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

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

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

July 11, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

Here she is, sweet little Phoebe Jean.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello Flamingos. You are our favorite.

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


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

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

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

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

July 3-4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHEW!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We ate leftovers for lunch at the picnic table.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026 post!

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

March 7

Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed lots of outdoor time in our yard. Keith became a Husker football player with Kiya and Acacia doing a few cheer routines during his time outs. :)

Anna asked if she could braid my hair. Then she took a picture to show me her work. Look at this! Our six-year-old can braid!

That night for dinner, I used leftover taco meat to make Quesadillas, which we ate with sliced oranges and carrots.

Several of the kids were struggling to stay emotionally regulated, so we got out our sensory socks to see if they would help. Keith wore his to mop the kitchen, which is tough to do with no hands, but somehow he made it work.

Inspired by some friends who had recently shared with us that they’d done a prayer walk through their house, we gathered our kids and did the same that night. We had to keep each prayer brief so the kids could stay somewhat focused and not scatter. But we prayed together for God’s light to shine through each room in our home and in our lives.

As much as we’d love for God to give our kids “instant healing,” we know that He is faithful even while we pray and have to turn right around and deal with another meltdown. Our prayer walk through the house was effective, though, in bringing relief and a smile to Matt and me. We needed this time of prayer with our kids and a reminder that we aren’t parenting alone but through the power of Jesus.

Big Family Food and Fun: March 8-14, 2026

On Sunday morning, I didn’t feel like I’d lost an hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings – but rather I lost an hour of being able to get everyone and everything ready for a big church day! We hurriedly ate a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars, prepped lunch, fixed little girls’ hair, etcetera, etcetera. Somehow we made it to church…early. It’s a miracle.

Kelsey snuck this photo of Hopelyn playing on my lap that morning during the sermon. I love this!!

A precious crowd of 25 gathered for lunch at our house that day.

I had made a roaster full of Smothered Pork Chops and a triple batch of Stick of Butter Rice. Christy brought a fun “Salad Bar” and Christina brought all kinds of fun veggies: Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and Broccoli. Those didn’t make it into the picture because I snapped it too soon before their family arrived.

We had a most lovely Community Group time that afternoon. Then we spent the late afternoon and evening outside playing. I made a quick dinner of Chicken Salad with crackers, grapes, mandarins, and pickles. We let the kids eat outside because when the weather is perfect, why would we sit in the dining room??

We had big plans to go to the Omaha Zoo on Monday to kick off our spring break. So I wrote names on seven bags and set out lots of fruit and snacks. The kids got to fill their “snack bag” for the zoo, which turned out to be the most exciting activity!

We made Tortilla Wraps for our zoo lunch, plus I gathered extras like peanut butter pretzels, fruit/veggie pouches, and apples. We’d be gone for the entire day and I’ve learned that I can never pack too much food.

On Monday morning, Kiya helped me make a loaf of bread worth of Uncrustables. We didn’t know how long we’d last in Omaha, but in case we were able to extend our time there into the evening, I’d have the Uncrustables on hand for dinner.

We arrived at the zoo right at opening time – along with half of the city of Omaha. Everyone was taking advantage of Spring Break and beautiful weather! Eva and Arrow plus some of the Case family joined us. Here’s our party of 14!

Our first stop was the jungle. I grabbed Arrow for some squeezes and to free up Eva’s arms. But, every time I tried to give Eva a baby-holding break, Auggie took advantage of the situation and wanted Eva to hold him. So basically she traded a lighter weight baby for a heavier one, ha. No complaints from Eva though!

The jungle had lots of cool waterfalls and birds. While I was holding Arrow, Josie needed a lift to see over the fence. Eva surprised me with this photo of me getting an arm workout. This is the best form of exercise. :)

We walked through the zoo’s amazing aquarium next. These girls had to get a picture with the jelly fish. What fascinating creatures!

Snacks were no longer doing the trick, so we had a lunch break after the aquarium.

There are so many cool animals at the Omaha zoo, though I didn’t personally feel like I’d seen many of them at that point. Chasing kids through a packed zoo and trying to keep everyone together is quite a feat. We are thankful friends were there to help wrangle everyone.

Here we are in the famous Desert Dome!

A favorite for all of us was our trek after the desert to see the Sea Lions. I got zero pictures of this because we were taking it all in. Watching them swim was so, so peaceful!

Once we’d gotten through all of the special featured buildings, we walked around outside to enjoy lions, tigers, zebras, and elephants. These spaces were less crowded and more enjoyable for me, though it was was a lot of walking for the kids.

The elephants were our last stop and they were so cool to watch!

We’d been at the zoo from 10am-5pm, phew! These kids were troopers!

Our ride home was full of adventure as it involved several meltdowns and a barf bag for a car sick kiddo. Poor thing. Back at home, two exhausted parents were so glad that Malachi was home and happy to see his siblings. Matt rested, I did dishes (which is surprisingly restful compared to wrangling kids through the Omaha Zoo), and Malachi played soccer in the living room with his sisters. It was the sweetest.

