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Big Family Food and Fun: August 2-8, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 2-8, 2026 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: August 2-8, 2026

Our Sunday started with Breakfast Cookie Bars, of course…

At church that day, I had the honor of sharing a big part of my journey and testimony of God at work in my life as He is helping me overcome worry and people-pleasing. A lot of time and energy had gone into preparing for this. But mostly I got to experience more of God’s teaching, Truth, and goodness as Matt and I prepared this together.

Immediately after our worship service, we enjoyed a sweet “Baby Sprinkle” for Phoebe and her family.

We came home and had a wonderful lunch spread in which people could build a wrap of their choice. We set out Shredded Rotisserie Chicken, bacon bits, shredded cheese,  guacamole, lettuce, and a variety of dressings and dips. We enjoyed chips, fruit, and a delicious cucumber salad on the side, and ice cream for dessert!

There was a sweet crowd of 21 of us, providing lots of good conversation and encouragement.

For dinner that night, we air fried Taquitos and ate them with chips, salsa, queso, and fruit.

Brayden had been at a Christian Camp all weekend, and before heading up to bed, he enjoyed showing Kiya the crafts and pictures he had brought home.

Monday was my birthday! We took four kids to Day Camp, Emma came to stay with the other four, then Matt and I headed to Holmes Lake. We walked around the lake twice, talking and talking and talking. It was amazing!

With one more hour before we needed to be home, we went to Culvers for a birthday treat/lunch date.

Elias and Malorie got back into town that afternoon! We were still waiting for Malachi to get back for my “actual birthday dinner.” But meanwhile, some dear friends had send us pizza gift cards so we invited the kids who were available and we ordered birthday pizza to share that evening.

It might have been my birthday, but Phoebe was the most popular guest when she arrived.

Four kids were having ABA therapy during our dinner – so there was lots of noise and activity. But it was a wonderful evening with family and I loved it!

There was a lot of wedding chatter as Elias and Malorie shared the beginnings of their plans with us!

On Tuesday morning, after I made scrambled eggs for breakfast, I hurried to get a little bit of baking done because we didn’t have anything on hand for me to quickly hand kids who might be in “snack crisis.” I baked Crustless Cheesecakes, Nutella Oat Bars, and Vanilla Cheater Muffins.

I don’t love that these muffins have white flour and sugar. But I DO love that these are full of pumpkin and take no time to make. Those factors redeem the sugar, or something like that. :) The recipe made 18 of these muffins, and they were gone by 3:00 that afternoon. What a great way to eat an entire can of pumpkin puree!

As we were finishing up ABA therapy and lunch that day, suddenly my dearest friend, Charlene, from York walked into the house. WHAT?!?!?! As it turns out, she and Matt secretly planned a coffee outing for my birthday. This was the sweetest surprise!! We headed out to the closest coffee shop and talked, laughed, and cried for two and a half glorious hours!!!!

We arrived back home to this sweet scene. Kelsey had been at Costco that morning and found a ridiculously cheap deal on blackberries and raspberries (plus shorts and socks – she scored big!). The kids had a Berry Picnic, not holding back on eating as many berries as their bellies could hold.

Brayden, Kiya, Acacia, and I went to our Tuesday Food Distribution to serve that afternoon while the other kids were home having ABA therapy sessions.

We’d found a Cheeseburger Casserole in the freezer and that became dinner. This casserole did not look pretty. But it tasted good!

Wednesday was our kids’ final day of camps for the summer! I dropped them off then took advantage of only leaving four kids at home with Matt while I stocked up on groceries. EVERY TIME I grocery shop, I think that surely this haul will get us by for a good long while. Then, the very next week, I’m filling up several carts again. I wonder when I’ll stop being shocked by the amount of food we eat at our house??! (This is a super huge job, but one I very much enjoy, so don’t hear any complaint in what I just said. It’s just shocking and borderline funny to me that we go through so.much.food.)

My first stop was Aldi, where I got a little bit of fresh produce but mostly odds and ends of items we needed for upcoming school lunches, school morning breakfasts, and cooking/baking ingredients. I checked the meat section for pretty red 50% off stickers and was thrilled to find our favorite boneless chicken thighs marked down!! I grabbed all I could and left some behind too. Boneless thighs for $1.50/pound? THANK YOU!

My next stop was Wal-Mart. I’ve found that the best use of my time at this store is to walk through and scan end caps for clearance or sale items. I got some school supplies for super cheap, paper plates on super clearance, a Christmas gift to hide away for Auggie, four packages of brats for less than half price, plus a few regular food items we needed like milk, bananas, and oatmeal.

Finally, I filled a cart at Costco. On my way in, I ran into my precious friend, Angie, from York and we shared hugs, tears, and praise to God for ways He is at work in our families’ lives. That was a huge boost in my day! Then I shopped for sales and needed items to get us through the week and maybe a bit beyond.

We have a huge van and a small car – and I’d driven the car that day so I could fill it with gas at Costco. Did I have enough room in this small car for all of Aldi, Walmart, and Costco? Barely. The trunk, back seat, and passenger side were all completely filled up as I headed home!

All of the shopping took four and a half hours to accomplish! Then, we all worked together at home to get everything unloaded, organized, and put away. This basically took the rest of the day off and on as I had time to continue putting things in their places.

Brayden helped me put sauce on all the discounted chicken before we put it into the freezer. This will make it much easier later when all we have to do is thaw it and put it on the smoker!

He also helped me make another batch of Vanilla Cheater Muffins because these have been incredibly popular with everyone lately!

While he was making those, I put together a Spinach Cake for an additional veggie-treat snack option. Keeping up with appetites at our house is a full time job!

Dinner that night was super tasty! I smoked some Teriyaki Pork Loin from Aldi plus made Cheesy Potatoes, Stir-Fried Veggies, and Strawberry Parfaits.

Thursday was a big day with all eight kids home all day. Auggie had ABA therapy that morning, so we couldn’t plan an outing at that time. The little girls occupied themselves with building a bus in the living room.

Matt took four kids to pick up our Azure Standard order and then to Menards. This picture shows how brave my husband is…

Meanwhile back at home, I spent the entire morning working in the kitchen. I baked a pan of Breakfast Cookie Bars to enjoy the next two Sunday mornings.

The girls were in and out of the kitchen helping me as I worked. We made a huge pan of Chewy Granola Bars.

Then I made three loaves of Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread.

Matt and the older kids finally made it home from their outing so we got our Azure Standard order put away. I’d ordered our favorite tortillas, plus a case of GF tortillas for one of our housemates. If you haven’t checked into this great food co-op, I highly recommend it!

We got three big bags of grain: two of whole wheat pastry flour and one GF oats. I’d like to think this will all last us a good long while but I probably know better. ;)

We ate a lunch of Chicken Nuggets, Mac and Cheese, and Fruit. Then we got everyone ready to head to Holmes Lake for the afternoon.

I have loved all of the times I’ve been able to walk there this summer, so we wanted to see how the kids would handle the walk. Elias and Malorie went with us which made this experiment possible.

Overall, the kids did great.

Elias stayed with his buddy, Auggie, whose three-year-old legs had the most struggle with keeping up.

Two miles later, we had a reward of cold juice with Zucchini Bread, Vanilla Cheater Muffins, Grapes, and Nuts. Food tastes extra good after a long walk around a lake.

We headed home in time for five kids to have afternoon/evening ABA therapy sessions. I smoked 20 Brats for dinner, which we ate with fruit, carrots, and tator tots.

On Friday morning, I cut and individually packaged the Chewy Granola Bars that I’d made the day before. My goal was to get food like this prepped for the start of school to help with packing lunches.

We didn’t have therapy that morning, so we loaded up and took all the kids to a nearby park to play.

We stayed for two hours, and enjoyed a snack of cheese sticks, applesauce, and blueberries while we were there.

That afternoon, Matt was a rock star with all the kids on his own at home while I went to school for an IEP meeting. There was a one-day-only sale on eggs at Hy-Vee, and Elias and Malorie were sweet to go grab 15 dozen for me. I couldn’t pass up getting these for $0.99 each!

All of our kids were finally back in town, so we were able to have my official birthday dinner together that night! I was hungry for this Cheesecake Factory knock-off salad, and my people made it happen!

We left all the ingredients separate so everyone could build their own salad – but I added everything just as the recipe stated. The mixture of flavors in this is super good! Matt also air fried some Chicken Bites for people to add or for kids to eat if they didn’t want salad. I cut a loaf of Zucchini Bread and set out Grapes to stretch the meal also.

I didn’t get a lot of pictures that night because I wanted to enjoy family time – plus we had four ABA therapy sessions happening throughout dinner time – so everything was great and hectic. After our salads, we cut into a cheesecake from Costco. It was all perfect!

Phoebe’s mama had spent dinner time feeding her, so while Eva was finally taking a turn to eat, Kelsey helped Kiya grab a snuggle.

On Saturday, I prepped for our upcoming Sunday Lunch by putting together two large Egg and Hashbrown Casseroles – one with ham and one with sausage.

Mid-morning, we met up with some extended family at the Zoo. Justus, Kelsey, and Hopelyn met us there and we all had a lovely time!

