2013: Week in Review {Week 3}

January 17, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

This week has been fairly uneventful. School has been normal and the schedule this week was much more manageable than last. We have one more week of art lessons for this school year. The girls love them so much, but they really throw a wrench into the weekly schedule so I tend to be pretty happy when they’re over.

In spite of the slower schedule this week, my Christmas decorations are still up. Bleh. We did at least haul the boxes up from the basement to put the away in. Maybe that will motivate me to actually take them down soon.

Tomorrow I am supposed to run a half marathon. I signed up for it in October at the urging of a friend. It was supposed to help me build miles and stay in shape over the winter. Turns out it did neither. My longest run so far is six miles and that was about two months ago. I ran four miles on Monday and thought my legs were going to be paralyzed that night. I am going into this with as laid back an attitude as I can muster and am telling myself that my only goal is to finish without injuring myself. And I plan on walking. A lot. Fortunately, my running partner for this one is one of the sweetest doctors I know, so dying shouldn’t be an issue. Hopefully.

Go ahead and take a look at the elevation chart. Why this thing is not run the opposite direction, I don’t know. Other than there is something inherent to most runners about needlessly punishing ourselves simply for the sake of saying “I did it.” Although, the longer I look at it, I guess it’s a pretty wicked route either way. At the very least, I’ll be able to mark this one off my bucket list. However, I would really like someone to explain to me why almost every half marathon I look at ends with some sort of uphill finish? It’s just cruel. I should also just stop looking at elevation charts. They always mess with my head. But it’s like watching a train wreck. You know you shouldn’t look, but you just can’t help but look. And that’s kind of what it will be like if you see me “running” tomorrow – a train wreck. Ha! Kidding. Mostly.

I have so many thoughts and ideas rolling around in my head. Things to share on, things to do. I’m still so excited about this year. Except for tomorrow. I’m not as excited about tomorrow. 😉

That’s it for me. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you spend it doing something you love, praising God in all things.

For His Glory ~

2014: Week in Review {Weeks 1 & 2}

January 11, 2014 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Eleven days into the new year. We’ve made it through the first full week of real life. As I shared (and others echoed) on the Facebook page last night, this week was a tail-kicker. The holiday break was much-needed and so refreshing, and everyone was enjoying it so much, I think it was hard to get our heads around school and structure and getting out of our pajamas again. And the fact that we hit the ground running from day one, rather than the normal ease-in, I think affected things too. And while I did enjoy my beloved tortilla chips yesterday, I resisted the urge to hide in my closet while eating them.

In spite of the busy and the tiring, it’s been a wonderful start to the year. Goals and plans are laid out. Personal and family challenges are set forth. We are striving to memorize more Scripture, be more intentional / affectionate / encouraging, spend more time as a family and less mindless time on screens. The goal is not perfection but progress, that by the end of the year we will have reset some default behaviors and change what we are characterized by. It’s going to be a good year. But not because of our plans or hopes or goals, but because God is in it with us, going before us. And He may derail our plans and take us on a new, wild, unexpected journey this year. And it may be hard and exhausting and nothing like what we are praying for, but we can trust Him in all of it. And as much as I love to look at my list of goals and the plans I have made, I have to continue to hold it all loosely because things can change quickly and obedient trust is the only way to follow Jesus in this unpredictable world we live in.

And the joy hunt continues into the new year, as I still count those 25 “days” of joy…..

Joy Find #17 – Snow Ice Cream

In the midst of the Polar Vortex last weekend, some of the girls enjoyed all of the snow and the cold that came with it. The rest of us did not. But, we did all enjoy a little snow ice cream….

Joy Find #18 – Wonder

I finished my first book of the year. Category – Kid’s Pick. My kids often tell me I need to read this book or that, but because my reading time is so limited and our reading tastes are so different, I rarely get around to it (although I’m trying to do better!). My 5th and 6th grader read Wonder last semester for a literature class and both insisted I had to read it. I’m so glad I did! I struggled to get into it at first, but quickly found I couldn’t put it down. It’s a beautiful story and every one should read it. A particularly powerful tale for that middle school age about the power of kindness.

