2017- A Year of Change (Merry Christmas from the Shearer's!)

There is no doubt that 2017 was a year of change for our family.

 We started out the year in January with me taking on a new role as a late night (and wee hours of the morning) teacher with  VIPKID.  December 31st will mark 1 year with the company.  I love the job, and especially love my Chinese students.  I have had to adjust my hours with the many life changes that have taken place, but that is the beauty of this teaching position; it is completely flexible and I get to chose when I work, and when I don't.

The next big change came in June when Mark interviewed and accepted a position as a Rehab director in Corning, Iowa.  This was an exciting time for our family, but also very stressful as we had to prep another house to sell and go through that whole process of keeping the house clean with three little ones at home full time.  And even though we were excited to move to a smaller community, it was difficult for us to leave our family, friends, and the only town that either of us have called home. 

The next big change came in August, when we packed up and moved to Stanton.  I was here with the kids for about a month while Mark finished up his last few weeks in Omaha, and Owen also started school during that time.  He was so excited to go and skipped the whole way there the first day.  Today I picked him up from his last day before Christmas break.  He was just as excited to go this morning as he was the first day.  He is doing really well, and has met many new friends.  I am happy to see him doing so well, but I am still anxious to pick him up every day and have him run to give me a hug.  I know soon enough he will be too "cool" for this, so am taking it while it lasts. ;)  His interests right now are battling "Bey Blades" on the playground and anything sports related.  In January he will being doing basketball once a week at the Viking Center. 

Nora was in for a big change when Owen started school, and let me just say it was HARD ON HER.  She had never known anything other than having big brother around, and she definitely adores him.  There were tears the first few days.  She was devastated and would repeat over and over "I miss MY Owen!!"  It was heart-breaking, but we pushed through.  We spent lots of time painting, making messes with play-doh, going for walks, taking trips to the library and before too long she was asking if Owen had school and eagerly say "YES!!!!" when he did.  I have really enjoyed having special one on one time with her while Emmett naps.

Speaking of Emmett.....oh boy.  This little guy is turning my hair gray!  Literally.   He is SO MUCH fun, but SO ORNERY!   His favorite activities these days include banging on things, knocking things over, climbing things, coloring (mostly where he shouldn't), and being an all around happy, silly guy.  He is certainly keeping us on our toes and we are absolutely loving (most) every minute with him!

Mark has now been with Rehab Visions for about 3.5 months. He is really enjoying the job. It is busy, and every day looks a little different.  There have been some adjustments that he has had to make as this is a new role, with management duties included.  Now that he is not working so late, he has been enjoying time at home with the kids.  They are thrilled to have Daddy home to wrestle with and tell all the things that they did during the day.  This fall, Mark also played on a rec basketball league.  After he survived the first week with 2 games back to back, I was a little less worried for him. He had a great time and met some nice guys, but realized he is not as young or in shape as he used to be. 

I have stayed busy this year keeping the little people alive, fed, somewhat clean, and mostly happy. (Ha!) I am so thankful to be able to stay home at this point in the kids' lives.  I get asked a lot if/when I will go back to teaching.   I am not sure the answer to that right now, and I am okay with that.  I feel like I am where I need to be.  I love teaching, and at times miss the classroom and the students I got to work with, but there are so many things that I missed out on in my own kids' lives as a result and for now feel content being there 100% for them.  I have also really enjoyed sewing and have experimented with many different projects this year.  I am not the greatest, but I really enjoy it and have learned a lot. 

The house build began the middle of September and it has been so fun to watch it go from a hole in the ground to actually looking like the house we are going to live in!  The kids are getting excited now that they can see it. 

Although we have settled in to life in Stanton, and have found our new "normal"  I still feel that we are in the "messy stage" of this major change.  We can certainly see the "gorgeous end", but I don't think we will be there until we are moved into our own place.  That is not to say that we are not enjoying the "mess".   We absolutely are. 

God has blessed us this year with so many opportunities, and amazing people. We are thankful for his blessings for that sweet baby Jesus born in the manger on Christmas day!

We hope you all have time to spend with the ones you love this holiday season and time to reflect on 2017. :)   

                                                                                           Love,

                                                                                               Mark, Katie,

                                                                                  Owen, Nora, Emmett, and Daisy

A healthier me.....by 33 AND house update #2.

So after spending my 32nd birthday in the Emergency Room facing a possible blood clot, I was terrified.  I remember joking with the nurse that they couldn't let anything happen to me because my husband is not capable of fixing my daughters hair.  Then I started to cry.  It hit me like a ton of bricks. 

