Heavenly Homemakers

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Big Family Grocery Spending for September, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for September, 2025 post!

Curious how much we spent during the month of September and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown!

Big Family Grocery Spending for September, 2025

1. Costco

On September 3, I filled up a cart at Costco! I got four bags of apples, a watermelon, 4-pounds of strawberries, 2 containers of raspberries, sweet peppers, oranges, bananas, spinach, cream, half and half, sour cream, butter, shredded cheese, three boxes of frozen pizza, crusted tilapia, laughing cow cheese for lunches, beef hotdogs, bacon cheddar brats on clearance, coffee, chips, barbecue sauce, cocoa powder, pancake mix, pepperoni, and sliced cheese.

Total for Groceries at Costco: $377.99

2. Aldi

I went to Aldi that same day, hoping my chance to score some meat markdowns. I didn’t find any, but the prices on several items were great per pound so I grabbed boneless chicken thighs ($2.49/pound) and grass-fed hamburger patties ($5.49/pound). We use Aldi’s sausage patties for breakfast sandwiches so I got two more bags of those and five gallons of milk.

Total at Aldi: $88.74

3. Sam’s

On September 6, I ran into Sam’s on our way home from a church event because it’s right on the path. I needed Peanut Butter and Bacon, and as you can see, I very much stocked up on Peanut Butter! This is our favorite kind and Sam’s is the only place I can find it. As I always do, I checked for mark-downs on meat. I scored BIG on hamburger patties and even BIGGER on racks of ribs. The ribs were marked down plus each package was an additional $5 off. And they were double packs. So I got two packages each of two racks of ribs for around $13 each. AMAZING.

Total at Sam’s: $196.45

4. Aldi

On September 10, I went to Aldi for our weekly milk plus a few other needed items. I do crack up at the fact that this is what my shopping trip looks like when I just need to “run into Aldi for a couple of things.” :) I got five gallons of milk, Caesar salad kits, cilantro, spaghetti sauce, cantaloupe, granola, lots of yogurt, chips, crackers, cumin, raisins, bananas, limes, frozen fries and tots, shrimp, lasagna noodles, fruit/veggie pouches, sliced pineapple, meat sticks, hamburger meat, and salami.

Total at Aldi: $147.32

5. Hy-Vee Pick-Up

On September 13, we got most of our WIC items for the month through Hy-Vee Pick-up. Acacia aged out of WIC last month, so we get fewer items now. Still, we are so blessed to get several boxes of cereal, some cheese, whole grain pasta, beans, eggs, and produce through Josie and Auggie’s benefits. I forgot to take a picture until most of our groceries were put away…

Total at Hy-Vee: $0 out of pocket

6. Costco

On September 17, I went to Costco and got shredded cheese, rolled oats, milk, sweet peppers, spinach, pears, strawberries, raspberries, meat sticks, graham crackers, potatoes, frozen meatballs, white queso, nectarines, sour cream, butter, chips, bananas, mandarins, chocolate chips, canned pumpkin, pickles, sliced ham, broccoli, and a Rotisserie Chicken.

Total for Groceries at Costco: $217.91

7. Sam’s

On September 24, I stocked up at Sam’s and found meat markdowns while I was there too! I bought 20-pounds of ground beef, three packages of chicken breast tenderloins marked down, plus spinach, spring mix, baby carrots, cream, half and half, oatmeal packets, butter, bacon, brown sugar, pickles, French fries, bananas, raspberries, apples, 10-dozen eggs, avocado cups, sliced cheese, chocolate chips, rotel, canned corn, sausage links, yogurt, honey, maple syrup, spaghetti sauce, egg noodles, minced onion, veggie straws, and some packaged snacks for lunches and soccer games (like granola bars).

Total for Groceries at Sam’s: $490.69

8. Wal-Mart

After I left Sam’s that day, I went next door to Wal-Mart. I forgot to take a picture, but I bought four gallons of milk, seven bags of frozen veggies, a big bag of frozen hashbrowns, three cans of pineapple tidbits, two packages of shredded coconut, two packages of cubed ham, and a pork roast marked down to less than $2/pound.

Total for Groceries at Wal-Mart: $52.63

9. Amazon

Also not pictured is three boxes of Go-Go Squeeze applesauce or yogurts that came in our subscribe-and-save order this month.

Total at Amazon: $31.42

Total for groceries September, 2025: $1,603

Our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $120 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364
May spending: $1374
June spending: $1,127
July spending: $633
August spending: $1,501
September spending: $1,603

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Big Family Food and Fun: September 21-27, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: September 21-27, 2025 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!

Saturday, September 20

I have a lot to share from last Saturday!

We went to our favorite Sensory-Friendly Library Storytime that morning. Kelsey and Little Sweetheart met us there. That baby big girl sat in one of the big kid chairs just like she is one of the big kids. It was soooo sweet.

Auggie has come such a long way and is really growing in confidence. This story time has very specific songs and routines each time, and Auggie knows them all now. By the end of the session, he’d made his way up to stand next to Ms. Diane and helped her lead the Goodbye Song.

We got home and fed the kids leftovers for lunch. Then we loaded up our wagon with canned and boxed food, got on bikes, and headed to fill up our closest Little Free Pantry. This was an extra special adventure because we let everyone, including the littlest kids, ride a bike. They did amazing!

So many times when we are at the pantry putting in food, a community member stops by. This happened again on this day, and we loved handing him a bag and telling him to take what he needed before we even put it into the pantry box.

Keith had a soccer game that afternoon.

The rest of the day was spent with our new friends Liz and Trinity. They are students at York University and we have family and friend connections with them that go way back. In August when we heard that they were at York, we sent them a message to come visit us in Lincoln sometime if they ever needed a little college break/getaway. They took us up on this offer and we are so glad they did!

I had asked what they were hungry for and what they wanted to do. Their reply? “Is it ok with we have a baking day??” Oh girls. You have come to the right place!

While we were at soccer, they worked on their laundry and got started on their baking. We came home to the smell of Pumpkin Muffins and Oatmeal Cookies.

I Smoked Chicken for our dinner that night plus Steamed Green Beans and sliced Nectarines.

Our time with Liz and Trinity was lovely, and of course our kids loved the extra love and attention.

Big Family Food and Fun: September 21-27, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church. Our morning with the kids was incredibly rough, so being with church family all day long was so very good and needed. We are so thankful for all the care and support we receive from so many dear ones.

Lunch was lovely, with 38 of us gathered for a Brunch-Themed lunch. I had made a huge Egg and Hashbrown Casserole, several pounds of Bacon, and a large pan of Overnight Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole. Friends brought Fruit, Blueberry Coffee Cake, and Bagels and Lox. This was such a fun feast!

In fact, this meal went over so well that we ran out of Egg Casserole, Bacon, and French Toast – so I quickly scrambled a skillet full of Cheesy Eggs and heated up Sausage Patties so that Elias, Malachi, Malorie, and I could eat, ha! I love seeing food disappear while friends are gathered.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon while the kids watched a movie in the basement. Then, it was Block Party time! We’d worked together with a few neighbors to organize this, and our kid were very much looking forward to it! The street got blocked off, we set up tables, and many people gathered to enjoy a potluck feast. Our kids loved riding their bikes in the street – something we don’t let them do on the regular. We got to know neighbors better and met new friends. It was wonderful!

When I checked my phone after the party, I had texts and pictures from both Eva and Kelsey. Kelsey had made a pot of Turkey Noodle Soup with Homemade Broth.

And Eva had made Pizza with Stir and Pour Pizza Crust. She makes the crust ahead and stores them in the freezer for their Sunday dinners. This time she made a Buffalo Cream Cheese Chicken Pizza. Aren’t my daughters-in-law amazing?!

On Monday morning, I looked through all my Pumpkin Recipes for something fun and fall-ish for breakfast. I decided to make Pumpkin Waffles – and they were a hit!

I decided that afternoon to give myself some rest. Sunday had been very full – very good, but very full. Our days are hard. I was feeling emotional and drained. So Monday afternoon I rested. I even fell asleep! This was life-giving.

There’s a nursing home on our route home from school. Every few months, they bring out some of the residents to hand out treats to school kids as they are walking/biking home. This is such a precious thing they do, and today they were handing out cups of lemonade. Our kids enjoyed sipping on their cup while I engaged with some of the men and women who were providing the fun for our kids.

Dinner that night was a little bit more involved than usual. I had picked up a lot of Hamburger Patties on sale after Labor Day, so I turned some of them into Hamburger Steaks (using this recipe/method). I had made Mashed Potatoes in my Crock Pot, and I even made Gravy (similar to this recipe). I also made Steamed Peas, which aren’t pictured here because this meal took too many steps and by the time I took a picture, I’d already fed half of us and the peas were gone. :) Was this meal worth the effort? YES. Will I do it again soon? Ha. Nope. Too many kids and too much ABA therapy happening during dinner time, etc, etc.

Worth noting: I made 36 small Hamburger Steaks. There were three left at the end of the evening.

Tuesday morning, I made 48 Mini Pumpkin Muffins.

Little Sweetheart came for the day.

I baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice, then turned it into a big skillet full of Taco Rice Dinner for our evening meal.

I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to our weekly Food Distribution. This week went much better than last week, thankfully.

On Tuesday afternoon, I’d mixed up a double batch of Low Sugar Pumpkin Spice Roll-Out Cookies. I didn’t have a chance to roll and bake them until Wednesday morning. If you have a chance – make these cookies. They are only lightly sweetened and taste so amazing with coffee or tea in the fall!

Wednesday morning, I also put together 14 Breakfast Sandwiches with buns and cooked eggs that I’d brought home from Food Distribution the day before.

Arrow spent the morning with us on Wednesday!

That afternoon, I went to Sam’s and Wal-Mart for more groceries. Every time I fill a cart to overflowing I think, “well, that should last us a while.” Hahaha, oh Laura. Stop saying that.

That night for dinner, I made 30 Bacon Cheddar Brats. We ate them with Baked Beans, Pickles, and Raspberries.

On Thursday, Little Sweetheart was here for the day again. We played outside for a long time and had a snack of Carrot Zucchini Muffins that I’d thawed from the freezer.

For dinner, I made two pans of Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips, plus Steamed Broccoli. I also used our griddle to toast a loaf of Buttered Brioche Bread.