I especially love this quote near the end….

If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than necessary – the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.

Joy Find #19 – Daddy Dog Pile…

Need I say more?

Joy Find #20 – Pretty little flowers at the end of an ugly day…..

From my beloved who knew I needed a pick-me-up.

That’s it for me this week. May your weekend be blessed, my friends!

For His Glory ~

2013: Year in Review

December 31, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

As we prepare to say farewell to 2013 and welcome 2014 tonight, it only seems fitting to look back one more time on this super-crazy-good year…

2013 started with me just so thankful that the holidays were over. Thanksgiving and Christmas without Amania last year was indescribably difficult, and for the first time I can remember, I was just happy it was over. We rolled right on through January and February waiting for news, and in March our answer came – our girl was coming home!

But, first – one last vacation as a family of six to our favorite ranch in Colorado – Lost Valley!

It snowed and it was cold and Matt was sick and exhausted and in some ways the trip was a forecast for our whole year – good, but not easy, but like everything else, I’m so glad we did it.

Just a few short days after that, Matt and I packed up to head to Haiti to bring our girl home….

And then the process of adjusting to this new family member began. Everyone did amazingly well and it wasn’t long really before she felt like just another one of our girls. It has been a continual process in some areas, and will be for some time, I’m sure; but we are blessed in how easy, all things considered, the transition has been.

And then it snowed. In May.

And then, because our lives were just too normal (???), we decided to buy a new (to us) house. And so, what was meant to be a relaxing summer of bonding and recovery turned into an insanely busy summer of packing, home repairs, moving, showings, inspections, closings, unpacking, painting, and more. I’ve never been so happy to see a summer end and a school year begin, just so we could have some structure to our lives again! But, it was totally worth it.

out with the old…..

in with the new(er)….

And all that crazy ended up pushing me over the edge and I faced a season of depression I haven’t seen in years. And God, in His great wisdom and mercy, introduced our family to essential oils and we have become completely committed to this crazy, oily way of life. And because of my (sometimes excessive) transparency, I have been blessed with the opportunity to share oils with many old and new friends and watch them also find healing in these seemingly simple treasures.

In August we started a new school year and we settled in a bit and since then we’ve helped organize a race and had friends visit and taken road trips and celebrated birthdays and life has been beautiful.

And we played soccer and we played volleyball and I got a tattoo to remind me that hope is that anchor for the soul that gives the heart wings.

And Thanksgiving and Christmas came again and everything was different because everything has changed. And two years ago I never would have guessed I could be happier than I was then and a year ago I never would have guessed what a year would bring and today I wouldn’t change a thing.

And a video, just for fun, because watching Amania open her “big gift” as we call it, on Christmas morning, was absolutely priceless….

(click the photo and it will take you to the video in a new window)

As we prepare to say farewell to 2013 and welcome 2014 and I look back on this crazy year, I can’t help but have a heart full of thanks for God’s faithfulness, mercy, and goodness. His love never fails.

Looking forward to a new year of adventure with my favorite people and following God wherever He may lead us.

For His Glory ~

Joy Find #16 – another year of God’s unending faithfulness and love

Week in Review: 2013 {Weeks 44 & 45}

November 9, 2013November 9, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

So the past two weeks consisted mostly of holding down the fort while Matt prepared to go to Haiti and holding down the fort while Matt was in Haiti. 🙂

I truly don’t mind being the anchor at home (most of the time), especially for things like this. It’s good to hear him excited and energized again about something that is dear to us all.

