Our First Summer in Alabama (Megan)

I should probably be working on school prep, but instead I'm going to spend a few minutes reflecting on my first summer as an AlabaMama ...

Last spring was a season of unprecedented challenge, upheaval, and transition for our family as we said goodbye to New Hampshire and journeyed to our new home in the deep south.  I have dried many tears (my children's and my own) as we've struggled with the 1200 mile distance between us and everyone we know and love.  Our new southern friends have been as warm and welcoming as we could have hoped for, but there's just no replacing family ties and friendships that have taken decades to build...

On a positive note, I feel that the relationships between the members of our own family unit have become so much stronger since we moved here.  In the absence of my mom and sisters, I have poured out my heart more openly to Stephen.  And our children have had no choice but to become each other's best friends.  I started this summer with a mile long list of projects, many of which were never touched. I consciously decided that the unpacked boxes, paper piles, and "to do" lists could wait, but my family could not.  So I've spent the past 3 months making lasting memories with these dear ones.

The highlight of my summer was a 20 hour getaway with Stephen.  We went to see "Christopher Robin," our first movie date in 6 years, and then spent the night at the Hampton Inn.  Our teens willingly gave up their sleep, caring for inconsolable twin brothers who still think they need to nurse every couple of hours.  It was pure luxury to sleep in, to savor a breakfast I didn't have to make, and to talk without interruption as Stephen and I explored some local trails.  We came home to a cheerful note Siobhan had written before she left for work, letting us know that "the laundry was done, the house was cleaned, dinner was made, and there was a lemon meringue cheesecake in the fridge."

I could not be more thankful for this summer with Siobhan.  When she hasn't been working, she has spent most of her spare time blessing her family.  Many afternoons she encouraged me with a gourmet iced coffee or brought her siblings out for a library program and a Sonic date. She ran countless errands, picked up groceries, organized all of my photos, helped her brother apply for college, and occupied the little ones to give me many sanity breaks.  I have especially enjoyed our early morning jogs and am not quite ready to admit that she'll be returning to Covenant in just over a week.

Ethan, who was my right hand during our entire moving process, is still working diligently to complete the last few weeks of 11th grade.  He has persevered through countless setbacks with an incredible attitude and is completing his coursework with straight A's.  This spring he signed up for a local swim team and, although he was their least experienced swimmer, excelled and just missed qualifying for states by a quarter of a second.  At the end of the season, he was recognized as "the most improved swimmer in his age category."  Swim season is over now, but we are still enjoying swimming laps at the Huntsville Aquatic Center.

A couple of weeks ago Aidan invited me on a bike ride through the most gorgeous country roads of Toney.  We discovered our new favorite route, along ponds and mansions and enormous open fields.  I am still in awe of the acres and acres of crops and the breathtakingly beautiful skies and sunsets.  Aidan's summer has been a "triathlon" of swimming with Ethan, running with Stephen, and biking with me.  In his spare time, he has read the Harry Potter series for the dozenth time, written stories, practiced piano, and mastered chess with some new friends from church.  Aidan is one of the most creative kids I know and excels at pretty much everything he tries.  I can hardly wait to begin our Omnibus journey in just a few more weeks...

My dear Connor is passionately loyal to family.  His best friend in the world is his cousin Lydia, and he has missed her terribly.  For his tenth birthday, Lydia and Elim arranged a flight down here to surprise Connor and visit us for a few days.  He couldn't have been more thrilled!  Connor has been my buddy and extra set of hands on our morning walks with the twins.  I'm so glad that he still holds my hand and takes the time to explain the unique features of every cool car we pass.

Shaila is a source of perennial sunshine in our home.  Her enthusiasm for each day is contagious, and she turns the most commonplace activity into a special occasion.  One of my favorite parts of the day is sitting on the porch, eating popsicles and reading with my sweet girl.  After finishing the Little House series, we started A Little Princess.  I'm so glad to have an excuse to reread the books my mom read aloud to me.

The other day Brandan told me, "I have 19 things on my mind, and they ALL have to do with Grandma!"  Each time I fold laundry, he asks if he can help and tells me about how much fun he used to have folding clothes with Grandma and making her laugh.  They would throw underwear up in the air and catch them on their heads while they counted to 1000.  I'm not sure I can compete with Grandma on this front, but I have LOVED doing summer school with Brandan, my most eager pupil, and watch him take off with reading.  In the craziness of our big family, Brandan has really needed that one on one time with me.  Every now and then he'll stare at me with his wide eyes that are so brown they're practically black.  When I stare back at him and he catches his reflection, he'll announce with delight, "Mom, I'm in your eyes!"

Baxter and Cade remain my greatest source of stress and amusement.  I'm afraid that we've resorted to treating them a bit like puppies, restraining their mischief with gates and locks and leashes.  When they do manage to break free, they will run in opposite directions, laughing hysterically at my inability to catch them.  If I ask which one is responsible for dumping the sugar or eating the toothpaste, they will innocently point to "Ubba Bubba" (aka Other Baby).  As exhausting as it is to wake up with them at night, my mother's heart realizes that this season of babyhood is coming to a close and relishes the opportunity to kiss their soft heads and hold them close.

As I wade through last year's school clutter and gear up for a new year, I find myself reevaluating what really matters.  The schedules and worksheet certainly have their proper place, whether it's front and center on my children's desks or (at the end of the day) in the trash.  When we return to our new routines, I know I'll be tempted to focus more on the importance of our destination rather than the beauty of our journey.  As I savor my last few minutes of leisure, I'm returning to a few quotes from my favorite book by Sarah Mackenzie which has reshaped my mission and redirected my focus as a home educator and mother...

"Teaching From Rest"

“Teaching from rest means we don’t panic when things don’t go according to our plan – in fact, we plan for plans not always to work well.  When I take on the challenge of this day with both hands and trust that we are right where He wants us, that’s when I experience unshakable peace.  Not when the work is all done, the lessons all checked off, the SAT aced, and my child sent successfully to college, proving that I did my job well... 

In fact, unshakable peace is not tied to my success at all.  It’s all tied to faithfulness.  We rest in knowing that if our children grow up to ask us why we did what we did – why we focused on cultivating wonder and curiosity, on learning hard things such as Latin and algebra, why we didn’t fill up our days but focused on living well and gazing on Him – we can answer them with confidence….”

“Do you see?  We must drop the self-inflated view that we are the be-all and end-all of whether the education we offer our children is going to work out.  We are too quick to feel both the successes and the failures of our job as homeschoolers.  Our kids test well on the SAT and we pat ourselves on the back.  They are miserable writers and we scourge ourselves for failing them.  But He never demands that we produce prodigies or achieve what the world would recognize as excellence.  Rather He asks us to live excellently – that is, to live in simple, obedient faith and trust.  He asks us to faithfully commit every day to Him and then to do that day’s tasks well.  He’s in charge of the results…”