Friday morning, we played in our back parking space after we got home from dropping kids off from school. Matt pitched some balls to the girls who attempted to swing the bat. Acacia found our neighbor’s baseball helmet to wear, for ultimate baseball safely, of course.

Later in the morning, Josie and Auggie stayed behind with Matt while I took Acacia to Physical Therapy. She normally has Speech Therapy first, but that session was canceled for the morning, so she got to use all of her energy at PT instead.

Back at home, Josie posed for Matt by our neighbor’s flowers for a sweet picture. (Our neighbors are all awesome – we basically share yards/porches/driveways/everything. We are so thankful!)

I had baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice, plus steamed a pan of Green Beans.

That afternoon, I turned the rice and green beans into the beginnings of Tator Tot Casserole for our upcoming Sunday lunch.

Friday evening was a bit hectic. We’d taken our small car to the shop and it needed to be picked up. Keith and Auggie were in the middle of their evening ABA sessions and Elias was here to be the “responsible adult present.” Brayden was having some Bro Time with Malachi. So Matt and I loaded up the four girls to go pick up the car.

Alas, the repair attempt was unsuccessful and the car overheated for Matt on the way home. Meanwhile, I’d made it home with the girls and started feeding them a lukewarm dinner that I’d started before leaving. Everyone was very hungry so they didn’t care about the less-than-ideal food temp. So-so Nuggets, Fries, and Rings for the win.

Keith had big plans for the evening! You might remember that I’ve mentioned his special relationship to a teenage church friend, Sam. Sam is a senior and that night was his final home football game. Matt moved a few mountains to be able to take Keith to the football game that night. At the very end of his ABA therapy session before leaving for the game, Keith’s ABA technician helped him make a flag to take to the game for cheering. This is a Lincoln East Spartan, but you already knew that…

The rest of us stayed back and played outside while Auggie finished his ABA therapy session. Our neighbor, John, came over and the kids showed him the flowers he’d helped them plant earlier in the summer. Anna broke her flower pot showing him her plant, so John helped her transplant it. It was all very sweet, until John left and some of our kids’ behaviors shifted. This is a sad norm for us. Our kids love getting special attention from people (and Matt and I appreciate the love people pour into the kids!). But the minute we have to transition back to normal life, our kids’ emotions struggle to know what to do and the meltdowns start. Oy. Getting emotional kids into bed that night was a loud event…and Matt was gone. Thankfully, Elias, Malorie, and Malachi were there to help me. :)

On Saturday, we ate cereal for breakfast, then loaded up to go to Library Storytime. Anna and Acacia were proud to be matching that morning and asked for a picture.

After Story Time, the librarian brought out fun sensory toys to enjoy!

Then, we went to a fun Touch-a-Truck event where lots of rescue vehicles, road construction vehicles, and a very cool motorcycle were available for kids to climb on and play in. It was a very well-attended event – I think half of Lincoln was there. Wow. Somehow we managed not to lose any of our seven littles.

Back at home, we warmed up leftovers for lunch, played for a while, then headed to Keith’s soccer game. We got home, did some cleaning, then moved into our time of Sabbath rest. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: September 14-20, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: September 14-20, 2025 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!

Saturday, September 13

Keith had a soccer game Saturday afternoon, and when we got home, the kids piled into the living room and tackled Malachi. Can you hear this picture?

Kelsey sent me this photo of the Raspberry Oatmeal Bars she’d baked that day with some leftover fruit from her freezer. I haven’t made these bars in a while but they are going on my list!

Saturday’s dinner was a “clean out the fridge” night. I warmed up the last of our Cheeseburger Casserole. Then I cut up the few leftover Baked Potatoes we had and stirred in Taco Meat. I love this combo! I had exactly three tortillas, so I made a quesadilla and a half to cut into small triangles for the kids. We had a little bit of leftover fruit – and this was dinner.

Our meal was a tiny bit calmer than it is sometimes, and I was able to capture this short moment when everyone was seated and eating all at the same time.

Big Family Food and Fun: September 14-20, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars. Some of us have this with milk. The rest of us have these with coffee. :)

Thirty-six people gathered in our home for lunch after church that day. Babies, friends, teens, young adults, new friends, old friends – these days are my favorite.

I had made two huge Lasagnas and a friend made Chicken Alfredo. Other friends brought Sides, Desserts and a Salad. Someone even brought Homemade Applesauce.

I set out the container of Chocolate Chip Cookies that I’d made the day before, and our friend Christina had made Lemon Loaf and Brownies. I think we went through three pots of coffee with our desserts.

I’m not sure if you can see the leftovers in this picture that I took while Arrow was crawling around and some of us were hanging out in the kitchen. We went through almost two entire large pans of Lasagna, and what was left happily went into containers for young adult lunches for this week.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon while the kids watched a movie with Elias and Malorie. Then Josie and Auggie helped me make Pizza for dinner.

Monday morning, after we got kids off to school, Auggie started his ABA therapy session and I made a batch of Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins. These are all the kids’ favorite, and they go over the best when I make mini-sized muffins.

Fresh out of the oven, these three had a Muffin Picnic during one of Auggie’s work breaks.

That afternoon, just before time to pick up kids from school, Matt and Malachi worked on some car issues. Auggie was happy to help, and I had to tear him away from this fun to put him in a stroller to walk with me to school to pick up kids.

When we got home, Auggie went right back to helping Malachi, and Keith joined in. They were working on a different car by then – airing up tires to get it ready to head to the shop the next day. Keith had been on a field trip that day and had the privilege of wearing a hat to school. This hat had been Malachi’s “back in the day” so it was extra sweet to see Keith wearing it.

Our night was filled with ABA therapy, homework, and general hubbub. Acacia and Josie helped me make Salad to go with dinner.

Dinner was simple that night – Smoked Sausage, Noodles, Alfredo Sauce, and Salad. A lot of our kids really like noodles with butter, salt, and parmesan. I’ve given up on making this make sense because it fills their bellies and avoids food fights. Most of them ate their noodles with salad and some ate the meat.

On Tuesday morning, our dearest Emma came for a few hours. She is a friend from York and was one of our kids’ babysitters when we lived there. We’ve all missed each other! She arrived just in time to walk to school with us for drop-off.

We played outside quite a bit that morning, and Emma read lots of books to the girls. :)

Little Sweetheart was hanging with us all morning also. I caught her here waving and saying “bye! bye!” with her sweet little voice that she’s learning to use.

Mid-morning, we put chicken into a crock pot with bbq sauce to slow cook for dinner. I also made a crock pot full of Party Potatoes. Just before time to pick up kids from school, I prepped Green Beans for Matt to steam at dinnertime.

Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and I spent two hours that afternoon/evening at our weekly Food Distribution. Back at home, Matt had finished up dinner and we dug in as soon as we got home.

I was barely holding it together all evening because some of the kids’ behaviors were rough while we had been out. One of the hardest parts of life right now is figuring out how to parent children whose brains work so differently than a neurotypical brain. Autistic meltdowns are extreme and there’s not much that can be done to calm a child once they are shutting down.

Anyway, somehow we got through the night with dinner, homework, and ABA therapies.

 

Wednesday morning, we were blessed to have Arrow with us. He joined us for school drop-off and Uncle Keith was excited to push him to the first grade line.

I had discovered this Shake a Leg! book that morning and what I thought was a treasure upon discovery turned out to be even more precious. You see, this is a book we’ve had since Asa was Arrow’s age. How we still have it and it is in one piece, I have no idea. :)  But how wonderful! I decided I had to read it to Arrow…

And THEN, when I opened it to read, I discovered that this book had been a gift to Asa on his first birthday. And who gave him this gift? KELSEY’S family. Before Kelsey was born.

I’ve probably mentioned here that Matt and I go way back with Kelsey’s parents as we went to college together and became friends. We had our first babies together in the same town before they moved 12 hours away to settle in Montana where Kelsey grew up. Now here we are with our kids, Justus and Kelsey, all grown up, meeting at college, and getting married. This sweet little book has a rich history and is a great treasure.

And here I thought I was “only” going to read Arrow a book that I’d read years ago to his daddy…

In much less sweet or fun news, went grocery shopping at Costco that afternoon. :)

The evening was full of Zoom telehealth therapies, ABA therapy, and general chaos. Acacia helped me make a salad to go with dinner that afternoon.

I had brought home a $4.98 Rotisserie Chicken from Costco and put it on “warm” in the crock pot for dinner. Rotisserie chickens are a beautiful thing. We ate ours with Salad, Rolls, Raspberries, Pickles, and a little bit of leftover Pineapple Fluff.

Thursday morning, I baked multiple pans of Bacon and a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars. The bacon was for Sunday’s lunch and the cookies bars were for the next two Sunday’s breakfasts.

Little Sweetheart hung out with us all day. She and Auggie took a stroller ride with me while Acacia and Josie took care of their babies outside.

That afternoon, I put together a huge Egg and Hashbrown Casserole for Sunday’s lunch.

Justus hung out for a while, which was a great bonus to our day!

For dinner that night, I made Creamy Bacon Spaghetti with Peas and Grapes. There were no leftovers after this meal. :)

During ABA therapy time, I was able to make a big batch of Mudballs for our weekend snacking needs. I also made a double batch of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies to wrap up for packing lunches.

Friday morning, Acacia and I spent two hours at her Speech and Physical Therapy appointments.

While she worked hard, I had the chance to text and get caught up with a few loved ones.

I had baked a double batch of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies, and that afternoon, I wrapped them for easy grab-and-go lunchbox options for our household.

It was French Fry Friday, so we had Nuggets and Fries for dinner. This was a lovely, easy Mom’s Night Off From Cooking.

We haven’t seen our Bonus Buddy since July, but guess who came to visit us this weekend? It was raining when he arrived, but that didn’t stop everyone from going out and getting wet as we overwhelmed him with our Welcome Committee!

Saturday morning, we ate Cereal then headed to our favorite Sensory-Friendly Story Time at the library. Kelsey and Little Sweetheart met us there, which made it extra special. Then some darling college girls came over for the afternoon and evening. We had a dinner of Smoked Chicken and I made an Overnight Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole to bake for Sunday lunch.

In short, we had so much fun I didn’t have time to finish this post, ha! So I’ll catch up next week on all of our Saturday shenanigans. :)

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Big Family Food and Fun: September 7-13, 2025

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: September 7-13, 2025 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!