While he was gone we took a little “fall break”. We really hadn’t had much of a break since we started in August, so I’d say we were due. The girls still had outside classes they were responsible for, so it wasn’t a full-scale vacation, but it was a much-needed deviation from the norm. We had a Marvel movie marathon and then had mornings when we could actually sleep in. I listened to my girls bake together and play together (for hours and hours). They went outside and enjoyed some fall beauty and we all just slowed down a bit. I was able to accomplish a few little “projects” and most of all, spend some time focusing a little more on my girls and a little less on pushing them to stay on task. It was kind of like summer, except for the falling leaves outside.

Here are some photos from the past few weeks for your viewing enjoyment, and because I’ve been really lax in the photo department….

This fall…it’s been one of the prettiest I can remember….

My trip last month with Chandler….

Sandwich making – Haitian style. And a little of my girls’ creativity this past week….

One of my projects for the week….

And, just because it was a little bit windy here today….

That’s it for us. Matt got side-lined in Fort Lauderdale tonight (Friday). Lord willing, we’ll be driving to KC on Saturday to pick him up. We’re all very ready to see him. All the girls have missed their daddy, but Miss A particularly so.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

For His Glory ~

Week in Review: 2013 {Weeks 40, 41, 42, & 43}

October 28, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

I’m fairly certain I should have just named this series “Month in Review” this year. I logged on last night and couldn’t believe it had been nearly a month since I’ve posted. I marvel at how quickly the time goes, yet it frustrates me that some things that are important to me are taking such a huge back seat right now. But God knows and sees and someday the time will be there when He wants it to be.

That said, October has been a busy and fun month. We wrapped up soccer and volleyball seasons. It was fun to watch Amania and Grace grow and improve in their respective sports and we’re all already looking forward to next year.

I picked up my running again. It is needed and it is time. I registered for a local half marathon in January, so I’m hopeful that will keep me ~~scared~~ motivated enough to run even during the busy holiday season.

Chandler and I went on her ten year trip to Minneapolis. We had a wonderful time away. I am thankful to have the opportunity to take each of our girls (so far) on these trips. In our busy family it’s hard to find one-on-one time and it is so needed as they transition into these pre-teen years. It has been a blessing for each of our girls so far and our relationship has been strengthened each time. We visited the Como Zoo, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and (of course) the Mall of America. Chandler got most of her Christmas shopping done and we still managed to spend most of twelve hours on Saturday at the amusement park inside MOA. It was soul-nourishing, even if it did mean a trip to the chiropractor when I got home.

While I was gone, Matt painted our main floor living room. No more Florida-Retirement-Home-Peach. Now it’s a soothing, beautiful charcoal grey. Love!

This past weekend we set up a fire pit here at the new house. We’re a little late getting it started this year, but I’m hopeful we will be able to use it some this season and at least it will be in place for next year.

We also finished Ellie and Amania’s room! At least we’re calling it finished. I know myself well enough to know there will be details and tweaking and changing, but for my mind’s sake, we are moving on!

Pictures of all of these things would be nice, but I’m not messing with that today. Otherwise, it may be another week before this post actually gets published.

I think that’s it around here. I’m trying to think of fun (and simple!) ways to celebrate Halloween this year. We’re not dressing up or trick-or-treating, but I’d like to do something special with the girls, so if you have any ideas, send them my way! 🙂

Have a great week, friends!

For His Glory ~

Weeks in Review: 2013 {Weeks 36, 37, 38, & 39}

September 29, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

The past few weeks have been filled with many wonderful memories and opportunities.

The month kicked off with any fall activities that hadn’t started yet, starting. We began writing classes, ballet, and choir, in addition to our existing volleyball, soccer, and art schedule. Those who think home schoolers aren’t socialized need to spend a week in the life of a home school mom. The biggest challenge is being HOME to do the SCHOOL, especially in the years before you have a driving-age teen. So, for now, we do this….

