Never thought the day would come. All six kids went back to in-person school, I went back to work and Matt and I realized just how busy we are going to be. Our situation is quite crazy yet very much due to divine planning from our Father! We fell in love with a house on 4 acres with a pond out in Eads before any kids were in grade school, before we knew we were going to adopt school-aged kiddos and before we knew we needed this much space. BUT guess who knew all that…GOD! We live in a part of Memphis that used to be zoned Collierville. We are now Collierville Reserve which leaves us in limbo out here. Collierville forgot about us so we fell into the zoning of Shelby County Schools (formerly Memphis City Schools). Because they needed to find places to put us, we ended up in schools all across the zone which resulted in our kids being placed in four different schools all spread out over Memphis. I am learning that no matter how much we try to make it easy and simple on Matt and I, God’s plan is bigger. I honestly believe He is in control and has each kid where they are supposed to be for the moment. To us this setup seems crazy, but He is using His people to help us. Teachers have been awesome and so intentional! Principals have been so generous and each school has the programs and specialists needed for our specific kid. Here’s how it has played out: We were able to get three kids into the Collierville school system. The preschool program, middle schools and high school are closed to transfer students (even siblings of district kids). We were so grateful to get those three in, but we were placed in the elementary school that is the farthest from our house. It turns out, though, that their school is the most diverse school in Collierville and being a mixed race family—this is exactly what we need! Sending hispanic kids into an all-white Collierville school would have been quite overwhelming and not the best choice. Mia, being preschool-aged, has not yet been granted a spot in Collierville Schools, but we decided a 5-day week school is just the consistency she needs right now so we placed her in our zoned elementary school. The two older ones landed in our zoned middle school and high school—the high school being Germantown. We pass multiple high schools on our way to Germantown. So crazy!
This week was insane, but the new normal for us. Here is what a day in the life of us Memphis Tubinises looks like. Ashley has to be on the bus at 6am because her high school is so far away. Matt and Ashley wake up at 5am to get ready and drive to the bus stop. Today, they went on a practice bike ride to see if Ashley would be comfortable riding her bike to the stop. I am so grateful for a husband who chooses to get up this early so his wife can sleep in a bit (SPOILED!). Isaac has to be in the driveway for the bus to pick him up at 7:30am. At 8:15am, we load the other four kiddos into the car and drive 25 minutes out to Collierville. We drop Israel, Charlee and Levi off at 8:45am before the final bell rings at 9:00. Then myself (or if Matt took them) will drive Mia back to Cordova to drop her off 20-25 minutes in the opposite direction, getting there around 9:12am just as her preschool teacher is walking out to meet us at the curb. If Matt is dropping them off, he heads straight into the office. If I am dropping them off, I sit in the car, take a deep breath and think what I need to do for the day. I still have a very sporadic schedule and still trying to figure out what my days are going to look like. Between cleaning the house of an 8-person family, trying to keep up with laundry for 8 people and now fitting in a job so we can have the extra income our family needs is so overwhelming! Mia will sometimes go to school for a half day, but with me now working she will start staying some days until 3:15pm. At 3:15pm, I start our pick up routine just to get home at 4:30pm, in time for homework and dinner prep to start. Though, I do usually kick the kids outside for a hour if the weather is nice. Matt arrives home, starts cooking immediately and our nighttime routine begins. We end by lying in bed exhausted and try to fit in a Beat Bobby Flay to calm our brains and spend 30 minutes together alone before sleep overtakes us.
Guys, I still believe I am so ill-equipped to handle this life. I am exhausted all the time. I forget what I like to do and when I do have a moment of free time, I don’t know what to do or feel awkward doing something for myself. I cannot handle this life. But because of this, I am fully dependent on Christ for my energy, joy and purpose. I need Him completely, but I think that is why we find ourselves here. This is the life God has called Matt and I into and He knew we would have to fully rely on Him through it. He calls his disciples into a life of purpose, not ease. Well, I accept the challenge, God, but can I get some sleep every once in a while :)!
These are the only pictures I got this week and one is a headshot for work…ha! I’m trying, y’all!