Saturday, September 6

I only took one picture on Saturday evening, and it was this one. I’d picked up super inexpensive ribs that day and smoked them for our dinner that night. They tasted great as a Sabbath meal, though they weren’t super kid friendly for our crew. At least the weary parents got to enjoy ribs. ;)

Big Family Food and Fun: September 7-13, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate our traditional plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars. They were dry this time…what did I do wrong? I have no idea. We ate them anyway (and swept up a lot of crumbs later).

Our Sunday Lunch crowd got to enjoy musical entertainment! Kiya has just started to play Viola, so she got out her instrument to show our friend Clara, who plays Violin. Before we knew it, Clara was playing a song for us to enjoy. It was so sweet!

For our lunch that day, we enjoyed a Buffet of Dips! I had asked everyone to bring their favorite chip, fruit, or veggie dip to share. I made Cream Cheese Salsa Dip, Caramel Apple Dip, and Hamburger Sauerkraut Dip. Friends brought Bean Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Hummus and Pitas, a variety of Fruit – it was such a fun spread!

There were 27 of us gathered that day – with some new friends joining us to make our time extra special.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time that afternoon while the kids watched a movie downstairs. Afterward, there was lots of happy hubbub in our kitchen! Elias and Malorie were making their work lunches for the week. Elizabeth (our friend and housemate) was showing Malachi how to use her Espresso Machine. Kids were running in and out so I went outside with them and asked Malachi to take over making 5-boxes of Mac and Cheese for an easy dinner.

One of the new friends that we’d met on Sunday had brought over 18 fresh eggs when he came for lunch!! I mean, everyone is welcome to show up empty handed and simply enjoy the meal with us. But to bring a dozen and a half beautiful brown chicken eggs sure was a fun gift. We enjoyed them (yes, all of them) for breakfast on Monday morning.

We had a meeting that morning with our kids’ ABA therapist and the rest of the day went by in a blur. Brayden helped me make dinner that night because he was very excited to make hashbrowns.

We had bits of this and that for dinner, putting together enough to feed everyone: Baked Potatoes in the Crock Pot, Brayden’s Hashbrowns, Leftover Ribs that I’d slow cooked to make more tender, Leftover Strawberry Parfaits, Zucchini from our neighbors, Green Beans, and Watermelon.

Tuesday morning, we got the kids off to school and then I took Josie to a clinic for a morning full of evaluations. If you recall, we’ve been seeking answers and more resources for each of our kids and have finally been finding doctors and therapists to help. Today was Josie’s turn and she was very excited to have her “pointment.” By the end of the very long morning, she was OVER IT. But she hung in there and enjoyed the prize box as we headed out. We didn’t finish with all her assessments yet, so we’ll head back in a couple of weeks for more. Thankfully, this team of professionals is in Lincoln, so we don’t have to go far!

Back at home, Matt and Malachi had been holding down the fort with Acacia, Auggie, and Little Sweetheart. We got the girls on the bus for preschool, put the babies down for naps, and I caught Matt up on Josie’s evals. Then I made a large Cheeseburger Casserole for Matt to bake for dinner. I slid it into the oven so that all he’d have to do is turn on the oven at 4:00.

Auggie and Little Sweetheart snacked on cereal while I did a little more kitchen work.

Then we picked up kids and headed to hand out food at our weekly Food Distribution. The kids focused and got into work-mode this week. I was very proud of them! (I’m proud of Kiya too, I just didn’t get a picture of her there this time!)

Whelp. At 4:00, Matt turned on what he thought was the oven. But, in fact, he turned on our stove top griddle. So, for one entire hour, our griddle was nice and hot and our Cheeseburger Casserole did not bake. Not even a little bit. At dinnertime, Matt realized his mistake, put the casserole into the fridge for another day, and warmed up Burritos that he found in the freezer. Thank goodness for these burritos! And thank goodness for a smart husband who can quickly figure out how to save dinner. :)

Those Burritos were quickly gone and we continued to warm up all sorts of random items from the freezer and fridge until we were all full. It ended up being rather fun, and once again, I got to delight in a kitchen full of cool adults hanging out together in my favorite room. Little kids ran in and out, and ABA therapy was happening all over the house or yard. While so much of our days/nights are hard, I will look back on these moments as a treasure. While it might look like craziness, full kitchen hubbub like this is actually the most sweet and peaceful part of our life right now.

Wednesday morning, I had yet another meeting. This time it was an IEP meeting for one of our kids. Matt stayed back with the three littlest kids while I got the others to school and then just stayed until meeting time. Once I made it back home, Matt had everyone eating a snack (again) and while all was calm, he informed me that everyone had been pretty high maintenance all morning. Ugh.

What saved the day? Eva sent us a super sweet video of Arrow and the kids wanted to watch it over and over (and over).

During Auggie’s naptime that afternoon, I ran to Aldi for our week’s grocery needs.

That evening we had an extra special dinner. Why? Well. Back in January when it was Elias’ birthday, none of his friends or our family that lives outside of our house were able to come over for his birthday dinner. We’d been fighting illnesses at our house, it was crazy cold, and while I did make him a special dinner, it was kind of a bummer birthday.

Sooooo, since September is the only month of the year that we don’t have any actual birthdays to celebrate, we decided to have a January 18 Birthday Dinner Redo for Elias on September 10. See? It all makes sense. :)

He invited a couple of friends and everyone in our household was here, plus Asa and Arrow were able to come. The banter and conversation in the kitchen was amazing as I finished dinner prep.

I made Crusted Tilapia (frozen from Costco) and Seasoned Shrimp (frozen from Aldi) plus three pounds of Taco Meat. We set all the fixings for Fish Tacos, or Regular Tacos and we feasted!

Thursday, both grandbabies were here for the morning!

Auggie had an ABA therapy session most of the morning. During one of his breaks, he walked into the playroom to check on both of the babies. :)

During another break while we were all outside, these three sat on a step and enjoyed the special treat of a yogurt cup.

During naptime that afternoon, I made two huge Lasagnas for our upcoming Sunday lunch. I put them into our pantry fridge to pull out and bake Sunday morning.

That evening, we tried again to bake this Cheeseburger Casserole. SUCCESS! We set out some simple sides as we enjoyed our casserole during an absolutely crazy evening full of intense meltdowns, Zoom telehealth therapy sessions, ABA therapy, and more meltdowns…but at least the casserole was delicious.

Friday morning, I made a quadruple batch of Chewy Granola Bars to eat for breakfast and to have on hand for snacks. Some of the kids had Bagels instead and Brayden had a Breakfast Sandwich.

Acacia and I spent the morning at Speech Therapy and Physical Therapy. Matt stayed home with Auggie, who had ABA therapy, and Josie, who got some special Daddy time.

We had a meeting at school for one of the kids that afternoon while a friend stayed back home with a napping Auggie. This was the last of our many meetings and appointments this week and it was a productive one. We have learned that we have to advocate intensely for our kids in many ways. It is a full time job – one we are grateful to do and one for which we are constantly praying for God’s wisdom and strength as we seek to do it well.

Dinner that night was Burgers and Fries with Cantaloupe and Pickles.

Saturday morning, I baked several pans of Bacon  and made a bowl full of Pineapple Fluff Salad.

I also made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies for Sunday.

Then we loaded everyone up and headed to our favorite Sensory-Friendly Story Time. This is a highlight of our week!

On our way home, we picked up a Hy-Vee order with our WIC items. Did I forget to take a picture until almost everything was put away? I sure did. Here are the last few items on the counter while we finished putting the food away.

Lunch was pretty awesome – Turkey Bacon Club Sandwiches with Cantaloupe and Pineapple Fluff Salad.

Keith had a soccer game that afternoon, and it was HOT. He played his heart out and scored two goals.

We got a bunch of hot, grumpy kids back to the van and home again. The rest of the day was spent cleaning then heading into our time of Sabbath. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: August 31-September 6, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 31-September 6, 2025 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!

Saturday, August 30

It was rainy that Saturday afternoon, so we had to find indoor activities to keep the kids occupied. Brayden and Kiya asked to see our wedding photos. So we all enjoyed taking a walk down memory lane, seeing so many family members’ pictures from 31 years ago, seeing Mommy in her pretty white dress, seeing Daddy looking like our now adult sons… :)

I pulled out a craft kit to enjoy at the living room table.

Elias and Malorie have a tradition of taking each birthday kid out for a “Special Adventure” to celebrate their birthday. That Saturday afternoon was a good opportunity for them to take Acacia out. They walked around the mall, then got her a special lemonade. She loved every minute of this special time!

Josie helped me make Baked Beans for our Sunday Lunch as we wrapped up our day and headed into our Sabbath evening.

For dinner that night, I used the last of some BBQ Pulled Pork I had in the fridge to make Sandwich Melts.

Big Family Food and Fun: August 31-September 6, 2025

On Sunday morning, we dug into a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

We needed to be an hour early to church that day because Brayden had the honor of being on the Worship Team and they needed to do a run-through of the morning’s songs. Justus had arranged for a mother-daughter combo and a father-daughter combo to be on the team that day along with Brayden/Justus/Kelsey as a brother-brother-sister combo. I was glad we got there an hour early so I get get my happy tears out as I watched them worship. While Brayden struggles mightily with academics and social skills, THIS is a place where Brayden shines so confidently.

Back at home after church, we had 39 people gather for lunch. It was Acacia’s birthday and it was so much fun to have a houseful to celebrate with her!

We enjoyed Acacia’s lunch menu choices: Hotdogs and Cheddar Brats, Chips, Pickles, Grapes, and Carrots. For dessert we had Brownies and several batches of Homemade Ice Cream.

I tried to walk around to take pictures of groups gathered throughout the house, but I missed capturing everyone.

I love watching people enjoy a meal and fellowship. I am so thankful for this home God provided for us!

Because it was a three-day holiday weekend, Kelsey took full advantage of her time at home to get ahead in her kitchen. It was so fun to get texts and pictures from her throughout the weekend, sharing her tasty progress. Sunday evening: Stir-and-Pour Bread!

Meanwhile, I was tapped out and made Aldi Take-and-Bake Pizzas for Acacia’s birthday dinner.

We hadn’t had a chance yet that day to sing and blow out birthday candles or open gifts. So we gathered in the dining room after Pizza to enjoy this time with her.

