Big Family Food and Fun: June 28-July 4, 2026

Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 28-July 4, 2026 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: June 28-July 4, 2026

On Sunday morning, we needed to be an hour early to worship. Thank goodness the kids get up around 6:00 no matter how tired they are, haha. :) We ate Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready and we made it on time!

Lunch that day was a perfect summer meal with Bacon, Turkey, Cheese, Spinach, and Tomatoes with Buns to build Subs. Friends brought chips and fruit and everyone raved about this spread!

There were 24 of us gathered that day and the fellowship was sweet.

As soon as we finished eating, we cleared the table and worked together to make 75 PB&Js as Heartlands was handing out lunches to friends in the Atlas community the next day.

Matt and I were blessed to enjoy Community Group with three other couples that afternoon. Then we spent the evening playing with water outside. I baked four Frozen Pizzas for dinner and we ate in the yard. Somewhere in there, the kids had popsicles.

Our night ended with one last water fight in the yard with one of our housemates who was willing to let all the kids chase him and spray him. It was perfect.

On Monday morning, we took Brayden and Kiya to a day camp and left the other kids home with Emma. Auggie had his ABA therapy session, and Emma’s dog, Buddy, helped babysit. :) Matt and I spent some time away at a nearby park to walk and talk.

It was a very hot day, so that afternoon we took the kids to the mall to play in the indoor play area. They ran and jumped and jumped and jumped and jumped.

Back at home, four of the kids had ABA therapy all evening. I had asked Malachi to pick up some fun fireworks from our friends’ tent while he was in York the day before. The kids were very excited to see what he had picked up for us!

While dinner was cooking, I stirred together a double batch of Honey Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups. With this many active kids at home all summer, we are flying through all of the protein snacks I keep making in bulk. I love it!

Dinner was DELICIOUS and a crowd favorite! I had marinated chicken thighs in Italian dressing, then smoked it. Wow the flavor! We ate it with Green Beans, Cream Cheese Corn, Buttered Rolls, and canned Pineapple.

On Tuesday morning, I scrambled eggs and got out sausage patties, cheese, and buns for everyone to build Breakfast Sandwiches. We got started with morning therapies and day camps, then mid-morning I took Acacia and Josie with me to run errands. First we went to Whole Foods to drop off some Amazon returns. The girls were so happy to hold the merchandise and help me with the process.

Then they got to go to Aldi with me. Overall they did very well, even if, by the time we were finished loading the cart, I was reminded why I prefer to shop without kids in tow.

It was an extra large cart full that day as we got stocked up on milk, granola, and lots of fruits and veggies.

Back at home, Matt had finished off ABA therapy with Auggie and started getting the four kids at home changed into swim clothes. We put away groceries, threw together a picnic, and headed to the zoo for an outing.

It was lunchtime so our first zoo event was a picnic of meat, cheese, crackers, fruit, and a Danimals treat. I had picked up zoo plates at Wal-mart several weeks ago so that was a fun surprise for the kids to enjoy!

We went to visit the giraffes after we ate.

Then we headed over to the water, which was our ultimate plan for the day. It was a HOT one so we expected that lots of other kids would be there too. As it turns out, we had the place almost to ourselves. This meant that everyone played and stayed calm for a good solid hour – a miracle! What a gift.

What happens after kids play in water? They get hungry again. Before heading home, we got all the food back out and had round 2 of lunch.

 

Matt picked kids up from camps while I quickly threw together dinner. Then Kiya, Acacia, and I went to our weekly Food Distribution.

At dinnertime, Matt finished putting together a Naco Bar with Taco Meat and all the fixings.

I had prepped Strawberry Parfaits so that tasted great right before bed!

Josie had dental surgery bright and early Wednesday morning. Matt was a rock star at home with the other seven kids, with Eva helping get Brayden to his camp when she dropped off Arrow that morning. Josie was very brave as the nursing staff made her feel comfortable. Her wake up and recovery afterward was rough, but we made it home by mid-morning so she could rest.

When we got home, Acacia and Arrow were playing Connect-4 and it was the CUTEST.

Later in the kitchen, Keith and Buddy played catch with Arrow, which produced big smiles and laughs!

Keith helped me take a load of food out to our Little Free Pantry. He loves to move constantly and work hard, so we are always trying to channel this energy for good.

Our friend, Christina, picked up four of the kids to hang out for the afternoon so Josie could continue to rest and recover from her morning. This provided some down time for Matt and me plus quiet time for Josie and Auggie, praise God!

For dinner that night, I made two large skillets full of Simple Skillet Taco Pasta – one regular and one gluten free. I also made a small pot of plain noodles for the kids who only like buttered noodles, plus Salad, Corn, and Fruit options.

We were in full ABA therapy mode by that point with five kids in sessions with their five therapists. Kiya wasn’t feeling well :( poor thing. I took the other two to join with Heartlands at a Popsicles in the Park event held at the Splash Park. Taking only two kids on an outing?? SO EASY.

On Thursday morning, all the kids were home and we decided to take them to a school playground for our outing of the day. Before we left, I packed Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches and Banana Parfaits. (Only six because one kid hates bananas and another kid hates the cream.)

At the playground, Keith and Buddy set up soccer drills to warm up, then played a big game (which included fouls and red cards because have we been watching the World Cup at our house? Yes.).

The others ran around at the playground equipment. Matt and I attempted to take a walk together around the field and only had fourteen interuptions.

Snack time!

Back at home, I had put together Meat and Cheese Burritos with the last of the leftover Taco Meat from earlier in the week. We warmed them up for lunch before moving into ABA sessions and prepping for a trip we were taking over the weekend.

For dinner that night, I boiled eggs and made a bowl of Chicken Salad. Everyone could choose to eat their chicken on rolls, bread, or with crackers. I actually chose to eat mine on slices of cucumber. This meal was so refreshing and good! These peaches were incredible!

Friday morning, we loaded up and headed out of town. I planned to share about our adventures – but I ran out of time on Saturday night. So I’ll tag all that on next week!