Malachi hung in there with the kids for us while we made it through the evening. He had them all belly laughing at a silly video he found. :) Everyone slept great that night!

Tuesday morning, we made Eggs in a Nest. Emma came over to help, and two of our kids had attachment therapy with Mom. Then I took advantage of Emma being here to run out and grab a few groceries.

At Aldi, I got lots of fruits and veggies – spring mix, Caesar salad kits, strawberries, grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, and pear cups. I got some special yogurts for the kids as we enjoy Spring Break, plus regular whole milk yogurt, milk, half and half, crackers, and cliff bars. I scanned the meat section for 50% off stickers and found some ground beef and chicken!

I didn’t need much at Wal-Mart but it’s very close to Aldi and I had time. So I went to look for yellow stickers on meat. I found some very good deals on beef!! Beef is quite a bit more expensive than chicken and pork, so even the markdowns are still typically on the higher side. But these were very good prices for what they are: cubed steak and chopped steak.

I went home and cooked/seasoned the chopped steak right away to freeze for Sunday Lunch. This will make the most delicious Chipotle-style Burrito Bar!

I dug out some Hair Chalk for the kids to enjoy that afternoon. This was a chaotic mess – but did they have fun? Yes they did. :)

I had meant to get some Salsa Chicken started in the crock pot that morning but never got around to it. So I threw the chicken on the stove with salsa around 1:00 to get it cooked faster. Then I made a huge batch of Chicken Burritos. I had them planned for our dinner that night plus a little 3rd grade friend from church had loved them when I took them to her family after her mom’s surgery. “When can I have more of Laura’s burritos?” she asked her mom. Well, girl. I’ll bring you some more. :)

As I was finishing all the Burritos, Eva and Arrow came to hang out. Eva immediately started to wash my sink full of dishes – so sweet. Arrow spotted the kids playing outside and kept pointing and saying their names. “Bayden! Bayden!”

I took Bayden – I mean Brayden and Kiya to our weekly Food Distribution. Then we came home to many of the Chicken Burritos already gone – and we helped ourselves.

Keith and Auggie had ABA therapy all evening. All of our kids’ therapists/technicians are becoming a part of our family now. When Auggie had a question, Keith’s technician looked up the answer on his phone to show Auggie. It was so sweet.

Wednesday was a ridiculously full day! We had plans to get two of our rooms ready to host families who were traveling to this area for a Homeschool Speech Meet. And we had a big day planned with our Heartlands Youth Ministry to come for the afternoon to build a permanent Little Free Pantry. So we started off our day getting food ready (while sheets and blankets were working their way through the laundry to prep for guests).

Auggie helped me make Spinach Cupcakes.

While the Spinach Cupcakes were baking, I made Rice Krispie Treats for lunch dessert and Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Bars for guests who were coming who needed to eat gluten and dairy free.

At 8:30, Josie began ABA therapy with her new behavior technician.

I did not need this extra job that morning – but I’d picked up 9 packages of cube steak on sale the day before and I needed to get it taken care of and frozen. So, I made a huge mess and prepped 11-pounds of Chicken Fried Steak for the freezer. I haven’t made these for YEARS! But when you find cube steak marked down…

I had made a huge Lasagna the week before so it baked all morning to get ready for our youth group lunch. Kiya helped put Caesar Salad together.

Right on time, the youth group arrived and started through the lunch line: Lasagna, Salad, and Grapes plus lots of desserts!

After they ate, everyone headed outside with one group digging a deep hole and another putting together the pantry structure.

These youth worked hard!! Of course our kids were right in the middle of it all day, with Keith LOVING every part of digging and building!

It was a little bit chilly that day so the girls helped me make a big pot of Hot Cocoa to take outside for everyone during the afternoon.

Three and a half hours later, our sweet Little Free Pantry was finished! When we first set out our tote and refrigerator back in November, we weren’t sure how our neighborhood would respond. But wow has it been awesome to see the community come together! Lots of people walk or drive by to help themselves to food they need. Meanwhile others have stopped by regularly to fill the tote/fridge/cooler with food. It’s been incredible to watch and be a part of. Thus, the permanent pantry!

As we moved into the evening, I packaged up some Lasagna and Green Beans. Then Matt and two of our girls loaded up and drove it to a nearby hospital to deliver to York friends who were there with a loved one after a surgery. We are so thankful to live in Lincoln close to two hospitals so we can help friends who are here from out of town.

For dinner that night, I fried some of the Chicken Fried Steak I’d prepped earlier in the day, plus made Mashed Potatoes that the kids had helped me get into the crock pot that morning, and made Peas and Gravy.

Our guests arrived and we got them settled into their rooms. Here’s a sweet shot of Keith and Anna making themselves at home with our new friend from Colorado. She was gracious to sit patiently with Keith to show him how to work our rubix cube.

We had a much less full day on Thursday. Our Bonus Buddy got dropped off to spend a few days with us so that was very exciting! Kelsey and Hopelyn came over for a couple of hours that morning. Kelsey played Ticket to Ride Junior with the kids…

After Josie’s ABA therapy session and an early lunch, we took the kids to play in the indoor play area at the zoo. It’s pretty nice living five minutes from our local zoo and having a membership that allows us to go at any time!