Note that the boots Acacia was so excited to receive had been purchased on clearance at the end of last winter for an entire $1.00 and stashed away for such a time as this. Five-year-olds are easy to please and don’t need expensive presents. She LOVES these new sparkly boots!

Monday morning was rainy and dreary. We decided to take the kids to the Mall indoor play area to get some energy out since a park or the zoo was out of the question that day. I packed sandwiches, grapes, chips, almonds, and apples to get us through our outing.

The kids played until hunger took over, and we headed to the food court area to find a table.

And who did we discover along the way? Our friends, the Cases, and they had more friends, the Adcock girls, with them. Christina snapped this picture for us to send to the Adcock Mama to hopefully brighten her day.

Running into friends was a HUGE perk to our day and changed some grumpy attitudes around. We are so thankful for these friends!

Somehow we got everyone fed, then to the potty, then to the play area again before heading home for Auggie’s nap.

The Nabb family came over all afternoon so that Cindy and I could work on some paperwork together. The kids played school in the living room (it was still raining outside!), then we talked the Nabbs into staying for dinner! I made an Egg Casserole, Pancakes (from a box, ha – actually two boxes), Sausage Patties, and Fruit.

This was the best. We hadn’t made any Labor Day plans so I loved that this impromptu gathering happened.

Meanwhile, Kelsey had sent me pictures of a big Turkey she’d baked, Broth she made with the bones, and these Snickerdoodle Bites. You go, girl!

Tuesday morning, the teachers had a work day so the kids were home from school again. Somehow, most of the kids slept in and Anna was the only kiddo who joined me downstairs before 7:30. While we don’t get hours of one-on-one time with each of our kids, I find that God does provide small windows of opportunity to give undivided attention to them like this. During our time together, Anna helped me get Breakfast Cookie Bars, Spinach Cake, and Stick of Butter Rice into the oven.

It felt good to get ahead and to make good use of oven heat. (As in, since I had turned the oven on to bake a cake, I wanted to add more to the oven while it was hot to save energy.)

The kids have been very into sitting on skateboards and riding them down the driveway. The rain had stopped so we spent the entire morning outside, much of it on skateboards.

Justus dropped off Little Sweetheart for the day, and she proved herself to be one of the big kids outside walking around and riding the little scooter.

Mid-morning, Keith helped me make Cream Cheese Frosting for our cake.

I browned two pounds of hamburger meat and stirred it into the rice I’d baked earlier to make Taco Rice Dinner. I kept the corn and beans separate to accommodate pickiness. Then I covered it and put it into the fridge for Matt to rewarm at dinnertime.

At lunchtime, we used Sunday’s leftover hotdogs to make Beanie Weanies. Mealtimes seem to somehow turn our kids into screamers, phew. Several of our kids have food-related trauma, so it’s par for the course. Still, it makes me sad. How I long to simply make food, serve food, enjoy food, and then clean up after us. Instead, there’s yelling, fighting, food refusal, arguing, and a lot of “I hate this” even if they ate thirds of the same food last time. Anyway, this lunch time was especially challenging and loud. Parenting this time around is so different!

Note: My intent with sharing some of the challenges in our family isn’t to whine or complain. But I do feel that it’s important that I share the reality of our situation. Matt and I are constantly trying to figure out how to successfully train, discipline, and teach these babes. Mostly, we want them to know that they are loved and that they can trust us. Trust is tricky with kids who have lost so much. We’ll keep loving and being trustworthy, praying and supporting.

That afternoon, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to serve at our weekly Food Distribution.

Matt had warmed the Taco Rice Dinner that I’d made earlier in the day and fed some of the littler ones. ABA therapy was in full force when we got home so the rest of us ate in shifts as the evening went on. Meanwhile, Elias and Malorie did some cooking to pre-make some work lunches to grab and take as they headed out early the rest of this week. Malachi was hanging/working/working out with his friend, Graham, and they ate dinner too. It was a full kitchen all evening long – my favorite!

Wednesday morning, Auggie had ABA therapy and Arrow came to hang out. Grandbaby time is incredibly precious to us.

After we got the girls on their preschool bus around noon, Matt got Auggie down for a nap and I headed out to grocery shop. This might last us for a short while?

I had put a bag of frozen meatballs into our crock pot with barbecue sauce for Meatball Subs for dinner. We had them with Raspberries and Salad.

As we were getting all seven kids down for the night, Keith and Auggie parked themselves in our “Reading Room” with the big bear. I couldn’t believe how long Auggie sat there looking at books. This is a big break-through for a little guy who has had to be taught how to play, sit, and focus. By the way, our “Reading Room” is a sun room just off of our girls’ bedroom. This room has evolved from an extra bedroom to a Lego Room to what is now our Reading Room. There’s a shelf behind the door that you can’t see if this photo, and that’s where the kids can grab their books to calm down with at night in their beds. This great big bear has been a perfect addition to this room (thanks, Burham family, for handing this off to us!).

Wednesday evening, I made yet another double batch of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies because apparently we are obsessed with these now. They have become a very helpful go-to for snacks and lunches so I will keep making them until we get tired of them. I also made another big batch of Chewy Granola Bars for the same reason. We are eating through them very quickly and they provide a fast protein fix all throughout the day. On Thursday morning, I got them cut and packaged for easy grab-and-go options for everyone.

Kiya is always excited to help with projects like this.

Anna helped me scramble eggs to make French Toast.

We’d brought home a fun loaf of Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Food Distribution on Tuesday, and this makes the best French Toast! When I make it like this, I don’t serve it to the kids with maple syrup. It is sweet enough just as it is and I tell them that they can eat it like cookies. :)

Josie’s teacher sent me this fun photo that afternoon, stating that Josie had declared them to be twins that day with their flower dresses, messy buns, and sandals. :) :) :) She sure does love Ms. Kristine!

Little Sweetheart spent the day with us, and the kids are always so excited when she or Arrow join us for school drop off or pick up!

Dinner that night was the best. I had marinated and Smoked Chicken plus I had cut up 4-pounds of berries for Strawberry Parfaits. I steamed Green Beans, Sautéed Peppers and Onions, and Buttered/Toasted some Buns. We devoured this.

YOU GUYS. All of Auggie’s life we have tried to read books to him. But he would never let us, which was so sad both for snuggles and for his developmental needs. This day was the very first day he sat down and let me read a book to him. AMAZING. Brayden took a picture to document the milestone event. I made it through about a third of Bears on Wheels before Auggie was ready to move on. But wow did it feel good knowing the progress this baby boy has made!

Friday morning is a big morning for Acacia now. After we get Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Anna off to school, we settle Auggie in with ABA therapy in our living room, and Josie gets one-on-one with Daddy while Acacia and I head off to Children’s Rehab for therapy. She starts with an hour of Speech Therapy.

Then we take a potty break and head in for an hour of Physical Therapy. This week we got home just as the preschool bus was arriving to take her and Josie to school. Phew!

Matt and I spend Friday afternoons together – not working but just being together. If we don’t block out time like this, we’d never have full conversations. :)

Dinner that night was Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup. Plus I cut up a huge Watermelon that we munched on all evening long.

Saturday morning, I made Cream Cheese Salsa Dip and Caramel Apple Dip in preparation for a big Chip/Veggie/Fruit Dip Buffet for Sunday’s lunch.

We loaded up snacks for the morning as we headed out to start with our first outing of the day. Our favorite Sensory-Friendly Library Story Time was starting back up for the fall!

This special library event is such a gift for our family and for several others who we see each time we go. Most of the guests are on the autism spectrum or have other disabilities – and it is such a safe, friendly environment. No one expects the kids to sit perfectly still. Ms. Diane offers lots of opportunities for the kids to move around, to participate or not participate in the simple songs and actions to go with songs/books, to be seen, to be cared for. There are special chairs and special weighted stuffed animals. It’s the most beautiful time and we are so thankful to be a part of this.

Malachi hopped in with us and played with the kids during the sensory toy time after story hour.

Then we loaded back up (ate snacks) and headed to Heartlands for a Color Run with our church’s Kids Ministry. Here’s a shot of everyone running the path getting sprayed with colorful chalk, while Matt and I stayed back with hesitant littles.

By the end, Josie had finally allowed herself to get a little bit “chalked” while Anna had decided to go all in and Kiya and Keith were very well covered. It was such a well-attended event and so much fun!

We went home and ate leftovers for lunch, then loaded back up to go to Keith’s soccer game. Did I pack more snacks, even though we’d snacked all day and just eaten lunch? Yes, snacks are a must. The kids ate their way through 2-pounds of strawberries and a bunch of animal crackers while Keith ran his heart out and even scored a goal.

Late afternoon was spent playing outside, cleaning, then moving into our time of Sabbath. And that was our week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for August, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for August, 2025 post!

Curious how much we spent during the month of August and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown!

Big Family Grocery Spending for August, 2025

1. Slim Chickens

On August 5, we took advantage of Free Kid’s Meal Coupons that the kids had earned. My dad and his wife had sent me birthday money, so I used that to pay for Matt’s and my lunches. Yay for a fun, free lunch outing!

Total spent out of pocket at Slim Chickens: $0

2. Aldi

On August 7, we had a big grocery stock up morning! At Aldi, I bought blueberries (x2), cantaloupe (x2), Caesar salad kits (x3), pears, mandarin oranges, baby carrots, 100% juice fruit cups (x9), bags of grapes (x2), boneless chicken thighs (4), corn chips (x2), granola, pure and simple bars (x5), meat sticks (x2), crackers, salami, pasta sauce (x4), salsa (x4), raisin boxes (x2), whole milk yogurt cups (x4), fruit/veggie pouches (x21), ground sausage (x4), sausage patties (x3), veggie straws (x3), and brown sugar (x4).

Total at Aldi: $263.31

3. Costco

Next, we went to Costco. We bought tuna, canned chicken, strawberries (4 pounds), broccoli, parmesan cheese, cream (x2), half and half, milk (x4), bananas, spinach, mixed greens, granola, sausage links, minced onion, tortelloni, cheese/cracker packs, butter (8 pounds), eggs (5 dozen), chicken nuggets, avocado mash (x2), ground beef, fresh sweet corn, corndogs, applesauce cups, beef sticks, peanuts, a few cases of drinks, and several packages of easy-to-pack lunch items that were on sale (like granola bites and clif bars).