Since they were coming from out of town, I offered to provide our picnic lunch. There were 22 of us and we’d had a busy week, so I opted to purchase two big cases of Uncrustables. I threw them out onto the tables with apples, applesauce, cheese sticks, oranges, chips, and fruit cups. Kelsey brought homemade muffins, carrots, and trail mixes. We had a great feast!

Our last zoo stop was at the Butterfly Garden before heading home.

Dinner that night was Burgers on our smoker. We spent the evening cleaning and prepping for Sunday. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 26-August 1, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 26-August 1, 2026 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: July 26-August 1, 2026

On Sunday morning, I set out the plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars I’d made a few days prior. The kids helped themselves whenever they were ready to eat. I love watching Auggie become more independent!

Sunday Lunch after church was a huge feast of Smoked Chicken, Baked Beans, Homemade Bread, Salad, Baked Potatoes, Veggies, and Fruit.

Friends brought Cookie Bars, Candy, and Blueberry Muffins for the dessert section, and I set out the Brownies I’d made the day before.

As we were getting lunch set out and people were arriving, I loved that I happened upon this scene. Randy is Eva’s dad, and he made friends with Auggie – not an easy task. I was surprised and thrilled that Auggie let Randy pick him up to interact and play!

There was a fantastic crowd of 31 people that day gathered around our tables.

After lunch, Matt and I enjoyed time with our Community Group while the kids watched a movie in the basement. It was very hot outside so we spent most of the evening inside, except for going outside for a popsicle after dinner. I took a break from our regular Sunday night dinner of Frozen Pizza and made two boxes of Orange Chicken from Sam’s.

On Monday, the kids ate Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins and Nutella Oat Breakfast Bars that we’d baked over the weekend. Matt drove four of the kids to Day Camp and Brayden walked himself to a nearby church where he was helping with a younger kids Performing Arts Camp. Auggie started his ABA therapy session, and Acacia and Josie got ready for “Jump Start” at school.

Incoming kindergarteners had been invited to school for two short mornings this week to meet their teachers, become familiar with their classrooms, and learn a few upcoming school morning routines. They had been so excited about this! But nerves kicked in as we walked there that morning. Josie’s little chin quivered, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to convince her to go in.

These two girlies have been in the same preschool class the past two years, and this will be their first year in separate classrooms. We agreed with teachers that this would be better for them, but that morning I questioned our choice. Acacia bravely went in with her teacher. Then I tapped the shoulder of a special education teacher who was incredible to help Josie feel comfortable and head on in. (Both girls were ALL SMILES when they came home later that morning!)

While everyone was gone and Auggie had his ABA session, I had a meeting with his therapist. Then I baked 24 eggs to turn into Breakfast Sandwiches.

I also browned sausage and scrambled it with eggs to make 20 Breakfast Burritos. I had plans to deliver some of these breakfast items to friends, plus I hoped to get ahead for our household needs.

That afternoon, Matt and I took the three littlest kids to Aldi. We only needed a few items for our family. But our goal that day was to get breakfast, lunch, and snack supplies for a family who had just lost a loved one. We picked up cereal, bagels, fruit, milk, bread, lunch meat, cheese, chips, trail mix, and granola bars. Then we dropped it off to our friends as we headed home. The kids enjoyed this outing and we appreciated letting them be a part of helping serve our friends.

That afternoon/evening was a big one! Three kids had ABA therapy, and in the meantime, we turned our main floor library into a temporary bedroom. One of our housemate friends had severely dislocated his ankle the day before and had to have emergency surgery to fix it. He’d spent the night at the hospital and was ready to come home on Monday evening. The kids were excited about helping with this new development, so we gave them the job of collecting pillows for propping up our injured friend.

While we waited for him to get dropped off, we ate our dinner: Tacos with Stick of Butter Rice and Strawberry Parfaits.

When Nathan arrived, he slowly and carefully made his way to our table to eat dinner before heading to bed. Here’s how it went when I asked the kids to give him space. :/  As you can see, he’s a beloved part of our family now!

Tuesday was a busy day filled with all the regular parts of life, plus some meetings with therapists and teachers. Because of this, I didn’t get many extra kitchen chores done or take many pictures. Here’s what I did get done:

In the afternoon, I baked a batch of these incredibly simple Vanilla Pumpkin “Muffins.” (By the end of the day, there were only two left!)

I had browned sausage the day before and saved some with the intent to experiment with creating a savory Sausage Cheese Muffin idea I had. These turned out great and I’ll share the recipe soon!

I took Brayden, Kiya, and Acacia to our Tuesday Food Distribution to hand out food and clean up afterward.

Matt held down the fort at home with all of the ABA therapy kiddos and other kid needs. He warmed up Pineapple Chicken Rice packets that I’d picked up on clearance at Walmart a couple weeks ago, plus he made Salad. The muffins got eaten with dinner and no one really thought about the fact that they were eating pumpkin and getting some hidden nutrients.

On Wednesday, Emma came over and Matt and I got kids to camp then had a few hours to ourselves!

We ate leftovers for lunch, then I went to Costco to load up a cart to restock our pantry and fridge.

We are trying to train our little ones to help carry in groceries, so we pulled them all outside with us and handed them food to take inside.

As soon as the cold food was put away, I set to work taking the meat off of three Rotisserie Chickens. I planned to serve it for dinner that night, plus freeze the rest of it for our upcoming Sunday lunch.

While I was working on the chickens, Acacia and Josie happily dug into the cherries I’d picked up at Costco. :)

Our neighbor had given us a box full of fresh sweet corn, so as soon as all the kids got home from camps, Matt got them busy shucking the corn for dinner.

NOTHING compares to fresh corn straight from a garden or field. I had planned our meal around it, and we enjoyed it with our Rotisserie Chicken, Strawberry Parfaits, and Sourdough Bread that we’d brought home from food distribution the day before.

Three of our kids had ABA therapy that evening from 3:30-6:30, then we loaded everyone up for our final Heartlands Church Popsicles in the Park event.

On Thursday, I dropped four kids off at camp then went to Wal-Mart and Sam’s to finish up shopping I hadn’t been able to get done the day before. My biggest score of the day was Chicken Drumsticks marked down to just $0.73/pound!! I almost filled my cart with them – because how could I pass up being able to feed my entire huge household for just $4.00?! But I “only” bought a half-cart full because I knew I’d struggle to find freezer space if I kept grabbing more. :)

Having gone to all of our favorite stores this week, I finally felt stocked up on the needed groceries I like to have on hand for our household. Shopping, unloading, and then getting everything put away was a huge job. Then we had a final meeting with our Early Development Network friend as we transition Auggie into preschool. Just before warming up leftovers for lunch, Malachi gave a round of hugs before heading out to Kansas. He’s been traveling a ton this summer and had just gotten back from working in Florida. Phew.

That afternoon, Acacia and Josie had their pre-kindergarten check-ups.

I’d been fighting a migraine all day and finally gave into it that night, making just chicken nuggets for dinner instead of smoking chicken legs like I’d originally planned.

I managed to bake a Spinach Cake that evening for a bedtime snack for the kids.

Friday morning, Matt took the two littlest girls with him to drop Brayden off for a special weekend Christian Camp for middle school boys. I took the other kids with me and dropped four of them off at Day Camp. Then Auggie and I headed over to pick up Arrow for the day. Before leaving though, I sat and snuggled precious little Phoebe for a while. :)

Auggie led the way to the van as we headed out to meet back up with Matt and the girls at our house.

We played at home in our yard for a while, then we loaded up our wagon and walked to a small park a few blocks from our house. The weather was nice and cool and this park was just the right size for these kiddos.

We ate lunch and put Arrow down for a nap. Asa came to pick him up later, then we transitioned into a night of ABA therapy. Only two kids had sessions that night, so it was a pretty chill night overall.

I had marinated some of the super cheap Chicken Legs I’d picked up at Sam’s the day before. I smoked them, rewarmed some Corn on the Cob from Wednesday, plus made Salad and Mac and Cheese. We had lots of fruit options, so between all of these choices, kids chose what they’d eat and every tummy got full.

Keith had a grand plan to build a house outside. Matt is a rock star to listen to these plans and help him try to execute. We had an old wooden platform, so the first order of business was to remove the rotten wood so they could replace it. All the kids were gathered around with this and excited to help. I provided some Banana Muffins to fuel the project and to prevent the “I’m hungry” comments at the moment we asked them to head inside to get ready for bed.

On Saturday morning, I made a bowl of Tuna Salad and packed it along with a bunch of other picnic food to take to the park.

We picked up Arrow on the way, and Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there. We spent three hours there playing and eating and playing and eating.

Uncle Keith was sweet to try and put on Arrow’s sandals. And Arrow was sweet to be extra patient while Uncle Keith gave it his best shot.

We had a full afternoon of playing, cleaning, and getting ready for Sunday. We ate leftovers for dinner, gave everyone a bath or shower, and that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 12-18, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 12-18, 2026 post!

Before I share about our week, I’ll finish up talking about the end of Saturday, July 11. :)

July 11, 2026

We had spent the morning at Discovery Days on UNL campus, then came home for rest time that afternoon. Arrow was with us so while he and Auggie napped and the other kids played outside, I spent an hour and a half in the kitchen.

I spent a good amount of time trying to catch up on dishes (a huge, never ending job), then made a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars and a pan of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies (and dirtied up a lot more dishes, ha!).

While they were in the oven, I put together a double batch of No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars for our Sunday lunch dessert.