Dinner was a very fancy pot full of five boxes of Mac and Cheese. We had ABA that night plus Matt and I needed to have a sit down visit with the kids’ therapist. This is part of the ABA process – having parent trainings so that we can all be on the same page and follow through with the programs in place for the kids’ therapies.

On Friday morning, I lost track of Keith and Bonus Buddy when we had a visit from these Twin Vaders. Keith and Bonus Buddy showed up again soon after I took this picture. :)

I started a crock pot of Salsa Chicken for our Sunday Lunch. Later in the day I shredded it and stored it away to reheat on Sunday.

Matt took Acacia to Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy that morning. Eva and Arrow came over to help me with the other seven kids. Anna, who absolutely hates having her hair brushed, asked Eva if she “knew how to fix hair.” Haha. Eva happily took Anna’s rat nest and turned it into piggy tails. Anna was so proud! And I’m going to need Eva to come over every day to do this child’s hair… ;)

The morning was nuts cooped up inside the house. Finally the sun came out and we were warm enough to head outside to get ants out of our pants. Arrow is surrounded by little mommies when he comes over….

Kiya and I were able to play a bit of volleyball. Keith and Bonus Buddy played frisbee golf. Auggie played some soccer. Brayden made a couple of swords with sticks. I panicked at one point, realizing I hadn’t seen Acacia for a while. (I’m constantly counting heads to keep track of so many kids.) Kiya reminded me that Acacia was with Dad at therapy. Hahaha, oh yeah. Let’s not even talk about how earlier3 I was holding Arrow while walking around and then got scared because I didn’t know where Arrow was. Good grief. Right there on my hip. :)

Brayden was excited to make his favorite lunch for us: Orange Chicken. I steamed some broccoli to go with it.

Dinner that night was Burgers and Fries.

Then the older two kids helped me make pies. We had big plans to host a Pie Party for neighbors the next day. Saturday was Pi Day, after all. March 14. Get it? Pi Day? 3.14.

I’d baked some frozen pie crusts earlier in the day. Kiya used one and made Chocolate Fudge Pie almost entirely by herself.

Then Brayden helped me make an Oreo Cheesecake Pie. We used this cheesecake recipe and blended oreos into it.

Pies complete! Bring on Pi Day!

Saturday morning, we took the kids to Sensory Friendly Storytime at the library. Afterward, we came home and ate leftovers for lunch then got the house set up for our Pie Party. I wasn’t able to work more that day, so I’ll share more about these adventures in next week’s post!

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 20-26, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 20-26, 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, July 19

We had just brought Brayden and Kiya home from camp, so all day Saturday we stayed home in an effort to help them to transition calmly. This was the best choice, though Matt and I had to work extra hard to keep everyone “entertained and happy” all day.

We hadn’t filled our little pool in a while, so we did that, plus we hooked up the hose to a little Twister sprinkler.

Keith had been begging to use the Spiral Slicer to cut apples, so this was a great activity when the kids needed a snack. We went through an entire bag of apples because they really do taste better this way. I loved that the mess these created happened outside in the yard. :)

I made a simple dinner of Orange Chicken and Steamed Broccoli. We went through two entire Sam’s-sized boxes of the chicken, and not all of the adults in the house even ate with us. This meal is a favorite, for sure.

Big Family Food and Fun: July 20-26, 2025

Sunday morning, we ate Breakfast Cookie Bars while getting ready for church.

Our friend, Hector, had asked if he could Grill Chicken for our Sunday Lunch, which was so awesome! He also made a delicious Rice dish to share with us. I cooked 28 Hotdogs in a small crock pot to stretch the meat, and I made Pineapple Fluff. Other friends who joined us brought Veggies, Fruit Salad, Chips, and Desserts. As always, it was an amazing feast with very little effort.

I didn’t get a lot of pictures of our time together because I enjoyed visiting instead. :) There were 32 of us gathered that day.

Lots of costumes were enjoyed by all the kids that day.

That afternoon we sent the kids downstairs to watch a movie with Elias and Matt and I took little naps, praise God. Matt woke up feeling awful, yikes.

During the late afternoon, we took the kids outside to play in the water. There was both joy and screaming/fighting all evening long, Jesus be near.

Brayden and Kiya had brought home MP3-Players from camp, preloaded with all their special camp songs. They enjoyed music time while the others played in the water.

I made four Frozen Pizzas  for dinner, plus got out some leftover Salad. The kids all also ate a Banana.

Monday morning, Matt was very sick. I was, thankfully, feeling somewhat better after being sick last week (with a different illness). We canceled all of our morning plans that involved people coming to our house. Then Elias helped me take all the kids to a park to play for the morning so that Matt could rest.

I had warmed up Pizza from Sunday night’s dinner, plus packed Fruit Cups and an assortment other food like Veggie Straws and Cheese. We picnicked at the park after playing for a good long time.