Total at Costco: $504.46

4. Costco Pizza

We grabbed a pizza for the kids to eat for lunch when we got home…

Costco Pizza: $10.89

5. Cheddars

We got to have an anniversary date on the 13th! We used what was left on a gift card, then paid the overage out of pocket.

Total after gift card: $8.55

6. Wal-Mart

On August 14, Matt picked up 4 gallons of milk, 10 bananas, and a pound of spring mix. I didn’t get a picture. :)

Total at Wal-Mart: $19.74

7. Hy-Vee Pick-Up

On August 19, we ordered most of our WIC items for the month. (Acacia turns five and will age out after this month. Such a big girl!) I also put four gallons of whole milk in our order, so we paid for that out of pocket.

Total out of pocket from Hy-Vee: $11.52

8. Sam’s

On August 20, I went to Sam’s to get food we needed, but mostly to get our favorite box of bacon. :) I checked for meat markdowns while I was there, and was so happy to find pork chops, steak, and hamburger meat all marked down! I also picked up chicken legs, chicken thighs, carrots, strawberries, bananas, apples, Caesar salad kits, potatoes, clementines, sweet peppers, 5-dozen eggs, fish sticks, sliced cheese, shredded cheese, peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, chocolate chips, beef hot dogs, brats, smoked sausage, deli turkey, deli ham, applesauce, cream, sour cream, coconut oil, and avocado cups.

Total at Sam’s: $401.14

9. Amazon

We get several cases of Go-Go Squeeze items from Amazon through Subscribe and Save for the kids’ lunches and for on-the-go snacks. I forgot to take a picture before we put our order away!

Total from Amazon: $33.81

10. Wal-Mart

I had plans to head to Aldi for a bigger shopping trip, but hadn’t had a chance to get out yet. So I put in a pick-up order at Walmart for some essentials to hold us over until I could do some real shopping. Matt picked these up while he was out getting a hair cut: milk (4 gallons), spring mix, frozen fruit (2 big bags), coconut flakes, baby carrots, and flax seed.

Total at Wal-Mart: $25.50

11. Aldi

I was finally able to get to Aldi at the end of the month. I picked up pizzas, hot dogs, brats, and chips in preparation for Acacia’s big birthday meal. I found incredible deals on boxes of 100% juice freezer pops ($0.21/each!) and bottles of squeeze mayo ($0.55/each!) – all marked down because it was the end of summertime. Plus I got cream, half and half, fruit/veggie pouches, cantaloupe, creamer, Caesar salad kits, boneless chicken thighs, sausage patties, ham, crackers, brown sugar, cake mixes, 100% juice pear cups, and pickles.

Total at Aldi: $219.43

Total for groceries August, 2025: $1,501

I went over budget this month, but I’ve been under the past couple of months, so it all balances out!

Our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $180 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364
May spending: $1374
June spending: $1,127
July spending: $633
August spending: $1,501

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Big Family Food and Fun: August 24-30, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 24-30, 2025 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!

Saturday, August 23

Saturday evening, Malachi treated our entire household to pizza! He’d been in a pickle lately with his vehicle, so this was a thank you to several of us who had helped him out with rides. This was a great Sabbath meal for me as I didn’t have to lift a finger!

After dinner, Malachi mowed the back yard and the kids pretended that he was chasing them with the mower. This was a wonderful seven minutes of entertainment for them. ;)

The kids were extra squirrely that night. Did they not get the message that it was Sabbath and we were supposed to be RESTING?? We managed to get shoes on them all and get them them all to the potty, then we took a walk to Sunken Gardens.

They were squirrely there too, but finally, looking at the fish settled them a bit and the rest of the evening was not so hectic. We got them home in time for bath time and bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: August 24-30, 2025

Sunday morning, we enjoyed half a pan of Breakfast Cookie Bars. I’d baked these on Friday evening and frozen the other half for next week.

When we got home from church that day, our kitchen was already full of friends who were finishing up lunch prep. This scene made me so happy! I love that people feel comfortable to just walk on into our house and kitchen and find what they need – cutting boards, knives, serving spoons, etc.

I had cooked 10-pounds of Bacon for BLTs, and this spread was incredible! (We had eaten two pounds worth of bacon last week, saving 8 pounds for this meal.) We had turkey and cheese for people to add to their sandwiches, plus lots of condiment and pickle options. Christina made potatoes, Cindy brought veggie trays, Christy brought chips, Megan brought pickles, and Terra brought fresh tomatoes – which was the entire reason I’d planned BLTs. These are a must during fresh tomato season!!

Kelsey cooked down frozen strawberries with some sugar to complete our very wonderful dessert of Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. So delicious!

There were 35 of us gathered that day.

Worth noting: We started out with about 8-pounds of bacon and there were only six slices left at the end of our meal. Indeed, this meal was a hit.

Our community group usually meets on Sunday afternoons. But we’d heard of a need that a family had, so our guys spent the afternoon working on this project to help care for that family. Meanwhile, we gals stayed back at our house together.

The project ended up taking significantly longer than anticipated. Our friend Robin was gracious to stay through the evening with me to help wrangle kids since Matt wasn’t back yet. I had turned last week’s Spaghetti leftovers into a Spaghetti Bake with Green Beans for dinner and Robin helped me get kids fed.

Arrow wasn’t feeling well so Asa and Eva had stayed home that day. They made Stir and Pour Pizza Crust Pizza for their dinner that night and sent me this sweet photo of Arrow feeling better enough to enjoy his meal. :)

Monday morning was rough. We managed to get all the kids to school on time, but not without a fight to the finish line. We have to make a lot of accommodations to keep our kids’ nervous systems from completely shutting down. This particular morning, that looked like leaving bikes at home and putting both Keith and Anna in the double stroller, then muscling our way to school. (It was a great workout, so yay for good exercise.) Once they were in the school door, they did fine, thankfully. My walk home alone was a mental recovery walk, then I got myself hydrated because mornings like this do break a sweat.

Phew.

Auggie had ABA therapy all morning, so we played catch-up on laundry and dishes while the girls played or “helped” us. During one of Auggie’s breaks, he tried to give his sisters a ride in the wagon. Oof, that wagon was hard to move.

Brayden gets home before the other kids, so he started homework with Matt. Malachi was awesome to walk with Auggie and me to get the elementary kids home from school. Without bikes, I knew I’d need some back up.

This plan worked perfectly as Kiya rode her bike home ahead of us, and Keith and Anna were thrilled with the fact that their big brother had come to walk them home. Keith always finds sticks to carry any time we go on a walk. Anna one-upped him today by finding a big log. Keith was impressed.

For dinner that night, I made Spicy Mac and Cheese with Corn and Peaches. We also ate our way through a container of Golden Kiwi.

Last week, I had made a big batch of Chewy Granola Bars and they were hit with the kids plus many adults in our house. So I made another big batch of them on Monday evening to have for the week along with the Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies I’d prepped for a grab-and-go option. I forgot to take a picture on Monday night, and by Tuesday morning, I discovered that the grown-ups had started to enjoy them while I was sleeping. I love this!

Little Sweetheart came to spend the day with us on Tuesday. The kids took turns pushing her in the swing.

Throughout the morning, they were picking up walnuts that had dropped from a tree in our backyard and filling containers with them. Then they handed them out for everyone to “eat,” then gathered them back up again. This might seem like a small thing to celebrate – but our kids don’t play make-believe very well. So when they do something like this, it feels extra sweet!

That afternoon, I made a huge batch of Peanut Butter Honey Puffs for snacks. I also smoked a big package of Pork Chops and got a batch of Slow Cooker Party Potatoes cooking for dinner.

After school, Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and I went to our weekly Food Distribution to hand out food to the community. Here they all are in the kitchen pretending to be hard at work. Mama had to make some adjustments to their job assignments after this picture. ;)

We got home in time for ABA therapy, plus dinner of Smoked Pork Chops, Slow Cooker Party Potatoes, and Peas.

Arrow came on Wednesday to spend the morning with us! He played and crawled all over the house.

We took a walk outside, and he and Josie played a silly game in the stroller. :)

At preschool bus time, Josie and Auggie posed by the tree so Daddy could take a picture. Cheeeeeese!

I spent the afternoon at Aldi getting ready for Acacia’s birthday/Sunday lunch.

Check these out! Since it’s the end of the season, I found these 100% juice pops marked down to just $0.21/box!! I got twelve boxes, still leaving a lot behind for others to score some too. The total was $2.52 for all of these…

When the kids all got home from school, the girls came back together to marvel again over the fact that they had dressed matchy-matchy that morning. This was such a sweet moment because they were so proud that they had done this.

Anna helped me make a salad for dinner. We got out all the leftovers from the fridge to warm up – parents helping kids and grown-ups fending for themselves. This was so nice because we cleared out a lot of fridge space and ate up a lot of good leftovers! (And it gave me the night off from cooking, woot!)

I made a batch of Peach Ice Cream that night. Acacia wanted Brownies and Ice Cream for her birthday so my plan was to make several batches of ice cream throughout the week to prep for Sunday!

Thursday morning was therapy-free! So we took the kids to a little park that we’d never tried out before.

Little Sweetheart came for the day, my friend Charlene came for the afternoon, and before I knew it the school day was over and it was time for pick-up!

Kiya helped me make dinner. We made extra food because we’d made plans to take a meal to friends who had a lot of health issues hit their family this week. I had Pulled Pork in the freezer that I had thawed, so Kiya warmed that up with barbecue sauce while I fried Zucchini and made Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.

I warmed some Sliced Ham for our family plus Kiya made a Salad.

Brayden, Kiya, and Matt ate their dinner quickly then loaded up to deliver the meal to our friends. We sent a hot meal for them to eat right away: Pulled Pork with Buns, Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Grapes, Cantaloupe, and Salad. Plus I sent a frozen Lasagna Casserole and some frozen Burritos for them to eat through the weekend as needed.

Brayden and Kiya were excited to help with this delivery! And the others were sad that we didn’t let them go. Some of us needed to stay back for ABA therapy. Plus we didn’t want the little girls to fall asleep in the van during the ride and ruin bedtime. That’s a big deal, am I right?

The rest of the night was filled with therapy, kitchen cleaning, and play time. As we went upstairs to get ready for bed, I caught these two reading and snuggling with our newest friend. This bear had been passed on to us by some family friends and it’s proven so far to be very comforting to our kids. :)

Friday morning, our friend Kay came from York and spent the morning with us. She went with me to take Acacia, Josie, and Auggie to the park. The weather was perfect and the kids were calm – which meant that they played and Kay and I could actually visit. AMAZING!