I washed the baking dishes I’d created, and it felt great to finally feel more caught up in the kitchen! When Arrow woke up from his nap, Brayden read him a book. This scene is so precious!

And why, you might wonder, was Arrow at our house that day? Well, if you recall, he’d become a big brother the week before! I was waiting to introduce her to you until after Asa and Eva had shared publicly. Now that this has happened…

Here she is, sweet little Phoebe Jean.

Phoebe’s name was chosen based on the beautiful tribute Paul wrote to a servant-hearted woman in Romans 16:1-2. Her middle name honors her wonderful maternal grandparents. Phoebe is tiny, healthy, precious, and such a gift!

Here they are, a week after her birth, a sweet family of four!

Well now. The food pictures I’m about to share are nothing in comparison. But here’s some chocolate as we transition back…

Big brother, Arrow, was occupied by his aunts and uncles that Saturday, so Lolli finished a bit more kitchen work after the baked goods had cooled. I cut the Breakfast Cookie Bars into two Sunday breakfast plates. Then I cut and individually packaged the Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies for grab-and-go needs. I air fried a Sam’s sized box of Taquitos for a snacky dinner while we watched a World Cup soccer game.

The evening was fun! Heartlands church had a men’s kickball/cookout night so Matt and all the boys (even the little guys!) headed off to enjoy their time at the park. We girls had a craft night together! I am happy to say that we had twenty actual minutes of calm, sweet, peaceful crafting while we listened to praise music – which I consider to be a HUGE win considering all the special needs of our household. We cleaned up and enjoyed a frozen treat outside together before bath and bedtime. We watched a short show on TV while screaming our way through hair brushing time (oy!). Then I tucked in the girls just before the guys got home.

Big Family Food and Fun: July 12-18, 2026

Sunday morning, there was more screaming, but the hair brush and I were determined to win and I was able to get Anna’s hair done for the first time in weeks!

We enjoyed a Fiesta Taco Salad bar for lunch with Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef, greens, corn, beans, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and chips. Friends brought fresh fruit and we enjoyed the pan of No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars for dessert.

Our friend Jamie was the one who got Anna to eat that day. Dear ones who do this for us/Anna have no idea the gift they are giving us all. They just think they are having lunch with a sweet little girl. But getting calories into this dear one is a huge feat, and often non-family members can accomplish it with much more ease than we can. So we thank our friends profusely for feeding her and they are just like, “yeah whatever no problem; I had fun eating with her.” Meanwhile we are standing by sobbing with joy. Hahaha.

Fellowship around our tables and around our kitchen island is so, so rich.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group that afternoon while the kids watched a movie in the basement. I made five Frozen Pizzas for dinner. The kids played outside very well for a while.

Then we loaded them up for a special treat outing! My niece had sent us some Runza ice cream cone coupons so we used them that night! The kids all ordered their own, and we were able to keep them all out of the parking lot – a big accomplishment. :)

The kids did great with this outing! We enjoyed our drippy summer treat and felt grateful for the package of wet wipes we always keep in the van. :) We got home in time to clean up and head to bed!

On Monday morning, four kids went to VBS, two kids went to basketball camp, one kid went to volleyball camp, and one kid had ABA therapy. Our friend Christina went to the VBS also, so she was gracious to help us with transportation while Matt and I went in so many different directions that morning.

While Kiya was at volleyball, I had a small amount of time to run to Sam’s and Wal-Mart. I raced through these stores as fast as I could, though ran out of time to get all that we needed. (Grocery shopping for our household usually takes about three hours every week.) I filled a cart at both stores, with plans to go back to finish shopping the next day while Kiya was back at volleyball camp.

I happened upon a clearance sale on GoGo Squeeze applesauce at Sam’s, making them half price! Did I buy ten boxes? I absolutely did. Do I still wonder if I should have bought more than ten? Kinda. I mean, we go through these boxes fast, and these were super cheap!

Back at home with the crew, we worked together to unload groceries and put away cold food. Matt had made lunch for us and we tried to hurry and feed kids before taking five of them back out again to go to an Art Camp. Emma arrived to babysit the youngest three for the afternoon, and she helped me dump sauce on chicken for our dinner that night. It was a whirlwind, but we made it out the door on time!

Somehow I was able to snap this picture to show how cheap our dinner meal would be. Chicken legs, man. They are so inexpensive! Typically I get them at Costco and Sam’s for $0.99/pound. I had found these packs at Aldi for $0.89/pound, giving us 24 chicken legs for a total of only $6.98. Amazing!

Emma had a picnic lunch with the three kids left at home.

After Matt and I dropped the other five at camp, he and I went to hang out with Phoebe (and her parents). :) Arrow was napping so we missed seeing him that day.

When we got home, we started five kids with their evening ABA therapy sessions and I got the chicken legs on the smoker. Oh, and ELIAS AND MALORIE arrived for the week!! It was so good to see them that I didn’t take any pictures.

Dinner was Smoked Chicken Legs, Caesar Salad, and Strawberry Parfaits.

On Tuesday morning, I made scrambled eggs for breakfast while getting some baking done for our snacking needs. I made a double batch of Banana Muffins.

Plus I made a Spinach Cake. I stuffed that cake so full of spinach – but no one could tell and everyone gobbled it up later! We have three adults drinking this smoothie now, so I’ve been making a jar of it almost every day this summer.

Christina picked up four of our kids for VBS and Matt took two boys to basketball camp. Auggie started his morning ABA session, then Kiya and I had attachment therapy. Right away after that, I dropped her off at a volleyball clinic then went to finish more shopping needs.

We watched a World Cup game that afternoon. Elias and Malorie had offered to make dinner, so I turned the kitchen over to them! They pulled Brayden in to help, which was perfect. :)

I used my free time while they were making dinner to turn Sunday’s leftover Salsa Shredded Beef into Burritos for the freezer.

Dinner was delicious! Elias made Pizza Bake and Malorie made Red Lobster Biscuits. Everyone ate well (thanks to Elias saving out some plain noodles for a couple of the kids to eat with just butter and salt, ha).

Wednesday morning, while all the kids were at VBS or camp and Auggie had ABA therapy, Kelsey and Hopelyn came over to hang out with me! Hopelyn found the chef’s hat in our playroom and started to cook yummy food in the play kitchen. :)

That afternoon, five kids went to Art Camp while Acacia, Josie, and Auggie set up a rock and dirt kitchen outside. They played there like champs for over an hour!! This allowed me to actually watch part of a World Cup soccer game with Matt, Elias, and Malorie. It was glorious!

I smoked Chicken Apple Sausages for dinner, cut up Sweet Peppers and Watermelon, and made five boxes of Mac and Cheese.

Four kids had three hours of ABA therapy from 3:30-6:30, then we loaded up and went to Popsicles in the Park with our church family.

Keith though? He spotted a group of kids playing soccer in the grass beside the splash area and just hopped right into the game. Those kids were gracious to include him, and he stayed there the entire evening.

On Thursday morning, Keith and Bonus Buddy had their final day of Basketball Camp, which included a tournament for parents to watch. They had fun, worked hard, and came home with ribbons and certificates!

Most of the other kids were at VBS all morning, then back at home we had a lunch of Tuna Salad, Boiled Eggs, and Smoothies before heading back out to take five kids to Art Camp.

Late afternoon, Kiya helped me get some baking done. She made Lemon Muffins while I made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. We planned to have the muffins for Friday’s breakfast. And the cookie bars were for both a VBS potluck lunch on Friday plus a family birthday dinner Friday evening.

Dinner that night was super easy and cheap! While shopping on Monday, I had found frozen bags of Chicken Pineapple Rice on clearance for just $2.00. I grabbed a bunch because that was a hard price to pass up for a convenient meal that gave me a night off from cooking. We ended up going through four bags of them that night, plus everyone had fruit.

Friday morning, I made a big pan of Chewy Granola Bars to have on hand for immediate hunger needs.

Five kids went to VBS, Matt stayed home with three kids, and I went to Wal-Mart and Aldi. We were having a family birthday celebration that night and there were some specific food items we needed. I found a lot of fun clearance items while I was at Walmart (but failed to get a picture) – the best being a $5 World Cup Soccer Ball! Aldi was just up the road so I ran into get just a few things there – mostly fruit/veggie pouches because they are the only way we can get some of our kids to eat veggies.

We all met up at the kids’ VBS to enjoy a program and a potluck lunch.

That afternoon, five kids went to their final day of Art Camp. I took the three youngest kids to the park while Matt went to help a friend with a house project. The kids and I started in the sand where it was shady. Then we moved on to the sunny swings and slides. I was surprised that the kids lasted out in the heat for almost two hours – but it was a pretty great afternoon and I was thankful! We went home and took nice baths to cool them off and to get all the sand out of their hair and out from between their toes. :)

When everyone else got home, we worked together to shuck a dozen ears of corn. It’s amazing how fast this process can go with so many kids!

The rest of the night was sooooo great!! We had plans to celebrate Malorie’s birthday that we’d missed in May, plus Eva’s birthday that had happened this week. Miraculously, all of us were able to be together, including all of our housemates. Malachi had flown home just in time after his video work in Texas all week. Eva felt up for coming over and carried Phoebe around to keep her from being swarmed by all the little kids. These moments together are my absolute favorite!