I have spent the last 10 years putting myself last.   I spent years devoting all my time to my classroom and students;  working long hours, and then bringing work home, eating unhealthy, drinking WAY too much caffeine.  Then came kiddo #1, 25 months later #2, 25 months later #3.  With each kid I found myself more and more in "survival mode".  Less sleep, more caffeine.  Less healthy meal choices, more eating standing up as fast as I could.   Not only did I physically not feel well, but I was kind of an emotional mess too.  I started having anxiety that I have never had before. I came across this quote, and it hit the nail on the head for me. 

It was time to make a change and so I began slowly. The kids and I started walking everywhere.  To the park, post office, downtown to pay a bill, etc. (and let me just say, the hills in our new town are NO JOKE! I prayed every time I pushed the double stroller up the massive hill at the end of our walk that no one would drive by and see me struggling...not a little, but about to pass out struggle.   We also started walking the trail here in town in the evenings with Mark.  I then started menu planning again, something I had gotten away from with the chaos of our move.   Recently I have started running the track at the rec center here in town.  I am not going to lie, it's kind of a pain.  I usually go with the two little ones, and end up spending a lot of my time convincing Nora she isn't going to die of boredom and trying desperately to keep Emmett in the stroller. BUT....it has been good. It is good.  It is what I NEED to do for me, and for my family too.








So....I have signed up for my very first 5k. (Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning) Mark assures me it is no big deal, and it is not that far.  I keep reminding him I am not a runner.  I am the girl who dreaded the day when we had to run the timed mile in gym class.  I could walk all day, but running is a whole other ball game.  Mark will be running with me, just in case I keel over.  Ha!  




I know I am not at my best, but I am working at it.  This is about becoming a healthier me, so that I can be the best for my family too.  As a Mom, it is difficult to put yourself first.  I have finally realized that if I don't, I am not giving anyone else my best either.

Now for the exciting stuff......

The kids standing in the basement.  This will eventually be our "movie theater room".

The forms for our basement walls.

                                                                 Walk out basement.

                                                     Mark is standing at our front porch.

                                                 Pouring the walls!  This was fun to watch.

Things are coming along with the house and it has been fun to see things progress.  The kids are starting to get excited too, now that they can see it.  Our little lady can NOT wait to get to have her own pink and purple room. (We will see how she feels that first night without big brother to share a bunk bed with.)

Transitions and House Update #1

New Town/School/Church/Job

      The kids and I have been settled here for about 6 weeks now.  Mark joined us full time 2 weeks ago.  During that time Owen also started school.  It took the kids (especially Owen and Emmett)  some time to adjust to our new surroundings, routines, etc.  This wasn't surprising as Owen is a very structured kid.  He likes to know what to expect and really does best when there is some sort of routine.  Emmett, well he is just not the world's greatest sleeper.  He hasn't been from the beginning, so being in a new environment was definitely difficult for him and his sleeping schedule.  We managed and have really settled in here. 

The front porch of our rental. 

We are so grateful for this rental house.  It is in a great location, close to the school.  We walk down to pick Owen up every day.  It also has a big yard for the kids to play and a patio for them to ride their bikes.  We couldn't really ask for much more.  It is a bit cozy at 1,000 sq feet.  I am glad I made the decision to purge BEFORE we moved!  ;)  The biggest challenge has been one bathroom for the five of us.  Most of the time it is not a big deal though.

Owen is doing well at school.  His class has 26 kids in it, which is one of the biggest classes they have had in a long time.  He has made many new friends and is excited to go to a classmates' birthday party next week.  By the end of the day he is pretty tired, but has started to share more about his day. Mostly he likes PE, recess, and lunch.  No surprise there! 

Nora was very sad to see him go to school the first week.  Tears from her almost every day.  That is not the case anymore.  Just tonight she asked if Owen has school tomorrow.  When I told her that he does, she quickly replied, "YESS!!!"  She has figured out that we get to have some special time together and we have had fun baking, making play-dough, painting in the bath tub, reading stories, and just enjoying time together.  We are always ready to pick him up though!

     I was really concerned about finding a new church that would be a good fit for us here.  It took Mark and I YEARS  to find a church home in Omaha and we really loved it there. (And that was in a city with hundreds of churches.)  Finding a place that fit our beliefs, as well as opportunities for the kids was a top priority.   Once again God provided the perfect church home for us, and it didn't take long to find.  Bonus:  it is literally 600 feet from our front door. (for now)  We walk down the street to church each Sunday.   We knew the moment we first attended a service.  Like I mentioned before, it took us a LONG time to find a church home in Omaha.  During that time we went to a LOT of churches.  Big churches, small churches, different denominations.  Never have we walked into a church and been so welcomed!  Not only us, but our kids.  It was amazing and we are grateful!