Josie declared Ms. Kay to be her special person that morning. It was so sweet!

After school that day, our Heartlands Youth Worker dropped a slushy off to Brayden. Blue Razz was a great way to end the week!

Acacia got a birthday hat from her teacher since her birthday was to be over the weekend. She wore it proudly all evening.

I smoked Burgers for dinner with Fries, Clementines, Sweet Peppers, and Fresh Tomatoes.

Saturday morning, I baked a huge pan of Brownies for Acacia’s birthday lunch the next day.

Justus and Kelsey picked up Brayden and Kiya to go to Worship Rehearsal at church. Matt and I took the other five kids to a park for the morning.

Back at home, Elias had put Fish Sticks into the oven for us to eat for lunch. I cut carrots into “coins” to make them taste better, ha. Plus I warmed up the few leftover fries that we had from the night before. The kids had eaten apples, bananas, and buttered bagels on the way to and from the park. So they weren’t super hungry, plus only one other adult was eating lunch with us – making this amount of lunch was enough.

I made round #4 of Ice Cream for the freezer to pull out and serve for Sunday Lunch/Acacia’s birthday.

Then I finished this post and turned off my computer to finish prepping for Sabbath!

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Big Family Food and Fun: August 17-23, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 17-23, 2025 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!

Saturday, August 16

In last week’s post, I shared a little bit about swimming at our friends’ house last Saturday afternoon. We all loved this so much! Here’s a shot Justus got of all of us in the pool. Our kids came home tired and hungry that day!

Keith had played his first soccer game of the season that morning, and he was excited to help me made a batch of Gatorade that afternoon. It turned out pretty tasty, and he was so proud!

Big Family Food and Fun: August 17-23, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate our way through a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

Brayden is a 6th grader now, which means he has joined Heartland’s Youth Ministry! There was an HYM parent meeting right after worship that morning, so we didn’t get to host lunch at our house. Instead, I packed Tuna Salad, Cheese, Crackers, Boiled Eggs, and Fruit Cups for all of us to eat at the church building during the meeting. :)

We got home in time for the kids to go downstairs and watch a movie with Elias and Malorie. Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time – one of our favorite parts of the week. Afterward, I baked three frozen pizzas for dinner, and we spent the evening getting ourselves reset for a new school week!

Monday morning, Auggie had ABA therapy and I had a meeting at the school for Keith. Getting everyone to school was a little bit hairy because of this, but our neighbor came to the rescue to help us be in three places at once!

It was a pretty chill morning after that, and we played outside until it was time to watch for the preschool bus.

These girls love heading off to preschool at noontime!

That afternoon, Brayden and Keith had their first homework assignments after school. Keith’s ABA tech helped with his and Matt sat with Brayden. I helped Kiya work on her homework in the kitchen and we all got done before dinner. Phew!

For dinner that night, I’d cooked Black Bean Chicken Nachos in the slow cooker all day. We enjoyed it with all the fixin’s on chips or in tortillas.

Auggie was excited to vacuum with Elias’ small hand-held Bissel. He’s getting so big!

Brayden played a game with his little sisters just before bedtime.

Tuesday morning, I made Chewy Granola Barsx4 plus a Smoothie for Matt and me.

Little Sweetheart came to spend the day with us, plus a friend came to visit that morning.

We were almost out of fresh produce (again!) so I’d put in a Hy-Vee order for our WIC items for the month. Matt picked it up that afternoon while Auggie and Little Sweetheart were napping.

After school, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to our weekly Food Distribution. Here’s the view from our station where we handed out bags of donated chicken or seasoned beef.

Keith was having a very hard time with his emotions while we were there. Adjusting to a new school year has been pretty rough for him. I hoped food might help, so I finally gave him a loaf of bread that we’d picked up on a donation table. He laid down on the kitchen floor to rest and fill his belly while we cleaned up before heading home. Poor guy.

Our friend, Paula, had been given these goodies by her neighbor and she brought them over that evening to share with our family. What a score! I thawed the drumsticks to marinate and smoke the next day for dinner.

Meanwhile, Matt had finished making a Spaghetti dinner for everyone.

Later when I had time to check email, I discovered that Acacia and Josie’s teacher had sent this gem from their reading time at school that day!

Wednesday morning, Auggie had ABA therapy and I played catch-up after a full afternoon/evening the day before! Matt and I had a lengthy meeting with our kids’ ABA therapist to go over progress made, needs each kid has, and future goals.

We’d brought home overripe bananas from Food Distribution, so I made a batch of Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins for breakfast and snacks.

I had made a couple of boxes of mac and cheese for the school kids to take in their lunches that day. These three were excited to finish off the leftovers before the bus came.

I went to Sam’s that afternoon to restock a lot of essentials and to get more fresh produce. Our freezer was pretty low on meat, so I was very excited to find several meat markdowns that day to help restock the freezer!

The lighting in the following picture isn’t great. But here’s a look at the counter in our dining room where I keep all of our fresh fruit. After all the latest shopping trips plus with the peaches Paula dropped off, our counter was overflowing with oranges, clementines, apples, bananas, and peaches – ready for everyone in the household to grab and enjoy as needed. This brings me a lot of joy, and a lot of comfort knowing that I don’t have to work hard/think hard to figure out snacks or side dishes for the next few days.

For dinner on Wednesday night, I used zucchini and summer squash that Paula had brought over plus okra from our neighbor and carrots from the store to make Stir-Fried Veggies. I smoked the 10 large marinated Drumsticks from the night before plus threw on 12 Steaks I’d picked up marked down at Sam’s that day. Plus I set out Grapes, steamed Corn, offered the Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins, and thawed some Rolls from the freezer.

At the last minute, to make sure this meal would stretch far enough for all of us, I got out and made some Instant Mashed Potatoes that I’ve had on hand from Azure Standard (much better quality than store-bought and sooo nice to have in a pinch).

Malachi had arrived back home after working several days in York. His friend Jordan, a York University student, was with him and joined us for dinner. Our friend, Elizabeth, had finished moving into our house this week and everyone was home to eat that night. So we fed nine adults and seven kids that night – and now you know why I made those last minute potatoes. :)

People were in and out of the kitchen all evening, fixing their plates and hanging out to visit. THIS IS THE BEST. I love being a part of conversations like this with our kids, our friends, and anyone who will fill their plate in our home and spend time being a part of life with us.

The next morning, we warmed up Breakfast Sandwiches to eat before school. Mornings are hectic around here as we try to get so many kids out of the door, yikes. I’ve found that so far this school year, I don’t much ability to do anything but warm up pre-made food or serve a bar or muffin made ahead of time. Therefore, any time I have a minute at another time of the day, I’m trying to prep easy breakfast food!

Arrow came to spend the morning with us! He got to join us as we dropped off the elementary school kids. I’d packed the last of the Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins for the littles to eat while we got everyone situated in their class lines before the bell rang.

Back at home, I turned the last of Monday night’s Chicken Nacho fixings into a bag of Burritos to put into the freezer for another meal.

Elizabeth (our lovely new housemate) had set up her coffee grinder and espresso machine so she showed Acacia and Josie how to make a Latte. They loved this!

I had picked up a 10-pound tube of hamburger meat marked down at the store the day before, so late morning, I turned it all into patties for dinner and for the freezer.

Dinner that night was Burgers with Caesar Salad, Pickles, and a variety of Fruit options.

On Friday morning, Anna helped me shake together a jar full of Ranch Dressing Mix.

Acacia had Speech Therapy that morning and showed some real signs of improvement in putting together complete sentences.

We’ve been on a wait list for Physical Therapy for her, and today was the day we finally got to start. Not only that, the therapists at the rehab clinic where we go had communicated with one another and found slots side-by-side so that we could go to the clinic once for both appointments instead of driving there twice each week.

Acacia was born with a club foot. After intensive treatments for the first six months of her life, she has continued to sleep in a leg brace every night. She will finally graduate from her brace in a few weeks! Meanwhile, we need to work on her balance and leg strength because her right foot/leg are much smaller than her left.

Back at home, we made it just in time for Acacia to get on the preschool bus with Josie. I then spent time getting ready for our upcoming Sunday lunch, baking pans of Bacon. I made my way through an entire 10-pound box!

Acacia was my “helper of the day” so she got to make the salad to go with dinner that evening.

I used some of the bacon I’d made earlier to make Potato and Bacon Foil Packs for the Grill. I realized as I was prepping dinner that afternoon that instead of making lots of small packets as the recipe says, I should just make one huge foil container. This was a great move! I can’t say enough good about this recipe. It is sooooo good! We enjoyed it with Acacia’s Salad plus Oranges and Slice Peaches.

After dinner while kids had ABA therapy, Kiya and Acacia helped me get some baking done. We’ve gone through two double batches of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies in the past two weeks. So we made another double batch to get ahead for next week’s breakfasts and lunches. While I was putting those together, Kiya and Acacia worked on a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars for our next two Sunday breakfasts.

We baked them in our large oven at the same time. Then I worked on all the dishes before bed!

Saturday morning, I cut the Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies into 18 pieces, individually wrapped them, then put them into our pantry fridge for an easy grab-and-go option for the upcoming week.

We packed up the crew and headed out to Keith’s soccer game. The weather was perfect, and the kids ran and played in a big field while Keith warmed up for his game.

There were no subs that day, so Keith and his teammates happily played the entire game without sitting out.

I packed Ham and Turkey Sandwiches, Clementines, and Cashew Clusters (from Costco) for everyone to eat on a blanket for lunch during the game.

We came home in time for Auggie’s nap. The kids played outside, Matt mowed the lawn, we did some cleaning, and we moved into our Sabbath time of rest. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: August 10-16, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 10-16, 2025 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!

Saturday, August 9

We had an early dinner Saturday night so that we could take the kids on a special outing. I made Tortelloni from Costco with Sauce and Salad. Then we gave everyone a bath so that we could go straight to bed after we got back home from our outing.

Elias, Malorie, and Kermit joined us! The kids had earned a free scoop of ice cream from the 402 Creamery, thanks to their Library Summer Reading Challenge. It was fun to for them to pick their ice cream flavor!