After everyone was covered in sand, sticky from fruit cups, and had run out their morning energy – I dropped the little girls off with Ms. Kathi and the bigger three had Sib Time with Elias. (Today Kiya and Anna were supposed to go to Kelsey’s, but Justus and Kelsey were sick too – boo.)

That evening, Acacia and Josie helped me make Spinach Cupcakes.

Please appreciate how accurate I am, how uniform my cupcakes, and how I always bake like a perfectionist. ;)

For dinner that night, I used leftover Pulled Pork that I’d put in the freezer after last week’s Sunday Lunch to make Meat and Cheese Melts. We ate them with Carrot Sticks and Watermelon.

Only Keith had ABA that night because Anna’s and Auggie’s technicians were unavailable. Here’s a shot of what is a rare and sweet moment when I found these four playing and listening to music in the playroom. I love that Auggie is learning how to play. :)

Matt was still very sick on Tuesday. Whatever this virus was, please do not get it!

I canceled going to Acacia’s Tuesday speech appointment, plus I reached out to the coordinator of our weekly Food Distribution to let her know that we couldn’t come – knowing that Matt would not be able to hold down the fort while I was gone. Auggie had ABA therapy that morning, then all seven kids went outside with me to help me clean out our little pool.

As hard as our days often are, when I look at this picture, I see hope –>

So frequently, much of what Matt and I do is “put out fires” and get screamed at and argued with. These kids’ brains are traumatized, and parenting looks so discouragingly different this time around. But this particular moment, pictured above, when I asked the kids to fill containers with water from the pool, then go water different areas of our lawn – they all did it. At the same time. Without complaint.

Parden me while I look at that photo and cry because it shows what their hearts really hold: love, peace, sweetness, and a desire to work together as a family for good. Who knew sour cream containers full of dirty water would be my joy-breaking point that day? It was a much needed, precious ten minutes of our day. :)

Then, back in the kitchen, we had meltdowns. I mean – we had lunch. I turned Sunday’s leftover hotdogs into Beanie Weanies. We also finished off the leftover Pineapple Fluff and I made some Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches.

Our friends Christina, Clara, and Calvin showed up right after lunch to give this mama some blessed rest and relief. Their servant hearts are huge, and they insisted on coming to help with the kids since they knew that I’d been sick and that Matt was now sick.

With Christina and kids there, I left everyone behind and went to grab a Walmart pick-up order with groceries and some electrolyte drinks to hopefully help Matt with recovery.

Before leaving, I put a pan of Stick of Butter Rice into the oven (made plain with just water to make it easier on Matt’s stomach). When I got home, I took an electrolyte drink and some rice up to Matt, then I  hid upstairs and rested until our friends needed to leave. What a gift to have the down time!

Christina left us a fabulous dinner of Meatball Sliders, Steamed Green Beans, and Fruit Salad.

We told Auggie that the long green beans were like French fries, which made him willing to try them. Then he had three helpings!

Wednesday morning, I fired up our smoker and grilled a bunch of chicken for an upcoming church service project.

Matt was slightly better that day, though very weak and slow. He stayed in bed while I had a meeting with our ABA therapist. Auggie was with his ABA technician and the other kids hung in there, playing during my meeting. Our therapist is very gracious about the kids’ needs and didn’t mind several interruptions during our scheduled time together.

After the meeting, I cut all the chicken into small bites. We were planning to put together 75 lunches to serve on Monday, and the lunches were to include Chicken Veggie Wraps.

Elias helped me start cooking another round of chicken on the smoker. Then we got the kids fed some lunch – Sandwiches, Pickles, Fruit, and Chips.

Elias finished the chicken for me, and later, I got it cut and put away.

For dinner that night, I had slow cooked some Seasoned Chicken that I’d bought at Sam’s that had been greatly marked down. That sure was easy! To go with it, I made a pot of Three Cheese Spaghetti  (<– so delicious!) and Brayden put together a Caesar Salad.

We went to our fourth Popsicles in the Park Wednesday evening church event. This was only made possible because our church family helped me wrangle kids all evening since Matt couldn’t be there.

In this shot, our friend, Elizabeth was entertaining the girls as Trent raced Keith to the van and while Robin and I followed with Brayden and Auggie. We are so thankful for all the people who help support our family.

Thursday morning, Keith was very interested in making Applesauce Muffins. He insisted that they needed chocolate chips.

Kiya helped me make a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars for upcoming Sunday breakfasts.

After they baked and cooled, I cut them and put one plate into our extra fridge for this week and the other into the freezer for the next Sunday.

That afternoon, I made two huge Lasagnas for this Sunday’s Lunch.

I was so impressed with how the kids’ played that afternoon! Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had ABA therapy, so having their technicians with them helped keep behaviors in check. Brayden had started reenacting all the events of a typical “Hamm Bash” weekend, from our family’s traditional pinata, auction, and staying in a hotel. He got all the kids involved in the fun. The auction was a hoot!

Keith’s ABA tech was amazing and helped the kids make a paper mache pinata with a balloon, watered down glue, and paper. Then they hung it up and started to whack away!