Elias has perfected the art of making Steak – and he nailed it that night!

To go with our Steaks, we had Caesar Salad, Corn on the Cob, Cheesy Potatoes, and Berry Parfaits. I also had a crock pot full of Hot Dogs for the kids who didn’t want steak. Malorie requested Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars for dessert and I had Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies in the freezer that I knew were Eva’s favorites. So we all enjoyed birthday cookies after our awesome meal together!

Saturday morning, I put together a big pan of Layered Chicken Enchiladas for our Sunday lunch the next day.

We met Kelsey with Hopelyn and Arrow at the library for Sensory Storytime. Then we all loaded up and headed to the zoo!

Arrow was a big boy eating a great big apple on the way there.

Two wagons, ten kids, three adults, thirteen water bottles, and one picnic bag later – we made our way in to enjoy a very hot few hours looking at animals and playing in the various play areas.

Hello Flamingos. You are our favorite.

I had packed a very random assortment of lunch items in order to accommodate so many food preferences. We had chips, blueberries, cheese, salami, meat sticks, slivered turkey, mandarin orange/pear/peach cups, yogurt, and pistachios. Everyone got full, then we headed on to play in the climbing area.


We ran into our friends Sarabeth and James with their kids on our way out. We hadn’t seen each other in years, and I was bummed that we didn’t take pictures together! What a treat to run into them!

Back at home, we put Arrow down for a nap, the kids played, and we got ready to host a big World Cup Final Game Lunch/Watch Party the next day. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 5-11, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 5-11, 2026 post!

July 3-4

Before I share about this week, I’ll back up and share a few from last weekend that I didn’t have time to include in my past post.

My dad’s side of the family has a tradition to meet together over a weekend close to the Fourth of July each year. We traveled to Wichita for this last Friday – a huge effort with our kids – but worth it so we could see so many loved ones!

We stayed in a hotel, which the kids loved so much that it was difficult for them to wind down and sleep. :) We played with cousins and shared special time with aunts and uncles. I loved this conversation between Anna and my Aunt Rosalee. Anna had a loose tooth and was very excited to show it off!

A highlight of this reunion is a homemade pinata for the kids to break open. Here, we are all gathered outside to let them take turns taking whacks at it, from youngest to oldest.

We traveled back home Saturday afternoon. The four driving hours felt extra long because guess what?! WE HAD A NEW GRANDBABY TO GET HOME TO!!!

Asa and Eva had their baby over the weekend and Lolli and Pop were very excited to meet her. We came up with a plan to drive directly to the hospital as we pulled into Lincoln. Matt dropped me off at the hospital to run upstairs and grab some sweet newborn baby snuggles while he took the kids to do a mobile pickup at McDonalds for dinner. Eighty nuggets and three large orders of fries kept the kids occupied for these extra car seat minutes. I came back down and hung with the kids in the parking lot while Matt took a turn meeting our sweetest new granddaughter. :)

Was the day over at that point? Oh no. It was the Fourth of July, after all. We had some fireworks to light up before we could go to bed.

PHEW!

Big Family Food and Fun: July 5-11, 2026

On Sunday morning, we ate Breakfast Cookie Bars and got tired kids ready for worship.

Big Brother Arrow had been spending the weekend at Eva’s parent’s house and at Justus and Kelsey’s house while his parents were at the hospital with Baby Sister. Now it was Lolli and Pop’s turn to spend some extra Arrow time! He went home with us after church that day, enjoying a fruit/veggie pouch as we drove.

We were joined by our friends, Don and Rochelle, for lunch that day and had a lovely time with just these two extras around our tables. I had smoked Chicken Thighs and Brats the week before and froze them in preparation for this meal. They warmed in the crock pot while we were at church and I made Green Beans and Cream Cheese Corn as sides. Rochelle brought delicious Mac and Cheese, which rounded out the meal perfectly!

Feeding Anna is a job that takes a village, and Rochelle was so sweet to take on the task that day. She was able to get Anna to eat a plateful of corn. This was a big win!

Lunch was quiet and sweet, though Don teased us when we commented on our small lunch crowd of “only” 17 people that day.

The best part of the day: Arrow’s Dada showed up to spend some time with him while Eva (hopefully) rested at the hospital. Their reunion was pretty precious.

We watched a soccer game, played outside, warmed up leftovers for dinner, and settled kids in to bed that night – but not before part of the ceiling in the boys room fell in just a bit and we had to put an emergency band aid on it it until Matt can get around to fixing it. We LOVE our big old house that God provided for our family!!!! But it comes with constant maintenance needs. I’m so thankful that Matt knows so much and is so handy.

On Monday morning, I knew I needed to get some baking done because I didn’t have anything quick/easy on hand to give kids to fill their bellies. So I asked Auggie to open some butter sticks for me. He was happy to do it…

Alrighty, bud. Eating the butter stick was not in the job description.

Eventually, I was able to get batches of Crustless Cheesecakes and Nutella Oat Bars made.

That morning, we dropped five kids off at day camps. Emma came over to stay with the youngest three, then Matt and I headed to Holmes Lake where we spent a lovely, quite morning walking and talking.

Just before we headed home, we asked Emma to help girls potty and get shoes on. Then we grabbed the kids up and headed to Costco. We completely filled two carts, getting lots and lots of fresh produce plus sale items and essentials.

It was quite a feat to get everything unloaded and put away. Then we got kids home from camps, started evening ABA therapy sessions, and made dinner: Rotisserie Chicken with Caesar Salad with Strawberry Parfaits. This was all SO GOOD! We ate our way through almost 6-pounds of strawberries that night!

I had picked up a few groceries for Asa and Eva’s family while at Costco, so I had the huge privilege of taking the goods to their house that evening and hanging with the littles and with them for a while. :)

On Tuesday morning, the kids ate Egg Casserole or Nutella Oat Bars while getting ready for camps and therapies for the day.

Acacia and Josie were very excited to have a turn at going to a camp this week! A friend had told us about a free Little but Fierce Shakespeare Summer Camp, so off they went to learn about acting. :)

Matt took Auggie to pick up Arrow and hang out at a park while the girls were at their camp. I was home having an attachment therapy session with one of our kids, then dropped that kid off at camp and headed to pick up these two.

Arrow came over for playtime, lunch, and nap. Acacia was very entertaining while Arrow enjoyed an Uncrustable.

That afternoon, Brayden, Kiya, and Anna went with me to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. Anna usually has ABA therapy during this time and feels sad that she never gets to go with us to Food Net. With her ABA behavior technician on vacation, it freed her up to join us. She was thrilled and did a great job helping wash coolers!

Dinner was super good – Smothered Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. Why yes, I did overfill the crock pot and it did leak out all over the countertop. :)

I was very blessed to spend a little over an hour that night at a fun Bunco night with ladies from Heartlands Church. There was a great turnout and lots of joy in that room!

On Wednesday, I made a batch of Moist Chocolate Muffins with Hidden Spinach for breakfast and to take to Arrow.

I also baked 24 eggs so we could put together a bunch of Breakfast Sandwiches. I took a few of them to Arrow’s parents so they could have something quick to warm up for breakfast the next few days.

After breakfast, I dropped six kids off to their camps then headed over to spend time at Asa and Eva’s. Arrow and I went outside to play in their back yard.

After he moved all the sand from one place to another, he watered his Mommy’s garden.

We got hot in the sun, so we went back inside to cool off. Arrow’s daddy read him some books while Lolli held Baby Sister! It was a glorious two hours!

Back at home, our friend Pasha came to hang out while his mom was at a meeting.

For dinner that night, we had Grilled Burgers, Fries, and Watermelon.

We had ABA sessions then went to Popsicles in the Park with our church family.

Somewhere in there, we all finally got the call from Elias we’d been waiting for!! Guess what had happened that afternoon?!?!?!

We are so joyful to officially add Malorie to our family!

Amazing – a new granddaughter and a new daughter-in-law all in the same week! It feels a little weird to go right back into talking about food again. However…

I had bananas that needed to be used up, so on Thursday morning I made a batch of Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins. I made them with gluten free oats, which meant that they were safe for our GF housemate to eat!

Both Hopelyn and Arrow came over for the day, so they enjoyed sweet cousin time! Did you know that if you pick up handfuls of tiny rocks and put them through the holes in this metal bench, it makes a very fun noise?!

We ate leftovers for lunch at the picnic table.

Then Pop stayed home with napping Hopelyn and Arrow while I took Acacia, Josie, and Auggie to the zoo for a little afternoon outing. They did a great job hanging with me!

Back at home, we snacked on some muffins while Acacia made the babies giggle.

The rest of the night was very full of ABA therapy for five kids. Having so many hours of therapy in our home is a HUGE gift and we see the long term rewards of this effort for the future. However, in the midst of it – phew! Matt and I fed the kids leftovers, and went from one kid/therapist to another helping execute treatment plans, putting out “fires,” finding kids who had escaped their therapist to avoid having to do a task – it’s an intense four hours. Truly, we are so thankful for the intervention God has provided and the goodness of all of our therapists!

On Friday morning, we ate a Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cake that I had made the night before to enjoy at breakfast time.

As we got the kids ready for camps that morning, I shredded Salsa Shredded Beef that had slow cooked all night. I packaged it up and tucked it away to have ready for our upcoming Sunday Lunch.