I’m so glad we gave them baths before going out…

Big Family Food and Fun: August 10-16, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church.

And then we got to eat a donut once we arrived for worship. “Donut worry! It will be a sweet school year!” All the students, teachers, and school staff were prayed over as a new school year begins.

Kelsey snuck this photo of Mama worshipping with her girlies…

Back at home, a large crowd gathered for lunch. I’d made three big casseroles: Burrito Casserole, Ham and Potato Casserole, and Chicken Spaghetti. Friends who came brought sides and desserts.

We got to celebrate our friend Elizabeth as it was her final day as Heartland’s intern for the summer. And fun fact: Elizabeth is moving in with us next week as she starts her new job in Lincoln. We are so excited about this!

There were 43 of us gathered that day at lunchtime!

People were everywhere, and it was awesome!

After we shared a meal, we gathered outside and headed out together to fill two of Lincoln’s Little Free Pantries.

Several from our group drove to a pantry that is farther away. And a big crowd of us paraded several blocks to a pantry that is walking distance from our house. This is the third time we’ve done this as a church body this summer and it is such a precious time of fellowship as we walk, sweat, keep kids safe crossing streets together, and fill pantries to help feed people in the community.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time with three other couples that afternoon while the kids watched a movie with Elias and Malorie. For dinner that night, I threw frozen Corn Dogs into the air fryer and got out a bag of Mandarins. This is how tired moms feed their kids after a very full day. :) (I have been making Frozen Pizza on Sunday nights but our kids seem tired of this “special treat” so I took a break to try something else.)

On Monday morning, I used what was left of Sunday’s Burrito Casserole to make two pans of Burritos for Tuesday night’s dinner. Auggie had ABA therapy all morning, and the rest of us spent time catching up from the weekend.

That afternoon, Brayden, Kiya, and Anna went to Eva’s and Keith, Acacia, and Josie went to Ms. Kathi’s. Kiya got to press flowers with Eva, which she loves to do.

Brayden built a blanket fort and then they all got to watch a movie and eat popcorn in the fort!

Back at home, Auggie napped while Matt and I rested/worked/had actual conversation. :) A friend dropped off two big bags of farm fresh sweet corn!!! So when the kids got home, they helped me get some prepped for dinner.

I made 20 Smoked Chicken Thighs for dinner with Steamed Broccoli, Sweet Corn, and Cantaloupe. This is my favorite kind of meal – smoked meat with lots of fresh, colorful sides! The idea was that there would be leftover chicken for Elias to cut up and take in salads for his work lunches. There was, in fact, no leftover chicken at the end of this meal. It is also worth noting that we ate almost every bite of two entire cantaloupes. This was a very satisfying meal for all of us! And I loved watching everyone devour good food.

Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had ABA therapy that evening. As they wrapped up their sessions, our family met with our next door neighbors on their porch to pray together over the upcoming school year. As we were praying, another neighbor and her daughter were walking by and Matt invited them to join us. It was beautiful.

Tuesday morning, we ate some of the Breakfast Sandwiches that I’d put together last week.

Brayden looked so handsome and smiled bravely even though he was very nervous for his first day of 6th grade at the middle school. I tearfully read him four texts that people had sent me that morning – sharing encouragement and prayer support with him. I was so touched by the people who love and care for our kids and who took the time to reach out on Brayden’s very big day.

Anna started Kindergarten that day, and she was all pinked out – pink shorts, pink shirt, pink shoes, pink back pack, pink lunch bag, and pink hair tie. This baby kindergartener likes pink! She was ready to go that day, thanks to the awesome Jumpstart Program Lincoln schools offer.

The other kids didn’t start school yet, so we had five at home the rest of the day. It was very weird to not have Brayden and Anna with us! Keith was very calm all day – and was excited to help me bake. We made Spinach Cake together and even though he already knew the secret of the spinach, he was very delighted that we were tricking people into eating salad.

Little Sweetheart spent the day with us!

Josie and Keith helped me made a double batch Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies to wrap and freeze for school lunches.

We ate leftovers for lunch, then Keith helped me make Cream Cheese Frosting for the Spinach Cake.

Kiya was very anxious to make our first day of school breakfast of Egg and Hashbrown Casserole without help. I wrote the specifics down for her and got out the ingredients that she couldn’t reach. Then she and Acacia did a very good job putting the casserole together!

As soon as Brayden got home from school, we headed off to our weekly Food Distribution. On our drive over, he got to share all about his awesome first day! Then we worked with the other volunteers to hand out food to just over 100 clients. The kids also helped get the coolers cleaned out and lined up in the hallway to dry.

Our wonderful leader, Kathleen, works tirelessly to organize this distribution site. At the end of the day, Keith was so sweet to help her carry out her bags. :)

Back at home, I didn’t get any pictures because ABA therapy was already in full force for two kids, then Keith started his ABA session. Matt was warming up the two pans of Burritos I’d made the day before. He’d already fed the little girls, then the rest of the household came in and ate as they were available. We went through all 17 Burritos that night!

Wednesday morning, I baked the Egg and Hashbrown Casserole bright and early. Brayden did a great job getting out the door by 7:35 and rode his bike to school with our 8th grade neighbor.

This was Kiya and Keith’s first day of 4th and 1st grade!

I put a pan of Stick of Butter Rice into the oven to bake while I walked/strolled the kids to school.

Later, Josie helped me turn the cooked rice into a crock pot full of Cheesy Beef and Rice for dinner.

After our Egg and Hashbrown Casserole leftovers had cooled, I wrapped individual pieces for grown-ups to grab and take to work in their lunches. I put them with the individually wrapped Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies for school lunchboxes.

Matt needed to put air into a tire, so he pulled out his air compressor. It was sweet watching the kids both love and hate this process. It’s fun, but loud!

Auggie found a solution…

That afternoon while Auggie napped, Malachi blessed us by watching a movie with Acacia and Josie so that Matt and I could go out for an anniversary lunch date!

For dinner that night, we ate our Cheesy Beef and Rice with Sweet Corn and Green Beans.

Arrow spent the morning with us on Thursday!

Then Little Sweetheart came that afternoon.

She and Auggie rode with me in the double stroller to pick up the three elementary kids from school that afternoon. I took along Zucchini Carrot Muffins for them to munch on and we handed out some to Kiya, Keith, and Anna to eat on the way home too.

For dinner I made Sausage Gravy to go with Biscuits we’d brought home from Food Distribution earlier in the week. I scrambled 24 Eggs, sliced some Pears, cooked 15 Sausage Links, and buttered some Bagels for the kids who didn’t want biscuits.

For breakfast on Friday morning, I made French Toast as we worked to get lots of tired kids out the door for their final day of school for the week. The transition into our new routine had been going as well as it could have and we anticipated that by Friday, there would be extra meltdowns. We were correct.

Acacia had Speech Therapy that morning.

When we got home, I made a batch of Ice Cream.

Then it was finally these girls’ turn to start their school year! They were ready for the bus thirty minutes before the scheduled pick-up time and were so frustrated that the bus took so long to get here! When it arrived, Auggie exclaimed, “BUS!” and Matt and I were taken aback by the fact that “bus” used to be one of only a hand full of words that Auggie could say. He has come so far!!!

I had Sloppy Joe Meat in the freezer. So for dinner that night, I made “Sloppy Sliders” with the meat and  sliced cheese plus Fries in the air fryer.

I also baked another double batch of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies because we’d eaten all the others so quickly. These are so full of protein and I appreciated having them on hand for lunchboxes. So I wanted more for next week (if they last that long!). I cut them into 24 Brownies and individually wrapped them, then put them into the fridge.

Saturday morning, Keith had his first soccer game of the season. Is it a lot of work to lug seven kids to a six-year-old’s soccer game? Yes. And did this game remind me that it is worth all of the effort? Very much yes. Running and playing a structured sport is where this guy settles in his body and really shines. (We see this for Brayden when he is singing! We pray that we find a special something for each of our kids so that they discover more of the giftings and peace God has given them.)

Our friend Paula (Arrow’s other grandma, hehe!) dropped off two boxes of Uncrustables for us this week – so sweet! I took advantage of this convenience by packing them for the kids to eat for lunch during Keith’s game. We had them with Apples, Bananas, and Almonds.

Our friends, the Adcocks, live close by Keith’s game location. We’d made plans with them to go over and swim in their pool that afternoon. I always get very nervous when we take this many little ones swimming. BUT, Justus and Kelsey met us there, the Adcocks were awesome to help with littles, five of the kids wore life jackets, and everyone did just fine!

It was wonderful to enjoy this time with our friends, and the kids loved becoming more comfortable in the water. The Adcocks had a watermelon cut up to share, and we ate the entire thing (plus granola bars and more Uncrustables on the way home!).

When we got home, Keith wanted to make Homemade Gatorade and I made Tuna Salad for a lunch meeting the next day. We reset out house for Sabbath, and that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: August 3-9, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 3-9, 2025 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!

Saturday, August 2

Dinner on Saturday evening was very simple: I scrambled 20 Eggs and air fried Chocolate Crepes from Costco. We’d already given the kids their baths because…

We had tickets to a Salt Dogs game! The Lincoln Library had given us free tickets as part of their Summer Reading Challenge, and we were finally able to take advantage. Malachi joined us, plus our friend Sam and his friend Angelina met us there.

Had to get a picture with the Saltdog!

The weather was perfect and we were able to stay for about an hour and a half. Did the kids actually watch baseball? I would say no, not even a little bit. Though Keith had his baseball mitt and ran after any balls that came our way in hopes to take one home. (We did not, in fact, take one home.) Our night was lots of fun and we were so happy for the adventure!

Big Family Food and Fun: August 3-9, 2025

Sunday morning we ate a plate full of Breakfast Cookie Bars while getting ready for church.

We had a beautiful houseful of people join us for lunch that day.

We had a big Nacho Bar with Taco Meat, Smoked Chicken, and lots of topping options.

There were 36 of us gathered that day.

I can’t say enough good about days like this. They are my favorite – having a houseful of people sharing a meal and sharing life.

I’d made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and three batches of Homemade Ice Cream (Vanilla, Peach, and Butterfinger) for dessert. The ice cream was gone by the time lunch ended.