All of this kept the kids entertained for the entire evening. AND, once when Keith got upset, his technician was able to help him apply the coping skills he’s been learning – a huge win!

For dinner, I’d used leftover chicken and leftover rice to put together Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. I warmed up leftover green beans and got out some shredded lettuce that needed to be used up. And I cut up two pounds of strawberries. Also, Christina had given us a container of Golden Kiwi to try and we finished off all but two!

Friday was a pretty chill day, thankfully. Matt was feeling well enough to mow our lawn – amazing! After ABA therapy, Auggie got out his mower to help Daddy.

We ate leftovers for lunch, had some therapy sessions for a couple of kids, then farmed everyone out for the afternoon with Eva, Ms. Kathi, and Elias so that Matt and I could rest.

Each time these “farm out” sessions end, the kids come home bubbling over, excited to tell us all they did with their special people. This is such a gift in every way!

Elias and Malorie packed up that evening and headed out to start the trip toward Texas to spend time with her family for a week. They always stop and stay with our Kansas family on their way, which makes me so happy and also a tiny bit jealous. ;) Malachi had flown to Florida for his work on Wednesday, so we were now down three adults for the rest of the week!

For dinner that night, I added salsa to Thursday night’s leftover Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole and turned the mixture into Burritos. This was a simple way to feed us as we headed into our weekend.

The kids had drug our picnic tables to the front yard, so they all ate outside. This week’s play has included a lot of tree climbing! We’ve had some very muddy legs and feet (and floors in the house) at the end of each night. But when they are playing nicely, I don’t care how muddy they get.

Saturday morning, we ate cereal as we prepped to go on an outing with our church family kids’ ministry. I made a quadruple batch of Oatmeal Cinnamon Yogurt Muffins to take to eat on the way and to share with our friends.

I also made a big pan of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars to have on hand for snacks.

Then we loaded up and drove to Platte River State Park to meet up with our church friends. There was a super cool playground there that we enjoyed.

Zip lines!!

Then we ate a big lunch together with Hotdogs and lots of side dish options.

I captured this shot in which Kiya had captured a frog and lots of friends were gathered ’round. But by the time I made it over to the group, something else had distracted them. :)

Lunch and frog drama over, we all headed out to Take a Hike!

It was a perfect trek toward the river, which was really a tiny trickle at this point. We got nice and muddy and had lots of fun. As always, we are so thankful for church family who helps us manage outings like this with all of our kids.

Around 2:00 pm, we loaded up our dirty, overtired kids and headed home. We played, cleaned up, and headed into our time of Sabbath rest. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 22-28, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 22-28, 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, June 21

We’d had a big emotional morning that Saturday. So that afternoon, we just played outside in the little pool and on the slip-and-slide. We ate popsicles. We ate dinner outside.

Our meal was simple, but a favorite: Orange Chicken. I had leftover Green Beans in the fridge so we finished those off. We went inside for bath time and to clean up the house a bit before we watched a show and headed to bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: June 22-28, 2025

Sunday morning we enjoyed our traditional Breakfast Cookie Bars as we got ready for church.

Look at these matchy-matchy girls! I’d seen these dresses at Wal-Mart and knew the girls would love them, but didn’t want to spend $15 on them. I watched them go on clearance later for $7, but still decided not to buy them. A few days later, Kelsey happened upon them when she was shopping (not knowing I’d looked at them already). They were marked down to $1.00!! So she Facetimed to see, “Did I want some??”

Did I want some?! YES. In every size and in every color multiplied by four girls, please.

The girls were very happy to be matchy and twirly that Sunday. Here they are, heading off to Bible class…

After worship, our church family lined up to fill 75 sack lunches to hand out on Monday as we had committed to feeding a struggling community in our area. We partner with Atlas to do this and we are so grateful to be a part of this together.

It was sweet to capture this moment with the girls huddled around Eva and Arrow.

Back at our house after church, our Sunday Lunch crew put together 75 sandwiches and 75 bags of sweet peppers to go into the lunch bags for Atlas.

Then we cleared the countertops and made way for a big Baked Potato Bar to share together.

I was busier than normal that day since we were making all those sack lunches, so I didn’t get as many group photos. But I tried to walk around while people were fixing plates or eating to grab a few.

There were 33 of us gathered to share a meal that day.

Matt and I sent our kids downstairs to watch a movie that afternoon while we enjoyed time with our Community Group. For dinner, I made Frozen Pizza – only three because all of the grown-up kids in the household had other plans for the night.

Monday morning, I served a big bowl of Vanilla Pudding that I’d made the night before and chilled overnight. I’d added extra eggs to make it extra rich and nourishing for breakfast.

Auggie had ABA therapy all morning, and the other kids took turns having some extra behavior struggles. It felt like an intense morning. But we also got some laundry done and had some fun moments of play too.

Mid-morning, I put together sandwiches for all the kids to eat at noon when we went to deliver the Atlas lunches.

Our friend Becky came at 11:15 and helped us add a cheese stick to each of 75 sack lunches.

Then we loaded all the totes of food into her car so she could get them to Atlas on time.

