My Better Half

Last week, my sweetheart brought home an invitation addressed to Joey & his better half. It was cute, but really Joey is my better half, not the other way around. I could not do what God has called me to without my amazing husband. I watched Joey interact with his nephews and neices while we were engaged and we talked about our plans to have children, but we had no idea what God had in store for us. I was in my first year of teaching in the classroom in South Carolina and I loved it. I was planning for the next school year already when God changed our plans.

Joshua, our first child, arrived 10 months after our wedding. Yes, it was a shock to us, but it didn't take God by surprise. I always knew I wanted to stay home when we had children; I just didn't think it would happen so soon. I was convinced we were going to starve to death if I didn't work. Not only that, but Joey had promised my parents that we would move to Alaska to be near them when we had children. So, without warning, our plans to stay in South Carolina and teach for several years before we started a family changed. We sold as much as we could and gave away the rest. We flew to Alaska with a four month old baby and two suitcases. Joey had found a new job, but we were still waiting for our car and townhouse to sell so that we could build a home of our own in Alaska.

We stayed with my parents until we were able to build our own home. Our daughter was born before the house was finished. We moved into the house with a toddler and an infant and the house was just perfect. Within two years, God sent us another little boy and a big surprise in the form of identical girls . While waiting for our girls to arrive, I was placed on complete hospital bedrest for nearly a month. Joshua was only four years old, Joy was not quite three, and Hudson had just turned one. My parents were wonderful and took turns staying with the children while Joey was at work. Joey is really the hero of this story though. My amazing husband took over everything without hesitation. He woke up and started the laundry, set out breakfast for the little ones and their clothes for the day before he went to work. He worked a full day, then came home, finished the laundry, made dinner, did the dishes, gave baths, and put the kids to bed. He did all of this and more for more than a month. He brought the children to the hospital to visit and encourage me. He even directed music at church without a pianist (since the pianist was being lazy in the hospital during every service.)

What does this complete family history of the Seibers have to do with school and homeschooling? Simply this, I love my calling to be a wife, mother, and teacher and I couldn't do it without him. He is my better half. He works very long days and very long weeks. He does so, often times, with very little thanks. He lives without a lot of the little luxuries in life because I don't work outside the home. He tolerates my classroom taking over the house. He helps cut out my laminating :) I am blessed beyond measure and Joey is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I could not be a stay-at-home teacher without his support and self-sacrifice.