Matt stayed home with Auggie to help get Brayden off to his camp. I dropped off all the others then had about an hour and a half before needing to be back to Acacia and Josie’s camp for their Friday performance. Holmes Lake was just a few minutes away so I drove over and enjoyed a lovely walk around the lake. I am so very thankful for every chance I have to do something like this. It is healing for my body and soul.

I had a few extra minutes, so I went to Hy-Vee and took advantage of a 1-day sale they had on eggs – $0.77/dozen, no limit. I bought 12 dozen. But I forgot to get a picture because I was trying to hurry!

Acacia and Josie had a little program to showcase what they’d been learning at their Little But Fierce Shakespeare Camp. They were both pretty hesitant to join in, but they did finally join the circle here to participate.

We ate leftovers for lunch, then Matt and I took the three youngest to a park to play before all of our evening activities. They played in the sand before we headed home, with landed them all in the tub at home for a good soak and scrub.

Brayden had been enjoying a Performing Arts Camp all week, so the four girls and I went to his performance late that afternoon while Matt stayed home with the other boys and their ABA therapy sessions. Brayden sang a lot of songs with the entire group, did some special drumming, plus acted in a skit they had worked on all week.

I got home much later than expected. Matt had gotten dinner going and I helped finish up: Sausage Cheese Eggs, Sweet Peppers, Mandarins, and Cinnamon Toast.

We finished out our evening of ABA therapy, then the kids enjoyed a very fun Writing Skills kit that Matt’s mom had ordered and sent to the kids. They were all very proud of their work!

On Saturday, we took the kids to Sensory Storytime at the Library. Asa brought Arrow to hand off to us there, then went home so he and Eva could rest with Baby. Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there and enjoyed story time. It is so sweet to see Arrow and Hopelyn join along with all of the songs and activities now!

From there, we went to UNL East Campus for a Discovery Day. This is such a cool event with many booths set up with learning activities for the kids to do. Arrow truly thought he was one of the big kids on this outing as he led the way.

We listened to live music, blew bubbles, painted with Kool-Aid paint, made fancy magnets, learned about bacteria and fungi, and even made soybean oil by pouring soybeans into a machine. The stations available for learning are so cool!

Somewhere in there, we found a shady spot and ate a picnic lunch. This was the best/only picture I got from my spot on the ground – and I missed capturing the fancy cheese I’d splurged on to enjoy this summer. But this. This is the cheese we ate with sliced apples and it was SO GOOD. If you’re ever at Whole Foods (or Hy-Vee if you live in the Nebraska/Iowa area), grab yourself some of this cheese in the gourmet cheese aisle. It makes your healthy snack taste like you’re eating Caramel Apples! We also enjoyed little Turkey Sandwiches on rolls and Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches.

After packing up our lunch and enjoying a few more of the Discover Stations, we headed home to get the littlest ones down for naps. Kids ate popsicles and played in the sprinkler. I made a pan of No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars for our Sunday Lunch dessert.

And that was our week!

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

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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!

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 31-June 6, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 31-June 6, 2026 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 31-June 6, 2026

Of course we started our Sunday with a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars. Routine and predictability is best for our kids. And it helps my brain, too, so I don’t have to think as hard about every single meal and detail of the day. :)

There were 27 of us gathered at lunchtime that day after church.

We set out a Burrito Bar with Salsa Chicken, Taco Meat, Stick of Butter Rice, Beans, Tomatoes, Spinach, Cheese, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Salsa, Chips, and Fresh Fruit.

The food and fellowship was beautiful. And look at Eva’s wonderfully beautiful baby bump! :) :) :) Only a few more weeks before we get to meet that sweet baby girl!

Christina had brought a big bucket of sidewalk chalk and all the kids took full advantage after lunch.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon. We had a Facetime call with Elias and Malorie that evening. It was so good to see their faces and catch up with them! I made two pans of Taquitos for dinner and we ate more fresh fruit. Then we hung out outside until bedtime.

Monday morning’s parenting challenges started very early when at 5:45 this dear one met me in the living room where I was trying to enjoy a few minutes of quiet Bible and prayer time. She had snuck gum the night before and learned the hard way what happens when we chew gum as we are falling asleep. Peanut butter to the rescue. :/

The rest of the day was full of VBS, camps, a new friend moving into our house, and ABA therapy – so I only got one more picture that day. I made a last minute, super quick dinner of Tuna Salad and set out spinach, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, pickles, chips, and guacamole for people to choose from as they made their plate.

On Tuesday morning, we ate Sausage Links and Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Bars as we got ready to head out to VBS and Camps.

Everyone took turns scrubbing potatoes for dinner.

We put them in to slow cook all day to turn into Crock Pot Backed Potatoes.

I remembered to get a VBS picture that morning before I dropped off the girls!

It’s a great crew!

Back at home, I baked a batch of Crustless Cheesecakes for snacks.

Keith needed a camp break to calm his nervous system. So he stayed home that afternoon and helped me make Parfait for dinner.

We had a popsicle to cool off that afternoon.

For dinner that night, we had Crock Pot Backed Potatoes with leftover Taco Meat and toppings plus Strawberry Parfaits!

Wednesday morning, I made a blender full of this Smoothie. I make this several times each week, but every once in a while I feel like taking time to snap a picture of it. This right here is a great way to eat salad…

I scrambled a dozen eggs for the kids, which they ate with Nutella Oat Bars.

Arrow hung out with us all morning!

Kiya was supposed to go to a Volleyball Clinic this week, but at the last minute we learned that it had been cancelled. We were so disappointed! To provide something structured and fun for her, I opened up my Kids Cooking Camp for her to enjoy this week. On this particular day, I told her to look through all the listed recipe links to make both a snack and something for lunch for everyone. She LOVED this!

She chose to make Strawberry Cream Muffins for a snack and got right to work. She made these with almost no help from me. I loved watching her be independent and capable with a recipe!

While the muffins were baking, she chose to make Pizza Boats for lunch. We didn’t have any French or Italian bread, so she used hamburger buns instead.

She made 15 little Pizza Boats – and look how pretty her Strawberry Cream Muffins turned out!

When the other kids got home from VBS and camp, they all dug in to the boats, muffins, plus a package of grapes. They were a big hit!

Dinner that night was chopped Grilled Chicken, Caesar Salad, and Oranges. The chicken stirred into the salad was super good and a perfect summer evening meal!

On Thursday morning, I made French Toast and Sausage before we got three kids to VBS and three kids to two different camps.

I used the morning to stock up at Costco. I got lots of fresh produce, super cheap pork loin, frozen pizza, yogurt, cream, butter, tuna, bacon bits, 100% juice popsicles, kombucha, protein bars, cream cheese, and chips.

Matt was at home with Kiya and Auggie. This picture shows Kiya’s feet and her chalk drawing of Auggie. :)

That afternoon, five kids went to an Art Camp, Auggie napped, and Acacia and Josie got to go to Eva’s for the afternoon. This provided Matt and me a few hours to ourselves to rest and regroup! Eva later sent us these pictures sharing all the fun activities the girls enjoyed, including painting nails and using water squirters.

Look at Arrow enjoying all the fun with the big kids!

We had Hamburgers and Hotdogs for dinner that night with Berries, Cucumbers, and Carrots.

I made a Spinach Cake for a bedtime snack.

After we got six out of eight kids to VBS or camps on Friday morning, Kiya helped me make 20 Uncrustables for an outing on Saturday.

We had just finished when our friend Paula showed up with a trunk full of grocery items for us to put in our Little Free Pantry.

Kiya was a great helper taking food in with Paula while I took some directly to the outside pantry for our neighbors.

As soon as we got the groceries unloaded, Kiya and I headed to the finale of Brayden’s Choir Camp to enjoy their performance.

His friend, Clara, took part in this camp too and she and Brayden got to be in the same small group!

Next, we drove over to Anna, Acacia, and Josie’s VBS where we enjoyed their Friday program.

Do you see the little girls there on the left in the photo? Their mom didn’t get the memo that everyone was to wear their yellow VBS shirts. Honestly, their mom was just glad that they made it to VBS that day wearing…shirts. Any shirts. This alone was a win. ;)

That evening, I made Spaghetti with Green Beans, Corn, and Cantaloupe.

We had a very big day on Saturday and loaded up to leave for York at 7:30 in the morning. After an important meeting, we took advantage of being in York and met up with some of our kids’ extended biological family. We hung out together at one of the parks we used to love when we lived there. I had packed a picnic for all of us with the Uncrustables that Kiya had helped me make the day before plus grapes, apples, applesauce, oranges, popcorn, veggie straws, cheese, and cold drinks. We enjoyed our picnic and played more before heading home.

When we got back to Lincoln, we sent Brayden off to a pool party with Heartlands Youth Group. Then the rest of us changed and headed to the Splash Park.

Eva and Kelsey met us there with their babies. It’s pretty awesome to watch the two mommies teamwork together – Kelsey helping with  Arrow and Eva helping with Hopelyn. And both of them helping with our kids. :)

We came home to enjoy a Roast that I’d started in the slow cooker early in the morning before we started our big day. I warmed up Mashed Potatoes from Costco, Fried Zucchini and got out Fruit. It was a great meal to end our day!