We loaded up our kids and our sandwiches to head over to Atlas House in time to help hand out sack lunches to the people who lived in that area.

After we finished this great time of service, Kiya and Anna went home with Kelsey, the boys spent the afternoon with Elias, and Acacia and Josie went to Ms. Kathi’s. Matt and I put Auggie down for a nap then sat at our table together eating our lunch in the quiet, catching up on conversation we needed to have. Kelsey sent me some fun photos of her time with the girls.

Kiya was so excited to finish the sewing project she’d started!

That afternoon/evening was EXTRA BIG because we began ABA therapy for Keith and Anna. ABA therapy is for kids with autism, providing them with one-on-one support that is specific for their individual needs. We’ve been at a loss as to how to help Keith and Anna with some of their big, challenging behaviors. So this has been very welcome. (Auggie started his ABA therapy a few months ago, so we have been getting used to how it all works.)

Monday afternoon, all of our kids’ behavior technicians started to show up along with the therapist who is in charge of creating and executing their programs. I didn’t get pictures of the entire “event” for privacy sake and also because THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE IN MY HOUSE.

I exaggerate.

But still. Basically, the night was spent helping Keith and Anna become acquainted with their “special person” while simultaneously helping their new technicians become acquainted with our household and our kids’ needs. Can you imagine being one of our ABA Behavior Techs?? Bless their hearts. :) :) :) I’m very sure the therapist gave them some heads up about how many kids we have and some details about our family situation. But nothing can really prepare a person for what it’s really like to be here.

Kids are everywhere. Adults keep popping up out of no where. Then more kids. Then more adults. Also, we needed to eat dinner. :/

Kelsey had brought the girls home after their time at her house and she stuck around to help with the biggness of the night. I turned dinner over to Brayden, who warmed up leftover Chili and cooked 24 Hotdogs.

Acacia and Josie entertained Little Sweetheart.

Matt hung out with Auggie until his ABA technician arrived to take over with his care and training.

We set out cut fruit and peppers to eat with our Chili Dogs. Somehow we got everyone fed that night.

Kelsey took all the non-ABA kiddos on a walk to Sunken Gardens.

To add to the craziness of the night, it started to rain while everyone was outside. Kids were already wet, so we decided to let them dance in the rain and live it up.

Tuesday morning, I made a double recipe of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins, per Josie’s birthday breakfast request. I also scrambled some Cheesy Eggs and made some Sausage Links to go with the muffins.

While the oven was on after baking the muffins, I made a huge pan of Fudge Brownies for Josie’s birthday dessert later that night.

We packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the zoo for the rest of the morning.

It was slightly rainy, but we decided not to let that mess with our plans.

We spent the first hour at the zoo indoors, waiting for the rain to stop. It was fun to watch the worker clean the birds’ cages!

When it stopped raining, we played on an outdoor Climbing Elephant, then found a good table by the train to enjoy our lunch. We had apples, peanut butter crackers, fruit cups, guacamole and chips, hard salami, and coconut rolls. Oh, and a visit from a Peacock. We finished almost every bite of food that I packed.

We’d promised the kids that we would spend time in the Butterfly Pavilion, so we headed there after lunch. On our way, we chatted with the Flamingos. They are practically family by now. ;)

It’s almost impossible to go into the Butterfly Pavilion without first taking a picture on the enormous caterpillar. These faces are screaming, “Happy Birthday, Josie!” per their mama’s request.

Ah, the butterflies. They weren’t super friendly that day so only two of us caught one. This was “not fair” and very disappointing according to those who didn’t catch a butterfly.

That afternoon, I looked through my Azure Standard favorites to put in an order since the deadline was coming up. I was getting low on our Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and needed to stock up! While I was at it, I updated this post to share more specifics about what I like to buy from Azure.

I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to our weekly Food Distribution. Well over 100 people came through the line to get food that day!

Back at home, Elias and Malorie had helped finish putting together Josie’s birthday dinner. Josie had requested Mac and Cheese, so Elias made seven boxes. :) Malorie and Josie worked together (though both told me later that Josie did it ALL by herself) to make three bags of Caesar Salad. I’d warmed up Beef Smoked Sausage and Meatballs to serve also.

We only had one hour together because a sweet friend of ours was getting baptized and we wanted to go celebrate this with him! So we ate quickly, then moved on to Birthday Brownies. Bless Josie, she wanted a brownie, but she was NOT interested in candles or being the center of attention while everyone singing to her. Note to self: next year, just skip that part and serve the dessert. This is Josie’s birthday wish.

Thankfully, she was ok with everyone watching while she opened her gifts. This little girl loves dresses! So this is what she got for her birthday!

Right after that, we all loaded up and headed to church to be a part of our friend Sam’s special night. It was a beautiful time with church family.

Sam is going to be a senior in high school, and he and Keith have become sweet buddies. Sam cried when he saw that Keith had come to celebrate his baptism. What a special night!