{This is where you’ll have to imagine a picture of Grace doing school in the back of my SUV. That photo is currently sitting on my waterlogged iPhone, unable to be retrieved. 😦 }

We celebrated my birthday in early September by doing school, going to volleyball practice and a soccer scrimmage, and then enjoying Subway and brownies at home. Since our oldest is thirteen and this is the first birthday that’s been spent doing kid activities, I figure we’ve done pretty well. Matt and I did celebrate a couple of weeks later by going to one of our favorite places in Lawrence and discussing our budget and (more) kid’s activities. Clearly, we’ve lost our touch when it comes to celebrating birthdays. 🙂

All kidding aside, I never fail to be blessed by my generous kiddos and husband who do sacrifice and go out of their way to make every birthday special – not only mine, but each other’s too. We’ve got a pretty fantastic crew running around over here.

The first two weeks of September were defined by helping with a local obstacle race benefiting Amania’s orphanage. This was our second year being part of that event, and while it’s a lot of work, it’s something everyone enjoys being part of and lots of great memories were made.

We were blessed to have friends from Minnesota drive down to do the race and stay with us. What a great time we had – all fifteen of us(!) – that weekend.

On Friday this past week, I had a mini-Mama-meltdown. In spite of oils and supplements and whatever I tried, I could not get my stress and anxiety under control. Too many balls in the air and never enough time to deal with them all was making me crazy. And as I ranted to my mama that afternoon, she flat out told me what I needed to hear – I expect too much of myself. With five kids and their schedules and home schooling and the house and a husband who works more than average and all the feeding and errands and laundry and life, it’s no wonder I sometimes feel like it’s a matter of just keeping everyone fed and some semblance of order going in our home day after day after day. And while I didn’t want to hear what she said, and while the never getting ahead gets old, she was right. As I give grace to others when life throws them a curve ball and they can’t meet some expectation, I must also give grace to myself – because this life God has blessed me with is still a giant curve ball compared to what I envisioned and the process of becoming who He is making me into is always stretching, always growing, always being refined. But the person I am now compared to the person I once was is worth the sacrifice. And I know that by His grace, He will continue to make me more like Jesus through all of this every day crazy.

So that about sums up our September. More words are in the works as I continue to find my voice again.

For His Glory ~

Week(s) in Review 2013 {Weeks 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35}

September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Again, yikes. Another month has slipped by with little to no posting. Let’s see if I can hit the highlights on August….

We celebrated the beginning of a new era in our home – the teenage years. Grace turned 13 earlier this month (a longer post on that in the near future). She and Chandler (turned 10 in June) both had birthday parties this month also. It was fun to have their friends over to hang out and celebrate. It’s also nice to be at a stage where sleepovers / parties are actually fun, and not just a ton of work for mom.

^ Chandler’s birthday sleepover. She and her friends had a lot of fun tie-dying shirts.

^ Grace’s birthday. Our “1” candle was in a pretty sad state, so we came up with a different way to count to 13.

We went Back to School on the 5th. I normally don’t ever start on a Monday, always a Tuesday (Monday’s are hard enough, and it makes the first week shorter 🙂 ), but we were all so ready we went ahead and started on a Monday this year. It’s always a transition getting back into the groove, but this first month has been really good overall. Here’s a quick overview of what we’re using this year (in case anyone is curious):

Grace, Emma, and Chandler are using Sonlight for Bible, history, and literature.
Grace, Emma, Chandler, and Ellie are all using Teaching Textbooks for math. We loooove Teaching Textbooks!
Grace is taking science (Apologia Physical science), writing (IEW), another literature class, art, and worldview (Apologia Who Is God) outside the home.
Emma and Chandler are taking science (Apologia Astronomy, writing (IEW), another literature class, and art outside the home. They are also supplementing their language arts with Daily Grams for their grade level.
Ellie is using A Beka streaming for most of her subjects, along with Sonlight history and reading. Since we are using Teaching Textbooks and I prefer it over the A Beka math, we fast forward through that portion of each day. Shhh! Don’t tell! She is taking science (Apologia Astronomy), art, and “histography” (history and geography in one) outside the home.
Amania is also using A Beka streaming for kindergarten. God bless the people at A Beka Academy for providing this service and my husband for being willing to pay for it. Kindergarten makes me want to bang my head on a wall. (God also bless kindergarten teachers. They are amazing, saintly people.)