       After a week off at home with us, Mark started his job last week.  There is a lot for him to learn as far as the position goes, but he is excited about and says it feels good to get back to a rural setting like he enjoyed in Missouri Valley.  Like anything new, there is a learning curve and it will take time.  But he is very happy and we are even MORE HAPPY to see him walk through the door no later than 4pm EVERY day!  It is so wonderful.  The kids are enjoying having time to play ball and read stories with Daddy every day.  I am enjoying having him around for the chaos of dinner and baths!  Ha. 

 We snuck in as much fun as we could on his week off.  Loved fishing and grilling out a Viking Lake. 

 This is the coolest park I have ever seen.  It is in Corning where Mark's job is.  I am not sure the pictures do it justice, but it is so much fun and definitely a place we will be visiting often! 

    Besides exploring all there is to see in the area, we have enjoyed watching some of the high school sports.  We have been able to go to a volleyball game and a football game.  It is fun because Owen is very interested in the rules of the game and is proud to say that this is his school. 

 HOUSE UPDATE #1!

This building a house business is stressful!  It has taken a lot for us to get through to this point.  Now, that we own the lot, have our construction loan, and are starting,  we are just excited! 

 Official "ground breaking"  (9/17/17)

 Basement is dug! (9/18/17)

    I feel like I need to pinch myself!  Is this really happening?  We are so grateful and excited.  I am sure things will come up, tough decisions will need to be made, there will be stress, and we will feel overwhelmed.  All of this is new, but we could not be more thrilled to set roots here in Stanton.  This house is such a blessing and we hope in some way we can use it to bless others.

Until next time,
Katie 

Goodbye Omaha, Hello Stanton!

Saying goodbye to our house on Saratoga Street. 

Do you know the story of Peter walking on water?? 

That is what moving our family to a new town has been like for Mark and I.   We started off strong in our faith that this decision was what was best for our family and what God had planned.  We forged ahead, fixing up our house, cleaning, PURGING, cleaning, and PURGING some more. (more on the purging thing later. 😉) We had no trouble "walking on water" at this point, just as Peter trusted Jesus and stepped out of the boat to walk on water.   But as the stress of listing our house became more than we could take and the realization that we actually had NO WHERE for our family to live once we did sell our house caused us (mostly me) to lose faith, waiver, and sink, just like Peter did.  I remember one night a couple of weeks ago I had a break down.  I found myself sitting on the empty playroom floor-surrounded by boxes, crying, and asking what in the world have we done?!?  The next evening we got a text message saying a rental house would be available in Stanton EXACTLY when we needed it, way under budget and WOULD TAKE DAISY!! (This is a whole other story, but basically our options up to this point were to re-home Daisy, or be homeless-neither of which seemed like options to me)   In the story of Peter he called out for Jesus as he began to sink and immediately Jesus reached His hand out to help Peter from sinking, and responded “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:31b)  Now I wasn't there, but I am sure Peter felt pretty silly.  Jesus is RIGHT THERE in front of him telling him to have faith and he STILL doubted.  It hit me at this point that we (I) have no reason to doubt!  God's plan has been at work for quite some time in regards to this move and it is pretty incredible how things have come together. 

There have still been bumps in the road, cut up sheets, scratched TV's, tears, kids' acting out, short fuses, and SO MUCH WORK but we are very grateful to have gotten through to this point.  (With the help of some pretty amazing parents and family members! )

So what is next for us.....

      We have signed a years' lease on a perfect rental house.  Plenty of bedrooms, a back yard for the kids to play in, and close to the park and school.  We have purchased a lot on the edge of town and *fingers crossed* will start building our home the first part of September.  Owen is thrilled to have some space to run and explore, climb trees and collect "dinosaur bones"  (AKA: rocks from the driveway)  Nora has said that she likes the city and to go shopping.  Ha!  It may take her a little longer to adjust to country living, but I am sure she will get there.  And Emmett....well, he is just along for the ride and is happy as long as he has his brother and sister close by.

      The lot that our home will be built on. 

As we look ahead at the next year there are still many unknowns and things to work out.  There are still so many opportunities to practice having blind faith and to trust God's plan for our family.   We are excited for this next chapter and will be sure to keep you all posted as things progress! 

Katie