Wednesday morning, I was very happy that we didn’t have any plans (except for Auggie’s ABA session all morning). Every room of our house felt messy and I wanted to regroup. So we spent the morning picking up toys, sweeping various rooms, doing lots of dishes, wiping down counters and tables, and then of course, playing outside.

I don’t remember what we had for breakfast (no picture, no memory, ha). For lunch, we had a few tidbits of this and that to finish off from the fridge – pizza, fish sticks, chicken bites, pickles, cantaloupe, and strawberries.

By that afternoon, the kids were beginning to show signs of needing more structure. So we set up the pool and had popsicles. Arrow was hanging with us, so we set him up in our little pool (that leaks, but it worked for a while anyway). He kicked and splashed and had a lovely time. The other kids had more fun watching him play than actually playing themselves. :)

Later, Auntie Josie took Arrow on a stroll in our back parking area.

I had cooked 5-pounds of hamburger meat to make Taco Meat for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. So I got that packaged up to put away.

Meanwhile, I made an additional 2-pounds of Taco Meat for our dinner that night. I warmed up Black Beans plus got out Cheese, Salsa, Spinach, Chips, Shells, and Tortillas for a simple Taco Bar.

I had slow cooked Salsa Chicken for a few hours that day – also for Sunday Lunch. So that evening I got it shredded and put away.

That evening, Keith, Anna, and Auggie all had three-hour ABA therapy sessions. This night felt much more calm compared to Monday’s night’s initial session when we were introducing everyone and showing the new technicians the layout of our home and family life. While those kids were occupied, Kiya and Acacia used sour cream and yogurt containers to make drums.

As we got ready for bed that night, Auggie found a dress-up hat and surprised us all by running through the hall with it.

I had some Banana Muffins in the freezer, so we ate those for breakfast on Thursday morning with some Yogurt.

Meanwhile, I baked a pan of Egg Casserole to take to the park for a brunch-type picnic. I haven’t done this before. But had some other fun breakfast-y items that I wanted to surprise the kids with, so I experimented to see if I could transport and serve this at a picnic table. (I covered it and slid it into an insulated bag, and it was still piping hot at lunchtime!)

Justus met us at the park and took Brayden with him to give him some special one-on-one time. They went to a music store to play instruments together for about an hour.

Keith and Bonus Buddy spent over two hours on their skateboards at this park. They had the time of their lives!

I’ve learned to pack a bag of apples to take on many of our outings. The crunch and the time it takes to eat an apple seems to calm our kids’ nervous systems in ways they all need so frequently. Apples to the rescue.

At lunchtime, we ate all but three pieces of that Egg Casserole! We also ate Carrots and Fruit Cups. After everyone ate well, we let them have their own package of Little Bites – a treat we’d been blessed with at Food Distribution that week.

That afternoon, Josie got to go on an “adventure” with Elias and Malorie. This has become their birthday gift to each kid – to take them out to do something simple and special. Josie got a sweet drink to enjoy while walking through Target. She’d been looking forward to this for weeks and it did not disappoint!

We had a very early dinner that night of Quesadillas with Spinach plus leftover Sausages on the side.

Then we loaded up and headed to Heartlands for the first night of their awesome Kids’ Experience event!

We had left Auggie behind with Elias and Malorie so that he could have his evening ABA session. So what did Matt and I do WITHOUT ANY KIDS?!?! We took advantage of a gift card we’d been holding onto for over a year and we had ourselves a date!

Friday morning, Auggie had ABA therapy all morning so we stuck around home to play and get work done. Around 11:00, everyone was hot and hungry so I made Smoothies for the kids.

Earlier that morning, I’d stirred Cheeseburger Casserole into a crockpot to cook and be ready for lunch. This doesn’t look super pretty, but it tastes great and most of the kids ate it well.

The kids spent the afternoon with their special Monday/Friday people. Kiya and Anna got to make Popsicles, play games, and help with the garden, yard, and recycling at Asa and Eva’s. Then they went to the library with Eva! Brayden, Keith, and Bonus Buddy took some donations to Goodwill with Elias, Malachi, and Malorie, then played football in the yard and a video game in the basement (a huge, exciting privilege for them). Acacia and Josie got to play at Ms. Kathi’s, and they always have great adventures there!

Matt and I put Auggie down for a nap and had some quiet time just for us. After Matt left to pick up the girls, Auggie and I made Snickerdoodle Bites to have on hand for snacks.

The kids had another night ahead of them at Heartlands for their Kids’ Experience. So we fed them a dinner of Sandwiches, Oranges, Carrots, and Pickles before we loaded up and headed out.

After we dropped the seven kids at church, Matt, Auggie, and I went to spend some time with an older couple that lives near the church and is unable to get out very often. It was a lovely visit and we pray that they were encouraged. We know that we were.

From there, we went to stock up groceries at Sam’s. Two carts and lots of snacks for Auggie later, we packed everything in coolers with ice packs in the back of the van.

Our kids are not used to being up past 9:00, so two nights in a row of this made for some tired kids. Did that stop Anna from getting up at 6:00 on Saturday morning? No, it did not. Oy.