And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 17-23, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 17-23, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

May 16

Keith got to be involved in a Track Meet on Saturday! He did a softball throw, then 50-meter dash, then felt too intimidated to do the final race he’d signed up for, the 200-meter dash. We were proud that he was willing to do any of it at all as events like this stretch him quite a bit. Plus, as a 7-year-old with a birthday that fell weird, he was competing with 8-9 year-olds. That, along with the heat made for a boy who was not able to keep pushing after the first race.

Either way, it was a pretty fun family outing that day. We had a tasty packed lunch of cheese, meat, crackers, frozen go-gurt, applesauce, muffins, and juice pouches.

And it was fun to watch the races and cheer while we ate!

We went from a meeeet to….Buresh Meats. It’s a super cool store that’s far from our house – but close to the high school where the track meet was held. So of course, we headed over so I could run through as fast as I could to look for the best deals. Man, this place is awesome! Organic grass-fed hamburger meat for $4.50/pound, boneless chicken thighs and tenderloins for $2.20/pound when bought in bulk, and eggs for just $0.85/dozen!

Back at home, I made a second round of Crunchy Ranch Chicken for our Sunday lunch (I’d made round one a few days prior).

Then I practiced 20-pounds worth of my “Just Dump Sauce on Some Chicken” trick. The thighs I had bought that day made their way into the freezer, all marinated and ready to go!

Earlier in the day, knowing I’d probably pick up more eggs at Buresh Meats, I had boiled 17 eggs to make Angeled Eggs. The kids were amazed by cracking hard boiled eggs and not getting messy yolk everywhere! They were actually very helpful in taking shells off all the eggs as we moved forward with our project.

Anna stuck with me for the whole process, smashing the yolks for me before I filled the whites. We were very proud of our results!

After I put away the eggs and cleaned the kitchen, I warmed up leftovers to feed us quickly for dinner. Then we headed to a graduation party where we were treated to a cupcake!

Back at home, we had bath time and watched a show before bed. Phew – big day!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 17-23, 2026

On Sunday after church, a fabulous crowd of 37 people gathered in our home to share lunch. I had made around 11-pounds of Crunchy Ranch Chicken and 17 eggs worth of Angeled Eggs. Friends brought chips, dips, salad, corn on the cob, and fruit. I made a quick blender full of Cream Cheese Salsa Dip to contribute to the chip/dip section of our buffet.

I’d made the chicken ahead of time and had a bit of a hard time getting it re-warmed fast enough to get us all fed. So I air fried some of it to get kids going through the line. Then, I was finally able to pull out two huge pans of it to serve to everyone (70-ish chicken strips). The meal was a big hit, with only a few Chicken Strips left over afterward!

The best part of Sunday Lunch is seeing so many dear ones crowded around our tables, visiting and sharing life.

We had a birthday girl among us, so we got to end our meal with a huge Ice Cream Cake!

On Monday morning, I felt super tired. For three days in a row, kids had gotten up reallllllly early (like 4:00 early) and the short nights and lack of down time in the morning was catching up to me. Emma came that morning, and I went and wondered around several stores: Trader Joes, Target, Walmart, and Costco. Then I went home and napped all afternoon!

Bonus Buddy helped unload groceries when I got home.

After a nap, I felt better and grateful to have had the down time. Refreshed, I got a few extra food items put together for us to eat. Dinner was a weird casserole that included leftover taco meat and hamburgers chopped up, the leftover dips from Sunday Lunch, and frozen hashbrowns. We adults liked it just fine. The kids mostly ate a dinner of Strawberry Parfait.

Josie was eager to be a helper that evening!

We made a batch of Angela’s Egg Free Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies…

…and a pan of Nutella Oat Breakfast Bars. It felt good to have prepared a fresh batch of quick-to-eat breakfast items to get us through the next couple of days!

We had to stay in the house all evening because it was raining. The rain was so very needed and we were grateful, even if the evening did feel a bit long since we were cooped up in the house. Anna’s ABA therapist played chess with her (an activity that always cracks me up because of all things to play, this little girl wants to place chess?? It’s awesome). Naturally, Acacia, who doesn’t understand the game at all, wanted to set up a board and teach Bonus Buddy how it worked. Ha!

For a bedtime snack that night, Keith and Josie at an entire package of raspberries – just the two of them.

On Tuesday morning, I made two packages of Meat and Cheese Sliders for Matt to warm up for dinner that night. We had a full day/evening ahead of us!

Hopelyn and Arrow both spent the day with us. We don’t know for sure what this Cousin Conversation was about, but we are guessing it had something to do with Muffins or Blueberries.

Bonus Buddy led everyone in a sweet game of The Floor is Lava.

After school that day, Kiya went with me to our weekly Food Distribution. Back at home, Matt got everyone fed and ready for an evening outing. Our kids’ elementary school had secured a grant that offered the entire school and their families to have a Zoo Night!

Our kids’ ABA therapists met us at the zoo, which was super helpful as we navigated eight VERY EXCITED KIDS through the zoo with their classmates and teachers.

Everything was free that night, including train rides and feeding the giraffes! Josie doesn’t like the train (everyone screams too loud while going through the tunnel), so she and I stayed back and waved as the train went by. :)

As it turns out, Brayden speaks “giraffe.”

We got completely overstimulated and dysregulated over the entire event. Was it worth it? Yes. But bedtime was a relief that night.

We had a regular and fairly calm morning on Wednesday, with ABA therapy for Josie and Auggie and with Acacia and Bonus Buddy playing outside. Our friends who help us clean once a week came over late in the morning and Auggie was excited to use the spray bottle while Ms. Rebecca wiped down the door. :)

That afternoon, Anna had kindergarten graduation! Kiya is in Student Council at the elementary school, so she got to help check in families when they arrived. She did a great job!

We started in the auditorium where the Kinders sang us some fun songs they’d been working on.

Then we went to the cafeteria where each child’s name was called and they received their diploma. :)

Last, we got to have a bag of popcorn. Here’s how Anna felt about looking at me and smiling for a picture. :)

Back at home, a friend of Malachi’s had arrived and moved in for part of the summer. I had slow cooked a Beef Roast with Carrots all day, which we ate with Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, and Strawberries.

Brayden and Buddy had a contest while they ate their dinner to see who could eat the most sour blueberry.

Thursday was our last day of school. I didn’t get “last day” pictures of our kids before they left. Why? Because we had ABA therapy as normal and a house full of autism and trauma and Mama is tired. :/ I did give everyone an extra squeeze as they headed out for the day. :)

Kiya helped me make a Spinach Cake before she left. She loved being mostly independent with this!

I baked several pans of Bacon that morning.

This was a fun scene in our living room at the end of our ABA sessions that morning. Lots were gathered, including Justus and Hopelyn.

Acacia and Hopelyn took a ride around the block.

Ah! Some of the Coppingers were able to take a “Last Day of School” picture! This bro-and-sis-in-law shot was pretty sweet to receive. These two work hard at the same elementary school in the special ed department. We are very proud of them for how they help their students!

I did get a shot of these girlies as they headed out for their final day of Pre-K. Next year: Kindergarten!

While we waited for their bus, we watched “the mowers” across the street get their job done.

I took this picture of Bonus Buddy’s lunch that day. He has a pretty slim list of foods he’ll eat (like many of our kids), but he ate all of these happily, and enjoyed that his container looked like a Lunchable.

For dinner that night, I made Turkey Bacon Cheese Croissants with Watermelon.

We enjoyed Kiya’s Spinach Cake that evening. I had made Cream Cheese Frosting for the top – this recipe but with a tiny bit of sugar instead of stevia so the kids would eat it.

Friday morning started out rough. We knew that it might as we transitioned into a new routine with Summer Break. Nobody wanted the breakfast I offered. Nobody wanted to do what we suggested. And it was raining so we weren’t able to go outside and run out their aggression.

Eventually we were able to talk kids into eating apples with peanut butter and cinnamon. Then Matt stayed home with seven kids plus two ABA therapists while I took Acacia to Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy.

We’d been talking to Acacia’s therapists about taking a break now that it’s summer time. This was a tough decision because while she has made a lot of progress, she has a long way to go. But we all decided to take a break, which we think will be good for her for now. This way she can spend her summer playing outside, going to VBS, and enjoying our family outings. Her therapists have been so good to us!

Back at home, Matt air-fried an entire bag of Chicken Bites and sliced a loaf of Apple Bread that had tucked away in the freezer. We served it with baby carrots, then got everyone loaded into the van.

We headed to the Children’s Museum and spent two hours having fun there!

We started in the basement where kids put on costumes and performed on the stage.

On the main floor, I ate my weight in plastic Runza burgers, fries, and chicken strips.

Auggie wants to live in this fire truck and has a hard time when, if you can believe it, other children at the museum also want to play in there so he has to share.

We had a pile of free Dairy Queen ice cream coupons so we went to a location close to our house to treat the kids. They waited on these cool swings – only to find out that this particular DQ doesn’t accept coupons like this.

So we loaded up for home where I saved the day by making the kids ice cream cones.

Evening ABA therapy started soon after this, and I grilled Steak for dinner with Fries and Salad.

Food is a huge challenge for several of our kids, but extra, extra hard for one of them. I took this picture of what often happens at mealtime, even with all our effort to provide accommodations to avoid the fights, the food throwing, and the mess. But still something went “wrong” and food flew off the plate…again. Paper got torn too, which is also normal around here. Notice the book sitting beside the mess: Put Me in the Zoo. Yep, that sounds about right. Our ABA therapists were available to work through this situation with us, which is incredibly helpful!

