and where I feel out of control.

I felt exhausted and discouraged Friday afternoon when I got home from subbing, but I was glad to have the distraction of my dad and brother coming to visit for the weekend. They arrived at our house around 5:30, and Samantha and Aedan were so excited to run out and greet them. Samantha took them right downstairs to show them her new book that she got from the book fair, and then we gave them a tour of our house. It was fun to have Matt here as he hadn't see where we lived or even been in the U.P. before. We spent the evening hanging out and talking, and after the kids went to bed Ben took Dad and Matt on a tour around campus and over to where you can see the lights on the International Bridge.

Saturday morning was more relaxed, just allowing everyone to spend time with and play with Grandpa and Uncle Matt. Then, we got ready for the kids' first ice skating lessons. Samantha was super excited, and Aedan was too, but he didn't really know what he was in for. Aedan's lesson was from 11:00-11:30, and Samantha's lesson was from 11:00-12:00. We arrived at the ice rink with plenty of time to get situated and get the ice skates laced up.  Aedan was a little unsure about his ice skates because he's never worn anything like that on his feet before. He only had one other little boy in his class, which was good because Aedan doesn't even know how to stand up on his skates yet, so he needs a lot of one-on-one attention. At first he really was not a fan because whenever his teacher stood him up, his feet would slide out to the side, wider and wider until he couldn't stand up anymore, and then he would fall down on his bottom. It didn't take long before he started crying, and after a little while I decided to go out on the ice with him for a little while to calm him down some. I figured the first lesson would be rough, but I know he will really like it when he learns, and Aedan thinks it would be pretty awesome to play hockey some day, so he has to learn how to ice skate to play hockey.

Samantha, on the other hand, remembered fairly quickly how to get around on the ice. She fell down a lot of course, as did all the kids. It took her a little while to remember how to use both feet, and she did better when she actually paid attention to what she was doing instead of what everyone else was doing. However, I was proud at how much she remembered since she hasn't been on skates since last Spring. The biggest thing is that we want her to try and work hard, and she definitely did that. She was busy skating for the entire hour, and most importantly, she had a good time. She really enjoys ice skating, and I'm so glad that we found something athletic that she has motivation to pursue. Plus, ice skating is the perfect sport to be interested in in the U.P. because it seems like everyone ice skates, and there are many ice skating rinks open during the winter around town. Here are some pictures and videos of skating lessons that morning.

Overall, I think our first day of ice skating lessons went well. Our goals for next week's lesson is for Samantha to make sure to use both feet and to pay attention to herself and not others, and for Aedan to get through the lesson without crying. I think Grandpa and Uncle Matt enjoyed watching them skate, too.

Saturday afternoon, Ben and I were blessed to be able to go on a date together. My parents always have a standing offer to babysit our kids when they come visit so that Ben and I can go out. We bought tickets for the Pictured Rocks Cruise. We heard that it was beautiful and wanted to experience it, but we knew it was something the kids would not enjoy. So after getting the kids down for their naps (even though Samantha ended up only sleeping like 20 minutes), Ben and I bought some Jimmy John's to take with us for dinner and some Biggby coffee for the road. The boat tour was about two hours from our house, so we had a nice drive to just sit and talk, uninterrupted, something that we never get to experience when traveling with our kids. We got there in plenty of time to get on the boat for our 5:15 cruise. We chose seats on the top so that we could have a better view and ate our sandwiches while we waited for the boat to take off. I was hoping for a sunnier day, but at least it didn't rain at all during our boat ride, so that was a plus. We dressed warmly, and I brought a blanket along with me to help keep me warmer, and I was so glad I did because it got pretty chilly once the wind started blowing as the boat sailed across the water.

The driver of the boat gave short explanations of what we were seeing and had a pretty quirky sense of humor, so it was a fun experience. The colors on the rocks were created by deposits from various minerals. Different minerals left different colors, and it was beautiful. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is something that you can only really see by boat, and there were so many amazing rock formations and rainbows of colors streaked across the rocks. We have a lot of pictures, so bear with me, but you can live vicariously through me in case you never get up to the U.P. to go on this cruise. :)

My favorite part of the cruise, by far, was when we drove into a small cove. The captain of the ship stopped the boat in the cave, and we just bobbed along in the water for a few minutes. It was so cool to see the rocks up close, and I was impressed by the skills of the captain to keep us in this narrow place without hitting the rocks around us.

Once we reached the halfway point and our boat turned around, Ben and I decided to go sit downstairs where it was warmer. They even had heaters under the seats, which was nice. We enjoyed seeing everything again on the way back to the dock, but in the comfort of the inside where it was easier to carry on a conversation as well. I had a wonderful time on this boat cruise, and I'm so glad we decided to do this for our date. The cruise lasted two and a half hours, which is much longer than the kids would have had patience for, not to mention the two hour drive there and back. We saw some beautiful country, and I had great company, too. I love going on dates with my hubby. :)

We got finished with our boat cruise around 7:45, stopped at a local coffee shop to get some coffee to go, and then drove the two hours back home. Our timing was perfect because just as we headed to the car, it started raining and continued to rain the whole way back home. However, being on our own for this adventure made it so much better. Again, Ben and I were able to carry on a conversation, and it was so good to actually have the time to have a heart to heart about our future, about our decision to enter into fostering, and about my deep sense of sadness and confusion over not being able to have a child of our own to be preparing for right now. I think it was one of the first times that I truly expressed my feelings that sometimes are overwhelming to me, and it felt so good to have them out in the open so Ben could understand more of where I'm coming from and how to move forward. I also got more of a glimpse into how our issues with infertility have impacted him. It was such a good, deep conversation, one that we rarely have time to get into when at home with our kids or checking off things on our to-do list. We were blessed by this date in so many ways.