Matt and I normally enjoy Community Group time in the afternoon, but we had rearranged our plans to enjoy dinner with our group for a special time together that evening. So at 4:00, we sent our kids downstairs to watch a movie with Elias and Malorie while our group gathered. We made Pizzas together for dinner. And do you see that beautiful Carrot Cake? Cindy made that for us to enjoy. It just so happened to be my birthday, and the entire day was incredibly rich and sweet. How perfect for her to make her special cake to top off the day!

After we grown ups got our pizza and headed to the living room (and hid the cake), we let Elias and Malorie know that they could feed the kids. We were missing two of our group members. Otherwise, we had the most lovely evening, sharing life and stories that involved both laughter and tears. It was wonderful. What a great birthday!

Monday morning, I ate a piece of Carrot Cake with my morning coffee before the kids got up. Don’t tell.

We spent the morning at home, with Auggie having ABA therapy and the other kids playing. We farmed out the kids all afternoon while Matt and I rested. The only picture I took all day on Monday was this one. Our friends, the Baker family, brought over delicious Lasagna, Fruit, and Bread to share and we had dinner together. It was wonderful!

Tuesday was a very full day. Acacia had speech therapy in the morning, and we loaded up everyone to ride along so that we could make the most of our time.

Matt dropped us off, then he took the other six kids down the road to run around at a park while Acacia had her speech session.

From there, we all went to spend a few hours at the Bee Me Sensory Gym. We’d heard about it through the Lincoln Autism Family Network, and they were offering complimentary family passes. This gym far exceeded our expectations and the kids had such a wonderful time climbing, jumping, running, and rolling – for hours. This place meets all of their sensory needs and then some. Amazing!

This was our last full week of summer break, and our goal was to give the kids lots of fun adventures. So from Bee Me Sensory Gym, we walked over to Slim Chickens for lunch. The kids had earned free kid’s meals from our Library Summer Reading Program and I had birthday money from my dad and his wife to pay for mine and Matt’s lunch. Super fun! ALSO CRAZY. They sat still and ate for the first ten minutes because they were very hungry after a morning full of play. But then they started to scatter and be needy and we vowed never to go into a restaurant ever, ever again. ;)

Later that afternoon, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to serve at our our weekly Food Distribution. I was so proud of all of them for how they worked together and worked hard to clean and hand out food to clients.

We got home just in time to enjoy a family gathering to celebrate my birthday (again!). Not all the kids were available to come to Sunday lunch, so this gave us an excuse to have another dinner together. Elias made our Smoked Chicken, and we had Cream Cheese Corn, Green Beans, Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, and Kelsey’s Cucumber Salad.

I was so glad for this precious time. I don’t know how long all of us will live in the same city, but for as long as we are together, I’m going to love it and be so grateful for it!

Brayden was so sweet when he saw me get up and take a picture of everyone visiting in the dining room. He asked if I’d like to be in the picture, so he washed his hands and took this shot of us…

Every time these guys get together, they bring up memories from childhood that have us all rolling with laughter. I loved that Brayden was sitting here listening and enjoying his awesome big brothers.

Wednesday morning, I put together two large casseroles for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. We had brought home several bonus items from Food Distribution the day before. (There was extra food donated that day, but fewer clients than normal. So we brought home three bags full of food!)

I used some Taco Meat and Spanish Rice that we’d been given, along with some of our own ingredients at home, to put together a casserole like this.

We’d brought home some ham, so I made a big Ham and Potato Casserole. Both of these went into the freezer to pull out, bake, and serve on Sunday.

Arrow came to hang out with us that morning. His aunties were very happy to take over and feed him the tasty breakfast that his mommy had sent over with him.

And then, Uncle Auggie was happy to be his entertainer. :)

We ate leftovers all day for all three meals – which felt great so that nothing went to waste and so that we cleaned out the fridge! When Auggie went down for a nap, we left him home with Malachi (and Justus, who happened to be there for a while) – and we took the other six kids to the pool to enjoy their free passes from the Library Summer Reading Challenge.

Elias and Malorie were able to go with us, thankfully. Four adults per six kids feels much better when there is water involved.

Matt and I hung with the three little girls in the kiddie area while Elias and Malorie took the other three to the bigger pool.

We met up after an hour and a half and had a snack – apples and Little Bites (thank you, Food Distribution, for the treat!).

Then, we took the little ones to join the big ones in the actual pool. Phew, I get nervous with so many littles in the water. Did they have on life jackets? Yes. Were there life guards? Yes. Was I still counting heads constantly? Also yes.

Brayden had an Open House at his middle school that evening while I stayed home with the others. We juggled ABA therapy, dinner, and playing. Some people peed all over the floor, others spilled barbecue sauce, or maybe that was the same person who did both. Either way, we survived the evening and slept well that night.

Thursday morning, we bravely took all seven kids to grocery shop. Our grocery list was long and there wasn’t another good day to go. So we packed water bottles and snacks and off we went!

Matt stayed with the kids in the van while I went through Aldi as fast as I could.

Then we took all of the kids into Costco with us. We put the four littlest kids into two different carts and I filled the carts as fast as possible. My main goal today was to get food we needed to make our transition into the school year as smooth as possible: easy breakfast foods, easy lunchbox foods, lots of fruit…

Thinking ahead, we ordered a Costco pizza to take home and eat for lunch so that we could tackle the huge task of putting away all the groceries while feeding hungry kids.

Here’s a look at the kitchen, and you should have seen the pantry. ;)

Justus dropped off Little Sweetheart for the afternoon.

Then our friend Bruce stopped by for a while. Keith got his “favorite” plastic bag stuck up in a tree and Bruce saved the day by throwing a stick high up in the air toward the bag until it finally came loose!

Before shopping, I’d baked a Spinach Cake. I frosted it and served it for an afternoon snack.

That afternoon, Kiya helped me put together 32 Breakfast Sandwiches for our fridge and freezer. It feels great to have these ready and available for our first week or two of school!

I heard the mower running and peeked outside to see this: Keith mowing with Daddy helping. :)

At Costco and Aldi, I’d picked up a larger than normal amount of ready-to-grab snacks like granola bars, Yoggies, raisins, and veggie straws. We have three adults in the house who are starting up a new school year plus three of our kids who will be packing lunches. I will likely not keep up with this as the year moves forward, but the hope is that this will get us off to a great start as we ease in and settle in with a big new routine. Here’s what our pantry counter looked like as I was getting snacks organized. Of course, the kids wanted to sample all of it and I didn’t let them. Mean.

Since we were bored and didn’t have anything else going on (ha), we decided to shuffle kids’ rooms around. Actually, we had big reasons for this and feel it will be a good move for the kids – putting all four girls in one big room and moving the boys to a different space. They were all so excited about this that they were very willing to help in any way that they could. We had started the process on Monday, slowly but surely, and we were finally ready to move the beds. Thankfully we only needed to move two beds as the other beds could stay where they were and simply change occupants.

Somewhere in there, I smoked Brats and Hotdogs, made Corn on the Cob, and cut Strawberries for dinner. The corn was yellow going in and ended up with a lot of brown spots when it cooked. Weird. And disappointing.

Justus and Little Sweetheart were there and Justus took Brayden with him to Worship Rehearsal for the evening. This was such a gift for Brayden and I heard from Justus later that he was a great help with Little Sweetheart. I love this!

We finished dinner in time to walk/bike to the elementary school for their Open House. All the kids got to meet their teachers and find their desks. This is such a big night with so many kids and so many classrooms to visit. I reflected back to two years ago when we were new to Lincoln, new to the school, new to everything and everyone. Now, we feel so much more settled in and we feel so much more comfortable. I was so thankful that night to recognize the peaceful difference in how I felt compared to two years ago on the same night. Thank you, Jesus.

Back at home, we finished putting clean sheets on every bed so that everyone could sleep in their “new rooms.” There was still more work to be done, but the beds were in place and that’s all that mattered that night. That and the fact that the new blue rug was awesome and fantastic for rolling around.

No surprise – it took everyone a little bit longer to settle in that night. But it was a happy transition, so we were grateful.

Friday morning, I browned the six pounds of hamburger meat I’d purchased the day before. After it cooled, I separated it into four freezer bags for easy future use.

We ate some of the Breakfast Sandwiches we’d made the day before. Keith was being a very good daddy to his animals that morning, making sure they had a nice place to sit and a good breakfast.

Josie and Auggie decided to move outside to eat their Breakfast Sandwiches. We moved the picnic table to the shade because it was already getting hot that morning.

We finished cleaning up the kids new rooms by doing what I was most excited to do: sorting through all the kids’ stuff that they’d accumulated in their rooms and either get rid of it or find a better home for it. Phew, that felt good! This ended up being a very healing experience for our two older littles. There’s a lot of emotion tied to their stuff – from stuffed animals to toys to scraps of paper. Resetting their rooms helped reset their hearts. This was so needed.

Then, a new friend who will be moving in with us arrived and the kids helped take trips into the house with some of her things. They were so excited to help!

That afternoon, we farmed out the kids. Elias is back to work for the school year, so Bro Time has ended for the season. Eva took Brayden, Kiya, and Anna. Then we took Keith, Acacia, and Josie to Ms. Kathi’s. Kathi sent me this fun picture of the cool kids in their shades taking their babies for a walk.

Eva took her crew to the library and I laughed out loud at these photos she sent me!

Back at home later, we made Chicken Nuggets and Tator Tots for dinner, eating in shifts because of ABA therapy needs and hunger levels. The kids helped me prep for a big outing to the zoo on Saturday. We had plans to meet up with another large family so Brayden and I made 18 Uncrustables for a picnic lunch. Then Acacia and Josie helped me make 10 little Turkey and Ham Sandwiches on rolls. Kiya worked on Breakfast Cookie Bars for Sunday. And then I spent a long time washing dishes and getting the kitchen reset for the next day!

Breakfast Cookie Bars fresh out of the oven!

Saturday morning, Kelsey and Little Sweetheart came over for a little while.

Friends from York came mid morning. We’d planned to eat a picnic at the zoo. But an early morning storm had come through town and the zoo needed to wait and open at noon so that they could do some clean up. We rethought our plans, hung out at our house for a while, ate our picnic lunch together in our dining room, and then headed to the zoo!

This was such a sweet time together! Our kids had earned free train tickets thanks to their Library Summer Reading Challenge. So that was an extra great treat this zoo trip!

We came home to give Auggie a late nap, then spent the afternoon getting the house ready for Sunday.

And that was our week!

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