All throughout the evening, I smoked several rounds of Chicken Thighs for Sunday Lunch.

Matt did some yard work with the help of Acacia and Auggie.

On Saturday morning, we got to go to a birthday party! It started out with donuts and playground…

Then we all went fishing! Most of our kids haven’t had a chance to do this, and it was a hit!

Keith caught not one, but two fish. The rest of us just had fun trying. What a great morning!

We had leftovers for lunch at home, then loaded up for another big outing that afternoon. I’ll share more about that next week!

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Easy Side Dishes for Summer

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This Easy Side Dishes for Summer post can be your go-to for Simple Meal inspiration!

I’ve found that meals are easier to put together in the summertime. Why? Because there are so many great fresh side dish options available. Stores and farmer’s markets offer more fresh fruits and veggies compared to cold weather months, making it super easy to set out lots of tasty side dishes without much effort.

I love it when my summer meals look like this:

It truly is so simple to make an easy main dish like grilled chicken, then set out quick, fresh sides. Steamed garden veggies, salad, and/or watermelon – these are no brainers and so refreshing on a hot day!

 

The more colorful the better. Setting out options like this is great for picky eaters. Even if each kid only chooses to eat one or two of these, at least they are getting something nourishing that they like!

Here’s an example of a super simple meal I made recently: Grilled Brats with Grapes, Carrots, and Sliced Cucumbers on the side. So easy! And so family friendly!

Here’s another picture that shares a great example of a simple main dish with easy sides. This was taken on a day that some of our friends gathered after church and worked together to put this meal together. Pulled Pork was the main feature with salad, chips, carrots, oranges, pickles, rolls, and berries on the side.

Easy Side Dishes for SummerYum

In case you feel stumped after a long, hot day and want some easy ideas or reminders for great sides to set out on the counter with your grilled meat or other main dish, look at these lists for inspiration!

No-Work Side Dishes

  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Grapes
  • Cherries
  • Chilled Canned Fruit in 100% Juice (Peaches, Pears, Pineapple, Mandarin Oranges)
  • Pickles
  • Olives
  • Chips
  • Chips and Salsa
  • Chips and Guacamole
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Baby Carrots
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Minimal-Work Side Dishes

Salads

Store-Bought Sides

Consider picking these up at the store to have on hand to serve alongside grilled meat or other main dishes you prepare.

  • Bagged Salad Kits (I like to keep these on hand for an easy side dish my kids can make to go with our meals!)
  • Potato Salad
  • Macaroni Salad
  • Bag of Rolls
  • Chips

What easy side dishes would you add to these lists?

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 3-9, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 3-9, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

May 2

That afternoon while Auggie took his nap, Matt took our washing machine apart to try to get to the bottom of why it wasn’t spinning out. I’m so very thankful for how handy and knowledgeable he is. It takes a lot of house and appliance to run life with 14 of us. And yikes, we need a working washing machine! (We have two, but neither were working great this week.)

The rest of us hung out outside. Brayden was eager to mow the lawn some more. Here’s hoping he doesn’t lose that enthusiasm! Elias and Malachi played some frisbie golf in the yard.

We enjoyed a popsicle while we watched them play.

Keith had a soccer game that afternoon. Then we came home and ate leftovers before having bath time and getting to bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: May 3-9, 2026

Sunday morning we ate  Breakfast Cookie Bars before heading out for church. We had a smaller crowd for lunch that day because, well, May is a busy month! There were still 20 of us gathered though, and the smaller crowd allowed us to visit more with people.

I made three packages of Turkey/Cheese Slider Sandwiches and asked guests to bring sides. We had Salad, Strawberries, Pickles, Olives, Chips, and Pasta Salad. It was a great spring lunch! I’d made three batches of Homemade Ice Cream, which finished our meal off perfectly.

We enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon after lunch. I captured this sweet moment from the corner of our kitchen with Malachi and our friend, Nathan, visiting and two of our Community Group friends grabbing coffee before we sat down together. Scenes like this bring me a lot of joy with people enjoying time together, making themselves at home, and helping themselves to coffee and dessert in our kitchen.

Late in the afternoon, we loaded up food and kids and headed to the best park in Lincoln – Mahoney Park. It has recently been renovated and has incredible features.

We spent two and a half hours there that evening – playing and eating. The weather was absolutely perfect!

Before we’d left home, I had baked a Sam’s-sized box of Taquitos and packed them in an insulated bag to stay warm. The kids ate in shifts as they got hungry, enjoying their Taquitos with Carrots and Strawberries then going back to play.

Emma came on Monday morning and the girls had a lot of fun with her dog, Buddy. This is a big deal for Josie who has always been afraid of animals!

After getting school kids out the door, ABA kids settled with therapists, and everyone settled with Emma – I headed out for the morning. I didn’t have as much shopping to do that day, so I just went to Sam’s and Wal-mart. As I was finishing up at Sam’s, I heard a very sweet, familiar voice. I rounded the corner and guess who I found?

Arrow and his mommy, Eva! Arrow was very confused about seeing Lolli at Sam’s and kept asking me, “Brayden?” Kiya?” “Auggie?” It was hard for him to recognize me in a warehouse and without any other kids with me, ha!

He and I walked around while Eva finished shopping. Man, that made my day!

Back at home, Matt was amazing and pulled chicken off of three rotisserie chickens for our upcoming Mother’s Day lunch. I had not been able to figure out what I wanted to do for the special meal with moms: Eva, Kelsey, our friend Cindy whose family was joining us, and me. I needed our meal to be kid friendly, easy to set out after church so that no one had to do much work, and delicious. Stumped, when I was out shopping I decided to let Sam’s tell me what we were having for our meal that day. And suddenly the idea came: Chicken Wraps – with lots of fun toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, guacamole, peppers, dressing, and cheese. Everyone would be able to make their wrap however they wanted and it would be a win! Thus the three rotisserie chickens Matt needed to prep. What a guy! The chicken went into the freezer and the work of putting this meal together was basically finished six days in advance.

The kids were all very excited to see that I’d bought our first watermelon of the season! They ate it while I cut it for dinner. Then I used the leftover turkey from a meal last week to make Turkey/Cheese/Spinach Quesadillas. I put diced tomatoes on some of them and they turned out delicious!

The weather was gorgeous so we spent the evening outside walking and having therapies.

Our neighbors were watering their lawn and at the end of the night, the little girls and Auggie decided to run through their sprinkler. This was the sweetest! And good timing because we could transition straight into jammies.

On Tuesday, while Auggie and Josie had ABA therapy, I worked with the therapist who comes into our home to work with two of our kids to help with ARFID and attachment. Anna and I drew pictures together as a way to connect.

Hopelyn had been dropped off and was hanging out with Pop. I took a turn playing with her outside and captured this picture of her fancy hair style. How cute is this?

While the little ones snacked later in the morning, I put together a big Cheeseburger Casserole for dinner that night.

We were in desperate need for easy snacks, so I made a double batch of Honey Sweetened Peanut Butter Cups.

Brayden and Keith went with me to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. Junior volunteers get to pick two foods from the giveaway tables as a “thank you” for helping. Keith chose a full loaf of Italian bread, ha! And then he dug right in.

We ran home right away after giving away food and cleaning up, just in time to grab a quick bite, turn Keith over to his ABA therapist, and go to Kiya’s Ukulele and Choir concert.

Brayden had to leave half-way through to get to his school for his Band Concert. Spring is a busy time filled with concerts and programs!

As we were wrapping up our evening and heading to bed, Auggie joined Malorie in making some cookies.

Wednesday was a very big day for Auggie. It started at 6:15 that morning when he and I climbed into the car to go to the surgery center. He needed some major dental work done and it required that he be put to sleep. So while Matt stayed home to get all six of the other kids squared away for the day, Auggie and I spent the morning being brave. The nurses and doctor were amazing with him!

He handled all of this like a rock star and I was amazed at the peace I felt the entire time. Everything went very well and they wheeled a very sleepy Auggie back to me by 8:30.

When we got home, we stayed as calm as possible so Auggie could continue to recover, then he had a good afternoon nap. By the end of the school day, Auggie was back to normal! He jumped right in to “help” with Keith’s latest project – nailing and drilling random pieces of wood together to build…something.

We weren’t sure that Auggie would be up for ABA therapy that night or if Matt and I would be able to have our Wednesday night date. But all was well, so we fed everyone Cheddar Brats and Beef Hot Dogs with Cucumbers, Carrots, and Grapes. Then we left Elias, Malorie, and Malachi in charge while we headed out for a couple of hours!

After the busyness of Wednesday, Thursday felt restful. We got the kids off to school and Josie and Auggie settled in with their ABA technicians. Auggie spent time with his battery-operated “drill” continuing to work on Keith’s project from the night before.

Arrow and Hopelyn were both with us that morning so they got to have cousin time! When they needed a snack, we had a Peaches Picnic.

Dinner that night was fresh and delicious! We’d been given a cabbage, which isn’t something I buy or cook with much. But I turned it into a bowl of Cole Slaw and it really hit the spot! I made Smoked BBQ Chicken Legs, Stir Fried Veggies, Mac and Cheese, and Strawberry Parfaits. So there was something for every person in our house to enjoy – and some of us enjoyed all of it.