On Sunday morning Ben and I thought about going to first service and then having Grandpa and Uncle Matt bring the kids for second service, since Ben and I were signed up to lead small groups in the children's ministry at church. However, after a later night, we felt like sleeping in more on Sunday, so we took advantage of our opportunity. We all went to church together, dropped the kids off, and Ben went to teach the 4th and 5th graders while I went to teach the 1st graders. It was our first time volunteering in the children's ministry at SWC, but everything was laid out really well in the lesson plans that were provided for us. I was pretty comfortable dealing with 1st graders and had a small group of about 5 girls that were generally well-behaved. I also had a junior high girl as a helper. We do about fifteen minutes of an introductory activity, then we go into the large group room for the story and worship, followed by going back to our small group for activities to discuss the story and reinforce the main idea. I felt pretty well prepared except for the fact that I didn't know we had to provide our own materials for the lesson. I had the worksheets and papers cut out and prepared, but I assumed the other extra materials would be provided. Luckily, the kindergarten small group leader was prepared, as she has served in that room a lot, and she let me join up with her for one activity that I wasn't prepared for. Overall, the morning went well, and I really enjoyed leading the 1st grade small group. I was a little hesitant to volunteer at first because I didn't want to over commit ourselves right away. Our weeks are pretty busy with Ben teaching late classes and Samantha starting kindergarten, but I have felt very convicted lately that I need to stop making excuses of why I can't serve and get involved. I need to think more of others and less of myself, and the best way to do that is to give of myself and serve, to put others' needs above my own. I'm looking forward to getting to know the 1st graders more as we serve every week for a month, then have a month off, and then another month on.

We had Samantha take a nap on Sunday afternoon after coming home and eating lunch together with Grandpa and Uncle Matt. Our main reason for having her take a nap was because Ben got tickets for all of us to go to the first LSSU hockey game that evening. Ben gets tickets for free since he is faculty, and tickets for the rest of us only cost $6 each. We were excited to experience our first Laker hockey game. This one started at 5:00, so we headed over a little before to find our seats and figure out what type of concessions they had. They were handing out free hot dogs on the way in that were leftover from a cook-out they had earlier, so we took them up on their offer of free food. Ben got tickets in the first row right behind the goal. They were great seats, and the kids were really excited for the game to start. Our kids only keep their interest in something for so long, so after a little while they started to get wiggly. We walked around after the first period and figured out what other food we would eat to round off our dinner. (We had a very healthy dinner of hot dogs, popcorn for the kids to share, a pretzel with cheese for me, and a piece of pizza for Ben. But hey, it's okay to have a dinner like that every once in a while, right?)

There were enough things throughout the game, like music to dance to, Seamore the mascot out on the ice, and throwing hockey pucks onto the ice, that the kids stayed pretty interested for most of the game. Around 7:00 when the game was almost over, we decided to head out early because Grandpa offered to treat us to ice cream. I think Grandpa and Matt really enjoyed the game as well, and it was a good idea for Ben to get tickets for them, too.

We tried to go to an indoor ice cream place, but it was closed, so we had to settle on Dairy Queen. The kids didn't mind though. Ice cream is ice cream in their mind. However, it was a bit chilly that evening to be standing outside eating ice cream, so we had the kids sit in the back of the car to eat their swirl ice cream with sprinkles. Then, it was time to get back home and get the kids to bed.

Monday was the day Grandpa and Uncle Matt had to head back home, so Samantha made sure to say good-bye before she left for school. They planned on leaving around noon, so Aedan and I had plenty of time to hang out with them in the morning before they had to leave. We decided to take them on a driving tour of our town, showing them Sherman Park, Samantha's school, the downtown area, and ending at the Soo Locks. Uncle Matt had never seen the locks and thought it was interesting to see the little tour boat raising up on the water and then exiting the locks. We showed them the park and fountain before heading back home so they could get on the road.

Aedan was a bit of a stinker on Monday morning with lots of testing, asking why, crying, and giving him time outs. It seems like he has been in a bit of a funk lately and has been extra tired. I don't know if he's teething or if he has a cold, but his naps have been a little shorter than usual and sometimes he will even wake up crying in the middle of them, which isn't normal for him. I do feel like his behavior might be changing though as he gets closer to 2 1/2. He throws more temper tantrums than he used to, says no and why more often, and gets really upset if you make him do something he doesn't want to do. He is definitely a two year old and has been a little bit more work to deal with lately. We want to make sure we are being consistent in addressing his behavior, which sometimes is harder than other times. Life is always an adventure with little ones around the house. Never a dull moment.

(Blog about September 27-October 3, 2016)