Last year when we finally decided to take the plunge and try A Beka streaming, I nearly choked on the price tag. But pulling me out of the teaching position and allowing me to do what I do well (administrate and facilitate and keep up on laundry) has brought us all so much more happiness in our schooling. It’s not something I want to do forever, but it is a definite sanity-saver in these early years when the teaching is so critical and can be so time consuming.

August also brought the beginning of volleyball for Grace and soccer for Amania. Sports involvement is new for our family of ballerinas, pianists, artists, and the occasional gymnast. Amania’s first soccer game was last week and Grace’s first game was this week. It should be a fun (and busy) fall!

I think that pretty well sums up the past month. I have a lot of words rolling around in my head. I miss writing and photography, but this just has not been the season for either. I’m fairly convinced that when we look back on photo albums in ten years 2012 and 2013 will be “the lost years” for family photo memories. I’m hopeful that September will provide more opportunity to collect words and photos and share them here as life continues to settle into our “new normal”. Until then, have a blessed week, friends!

For His Glory~

Week(s) in Review: 2013 {Weeks 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30}

July 27, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

*composed yesterday but never hit publish….here’s this week’s edition of Week in Review…

Uh, whooops. It appears I fell a tad behind on weekly updates. Yikes. I wish I could tell you exactly what happened each and every week, but I can barely remember yesterday, so going back six weeks is going to be dicey. So, basically, I should just recap our summer.

We moved.

(Have I mentioned that before?)

That has pretty much summed up and consumed our entire break. Half of me is super-thankful that we did this when school was out. The other half is slightly embittered that I had zero summer break. But, it’s all good. We’ve made the most of being pool owners and the girls have been in the pool nearly every single day since we bought the house. And this week we’ve tried to do a few little fun things, like getting Hawaiian Shave Ice (a once a year summer treat) and going to the Art Lab. We have one week left before we settle back into something resembling a routine and I’m hoping to cram in a few more “summer fun” type events before it’s all said and done.

Speaking of back to school, I have never felt more unprepared ten days out than I do this year and I have little internal motivation to change that. It’s a tad ridiculous. Maybe school supply shopping next week will help inspire us all. Isn’t that the best part of back to school anyway?

As far as the new house goes, we are pretty well completely unpacked. One very intimidating room remains. It has become the dumping grounds for all hard-to-place items and it’s going to take some time to weed through it all. However, the unfinished part of our basement looks fabulous and I love just walking in there and seeing how clean and organized it is. Stage two will involve going back through many of the rooms and organizing everything that just kind of got thrown into a drawer or cabinet in the name of getting things out of boxes. And then there’s the painting and redecorating….someday.

We closed on the sale of our old house today and if circumstances had been different I would have been much more sad. As it is, though, I feel somewhat relieved now that it’s all over. I went back one last time today, cleaned it well and said my good byes. I’m so sentimental and I loved that old house so much, it was good for me to do that.

Moving has been an interesting experience. We lived in our last home for nine years. I like to put down roots. I get attached to places and things. As I walked through the old place this morning so many memories came back as I stopped and reflected – good memories and not so good ones. And I’m thankful for all of them. I’m also thankful for this opportunity to have a new start as a family. It seems fitting that we decided to make a house change right after we made a major family change. It seems like a new chapter in our lives, a turning of a page, and the start of something even more wonderful.

For His Glory ~

Week in Review {2013: Weeks 23 & 24}

June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

The past two weeks have gone by in a wild blur. Our oldest daughter had her (and possibly our) busiest week of the summer with a full week of non-stop youth group activities. Three had swim lessons. And we closed on our new home and began moving our boxes over and painting. And that was just last week.