The weather was sunny and gorgeous, so we were outside the entire evening. Malachi was so sweet to spend some time playing volleyball with his brother. Brayden has been taking a special PE class this semester that is more on his level of ability – and watching him play that night showed me that he has really grown in confidence and ability!

On Friday morning, Keith and Auggie were excited to help me make a big pan of Granola Bars.

Did we wait until they set up before we dug into them? Of course we did not. :)

Acacia, Josie, and Auggie helped me make four batches of muffins for an upcoming bridal shower I was hosting on Saturday.

At 8:30, I captured this scene in our living room, which shares what mornings look like as we get ABA therapy started for the day. Acacia claimed Auggie’s RBT as soon as he walked in. He works with Auggie for three hours in the morning and with Anna for three hours in the evening. So he’s practically a part of our family now. :) Josie’s RBT was getting logged into her phone app so she could start recording data during her session. The guy there with the computer is the BCBA for Auggie, Anna, and Keith, so he comes several times a week both in the morning and in the evening. Josie’s BCBA showed up soon after I took this picture, so we had all kinds of awesome professionals working with our kiddos from 8:30-11:30. Notice Anna…not putting her shoes on so she could leave for school on time. This, too, is a regular part of our morning routine. :/

Matt got Keith and Anna to school soon after this once we finally were able to get Anna to somewhat cooperate. Brayden gets himself to school by 8:00 and Kiya had left earlier to get to a student council meeting. Justus dropped Hopelyn off with us so he could get some course work done (he’s working on his masters) – so we got a bonus Hopelyn morning! At 9:40, Acacia and I went to Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy.

We got back just in time for the preschool bus. Look how much these two have grown since they started preschool two years ago!

That afternoon, Brayden got to have a special Walk/Run to Zestos outing with his middle school track team. He has been so blessed to be a part of the Unified Track group this season and we are so thankful for the teachers and coaches who pulled him in. Zestos is a fun ice cream shop about a mile from the school. So it is a tradition for the team to end their season there.

Brayden enjoyed a big hot fudge sundae!

Back at home, I started making Pancakes, Sausage, Eggs, and Hashbrowns. Breakfast for dinner is always a hit for everyone!

After we finished getting everyone fed, while the kids were all outside with our three evening RBTs, Matt and I sat down with our BCBA to discuss progress and programming plans for Keith and Anna. This is so helpful so that we can all make sure we are on the same page as we help our kids learn better calming, social, and adapting skills.

After that, Eva’s parents, Randy and Paula, arrived with a car load of food for our Little Free Pantry. Their church group has been incredible to gather groceries once each month to support this ministry. They brought in load after load of food!

I ended the night by making little Pancake/Sausage Sandwiches for kids to eat for future breakfasts.

Saturday morning, Matt took the kids on an outing – with Asa and Justus meeting them with their babies. I hosted a bridal shower at our house, and I wasn’t able to post more that day. So I’ll share all about it next week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: April 26-May 2, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: April 26-May 2, 2026 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

April 25

I only took one picture of our Saturday afternoon and evening activities: Keith’s soccer game. When we got home afterward, we only had time for a dinner of leftovers, bath time, then the treat of watching an episode of The Chosen Adventures before bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: April 26-May 2, 2026

We ate our Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church. This routine saves so much thought and effort!

Sunday Lunch that day was two huge Lasagnas plus Salad, Green Beans, Fruit, and Garlic Bread.

Our dessert section had a tasty pan of Brookies plus Pound Cake with Fruit and Whipped Cream.

We had a sweet crowd of 30 people gathered around our tables.

Having a house full fills my heart and makes me ready to take on a new week!

Matt and I enjoyed a precious two hours with our Community Group that afternoon. Then we played outside with the kids all evening.

Anna and Auggie helped me “make” some Mini Pizzas for dinner that night – a great way to end our Sunday.

On Monday morning, Emma came to help with kids. She brought her puppy, which is a super big highlight for the kids!

I got kids sent off to school with Matt, other kids settled in with ABA therapists or Emma, and I took off for the day!

My first stop was Aldi. I got a lot of produce there: strawberries, peppers, zucchini, grapes, and Caesar salad kits. There were no meat markdowns that day, but I got some other essentials: sausage, pasta sauce, and cheese.

I went to Wal-Mart next, but forgot to take a picture! Mostly I scanned all the end caps and regular Clearance areas to see what deals I could find. It’s been fun recently to use my Monday mornings to casually walk around looking for super deals. I found bacon marked down plus some chips and bars that we can use for upcoming summer picnics!

My last shopping stop was Costco. I didn’t need a lot there and got away with only spending $151 – a record low for me at Costco! I got milk, bananas, peanuts, pepperoni, peanut butter pretzels, Body Armor, shredded cheese, mixed greens, spinach, frozen green beans, z-bars, and two kinds of apples. Then I headed to Panera to sit and work on a fun new project for a few hours!

For dinner that night, I experimented with making Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. They turned out super good with small bites of steak cooked with peppers, onions, and seasonings. We served it over buns with cheese or over Stick of Butter Rice. Plus we had big bowls full of Strawberry Parfait fixings to enjoy!

While kids had ABA therapy and other kids were in and out of the kitchen for the evening, I baked a pan of Nutella Oat Breakfast Bars for breakfast the next day.

We had a very full Tuesday! Two of the girls and I worked together with our Attachment Therapist, Hopelyn came over to play, and Josie and Auggie had ABA therapy. Right after attachment therapy, I had an online meeting with our ABA company to start the process of adding one more of our kiddos to the therapy process. Matt held down the fort with all the kids during this.

Meanwhile, a friend had dropped off a couple of fun outdoor toys her kids had outgrown. After all of my meetings, I joined the crew outside for fun with our new toys!

Kiya had an Orchestra Concert that evening, so she headed home right after school to get ready. I took Brayden and Keith to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. Then we made it home in time for Keith to start ABA therapy and Brayden to eat a quick bite of dinner before Kiya’s concert.

Matt took Brayden, Acacia, and Josie to the school to support Kiya while I stayed behind with Keith, Anna, and Auggie who were all having ABA therapy sessions. We had warmed up leftover Lasagna for dinner and Anna helped herself to the final bites of Caesar Salad, eating it straight out of the bowl with the big tongs. Whatever gets that child to eat, we will take it!

We had a small bowl full of sweetened berries leftover from Sunday Lunch, so Anna and Auggie and I worked together to surprise Daddy with a Fruit Cobbler.

He was pleasantly surprised when he got home!

On Wednesday morning, Keith saw what I was working on at my computer (a project I’ll show you soon!). It inspired him and he ran into the kitchen and got right to work helping me make Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream.

Arrow came over for the morning. We got the biggest giggles from him when we rolled a ball down the slide over and over. :)

That and when Uncle Malachi threw him (safely) around the living room. :)

As we were waiting for the preschool bus, Auggie pushed Acacia in the new tricycle.

Brayden had a track meet that afternoon. Matt and Kiya went to support him!

Back at home, Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had ABA therapy. I had found a pan of Chicken Burrito filling in the freezer. So I thawed and baked it for people to use to build Burritos that night with cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, and salsa.

Keith was excited to dig into his Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream after dinner. He loved his first bowl. Then when he had seconds he decided he didn’t like it any more. :) Admittedly, while the flavor is good, the texture is different than what we are used to with “regular ice cream.” The rest of the kids liked it and we declared it to be a fun experiment and overall gave it a half-thumbs up. :)

Acacia and Josie had dentist appointments on Thursday morning.

Hopelyn came over for the day!

For dinner that night, I had slow cooked potatoes in the crock pot all day to make Mashed Potatoes. We’d been given a Turkey Breast so I warmed that in a separate crock pot, and made Green Beans to go with it all. Super good!

Acacia had Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy on Friday morning. Daddy got to go with her, and she happily packed some snacks to take along.

While she was gone and Josie and Auggie were hanging with their ABA therapists, I made three packages of Turkey and Cheese Sliders for upcoming Sunday lunch. I also made a batch of Homemade Ice Cream – but I forgot to take a picture!

Justus was out of town Friday, so we got some extra Hopelyn time! Auggie “taught” her how to draw with sidewalk chalk.

Acacia had another appointment that afternoon – a full day for her!

The timing was perfect in that as I dropped Acacia off at school after her appointment, I got to be a part of an assembly in which Anna was given an award. Her smile was HUGE when they called her name and when she saw me afterward. :)

After school, Keith had the privilege of mowing with Daddy for the first time.

Then Brayden took a nice long turn!

For dinner that night, I grilled some Steaks and Sausages. I made Cheesy Potatoes to go with the meal plus prepped plates of fruits and veggies for people to pick from.

With Justus out of town, we got to have a sleepover with Kelsey and Hopelyn and it was the most fun!

I made another batch of Homemade Ice Cream that evening, and forgot to take a picture again, ha!

Saturday I made a third batch of ice cream and remembered to take a picture! I added strawberries to this batch.

We loaded up and enjoyed our favorite Sensory Storytime at the library.

Afterward, we gave everyone apples to eat in the car and we headed to Pizza in the Park with our Heartlands Kids Ministry friends.

 

Even Arrow joined in the kick ball game!

We made it home in time for Auggie’s nap, playtime outside, then Keith’s soccer game. I’ll share more next week!

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