This week was more box-schlepping, more painting, more swim lessons, and a day camp for the Middle. Our kids have never slept as well as they have the past two weeks.

Tomorrow we officially open the door on a new chapter of our lives – it’s moving day! Because our mid-town home hasn’t sold yet, we plan to leave the first floor “staged” with some of our furniture, so we won’t be completely finished. But we will begin to live, eat, and sleep in our new place as of tomorrow. And beginning Sunday (deo volente!) I plan to put on the brakes for our family. Our schedule opens up. We will live in one house instead of strung out between two. The pressure will (hopefully) be off a bit. And I intend to help us slow down and reclaim our summer and our sanity a little bit. When I am longing to make a menu plan and grocery list, go grocery shopping, and make regular meals, then we know it’s time to find our rhythm again.

We’ve been so blessed, particularly this week, by the help given by so many – our girls, who have worked incredibly hard helping us pack and move and unpack and more; our families who have been helping me pack this week and who will help us move tomorrow; and friends who have helped clean, move, and unpack, drive kids around, and provided dinner, and will help more tomorrow; not to mention all the prayers on our behalf. God is good and we are blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people.

That’s about it for us. Hopefully I’ll be able to share some photos of the new place as we get settled in the coming days/weeks. May your weekend be blessed and full of God’s good gifts.

For His Glory ~

Week in Review: 2013 {Week 22} – And Some Honest Thoughts from an Adoptive Mama

May 31, 2013May 31, 2013 / Sara Vincent / 2 Comments

Oh this week. It’s Friday. May has lingered long, and this week has lasted longer, and the mother guilt weighs heavy this week. And to even speak what weighs down seems unthinkable. For it seems that with our Haiti girl I’m not supposed to get tired or frustrated or discouraged. Because things are going so well when they could have gone so wrong. And I realize that. That things are going better than I ever hoped at this point. But our girl, she’s six, acts like she’s four, and has the verbal skills of a two year old. And I’m plain worn out. And sometimes it feels like such an overwhelming gift to have her here and sometimes it feels like I’m babysitting someone else’s kid. Indefinitely. And lately, I just want to hide from it all.

Perhaps some other mama, adoptive or not, can identify. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this emotionally isolated, this mentally alone. Probably since I last had a two year old. Add in moving and all that means for a family of seven and I’m ready for lengthy trip somewhere very far away.

And I listen over and over again to Jason Gray and his album A Way to See in the Dark and so many songs speak deeply, but this one puts words to feelings we struggle to articulate…

I’ve spent some days looking
For a length of rope
And a place to hang it
From the end of my hope
But where I thought hope had ended
I always find a little bit more

……

My heart is not lifted up
My eyes are not lifted up
But calm and quiet is my soul
Like a child with its mother is my soul

After a while in the dark
Your eyes will adjust
In the shadows you’ll find
The hand you can trust
And the still small voice
That calls like the rising sun
Come

And bring your heart
To every day
Run the risk of fearlessly loving
Without running away
You must run the risk of fearlessly loving
Without running away

Jason Gray, Without Running Away

And here I sit, quietly waiting for God to do a miracle in my heart and move me from where I am now.

But God is good and it will all be worth it and He writes redemption and He restores and He is doing something amazing here and I’m blessed to be a part of it. And I really am thankful, even in the midst of the tired and worn. Because it is a gift. But it isn’t easy. As one introspective child said this morning, “Nothing feels the same anymore.” No, sweet girl, it doesn’t. It’s hard sometimes right now, but it’s going to be so much better. Soon.

And I go back to a quote from Pastor Jim and cling to that…

When life is at its darkest – when the Giant Despair has you locked up, and the black raven won’t leave your door, and the demons whisper ‘give up hope’, don’t do it, don’t give up, look up…and say ‘God’. The greatest faith is born in the darkest hour of despair.

For His Glory ~