We dropped our seven back at Heartlands at 9:00am for their final morning at Kids’ Experience. From there we grabbed Little Sweetheart and headed over to hang out at a friends’ house whose kids were also at Heartlands for the morning. We had a great visit with them, and even got to hang out with their turtle for a while. :)

Back at Heartlands, there was a Pizza Lunch to celebrate the end of the kids’ great weekend together.

I’d been making batches of Ice Cream to serve for our upcoming Sunday lunch. That afternoon I made batch number three. :)

Malorie’s grandparents came that afternoon to spend time with her and to stay the night with us. It was wonderful to get to know them!

I got about thirty interruptions from our kids while trying to proof-read this post so I finally gave up and I’m guessing this one is a bit messy! But… I’ll share more about our Saturday evening next week!

 

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 23-March 1, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 23-March 1, 2025 post!

Before I launch into this week’s Food and Fun, I’ll backtrack to share the tail end of last week. :)

Our family all gathered on Saturday evening to celebrate Justus’ birthday (a week late, thanks to illnesses). Justus requested Italian Cream Cheese Chicken and Butterscotch Bars and we were all excited about this meal!

There were 19 of us, and the meal was simple and good.

Being altogether was the best.

And that was our Saturday evening!

Big Family Food and Fun: February 23-March 1, 2025

We enjoyed our traditional Breakfast Cookie Bars on Sunday morning before church.

Last week, I had made a big pan full of Taco Rice Skillet, so I rewarmed it at a low oven temp for our Sunday Lunch gathering. I also warmed White Queso in my smallest crock pot, cooked Corn on the stove, plus got out tortillas, chips, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Friends who joined us that day brought Shredded Pork and Fresh Fruit. It was such a delicious feast!

HAVE I TOLD YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE SUNDAY LUNCHES?? (I love Sunday Lunches.)

There were 29 of us gathered to share our meal and share life together.

After such frigid days, we were all so invigorated by sunshine and warmer temps. All of our kids played outside (and got muddy but we didn’t care). It was so sweet to see the kids enjoying their time together. Meanwhile, we grown-ups got to encourage and support each other as we visited inside.

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time later that afternoon (a small group of us who meet regularly to focus on what scripture says about Jesus’ life and how we can be more like Him). Elias and Malorie watched a movie with our kids during that time so that we could have uninterrupted adult sharpening time.

I baked four Frozen Pizzas for dinner that night for an easy way to end our full day.

Malorie came into the kitchen that evening to conduct some experiments for her online college classes. A small crowd gathered to participate.

Oh wait. A large crowd gathered. I’m not sure what Malorie would have done had she not had all this help to collect her data.

Monday was a very big day for our family. I had to get out the door early with Auggie, so I served a simple breakfast of Yogurt, Granola, and Berries for Parfaits before school.

An Auggie Update

Auggie and I drove to Omaha that morning for a follow-up visit to Children’s Developmental Pediatrics. This boy has gone to specialist after specialist during his two years of life as we seek answers and help to better meet his extra needs. Children’s Hospital has been everything wonderful for us, referring us to every doctor we’ve needed and never giving up or brushing off our concerns.

They’ve given him Feeding Therapy so that he could learn to eat. They’re giving him Speech Therapy so that he can learn to talk. And on this day, after yet another very thorough appointment, the Developmental Pediatrics team finally landed on a diagnosis for him: Autism Spectrum Disorder with Global Developmental Delay.

Yes, I cried when the doctor said the words. But they were tears of relief to finally have answers. We need this so that we can move forward to get more of the help he needs!

What a big, big morning for this precious little boy.

The day wasn’t over yet.

Matt and I spend the afternoon processing Auggie’s appointment and diagnosis and talking through next steps. We also worked on preparing for our evening. God had led us to a Christian Therapy Team – an answer to SO MANY PRAYERS as we’ve sought help for our kids. Monday night they were to come into our home for the first time to meet everyone and as we launch into participating in their Family Mending program.

To make this happen, I had dinner ready at 4:30 that afternoon: Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans. We tried to get everyone fed and into the living room by therapy time at 5:45.

Emotions were running HIGH for our kids that night – and they all either acted super squirrely or super naughty during our meeting. We actually appreciated that the therapy team could see some of their behaviors – because so often, our kids mask their true needs/struggles around others.

This night was just the beginning of many hours of therapy, homework, and guidance from the Therapy Team. I’ll share more as I learn more. It’s all a lot to process, but we welcome it so that we can help our family be all that God has planned for us to be.

Bedtime Snack

Somewhere in the afternoon, I’d taken several bruised apples (thanks to a kid who dropped an entire bag of them) and turned them into Applesauce Bread. We sliced a loaf to eat after the therapist team left, and tried to get all the hyped up kids calmed down for sleep that night. Phew, what a day.

Tuesday morning, I sliced the remaining loaf of Applesauce Bread for breakfast, plus got out Bagels for those who wanted that instead. I scrambled a dozen eggs and rationed them so everyone could have some.

Meanwhile, Anna was propping clementines into the small space between the countertop and the cabinet. ;)

Auggie and I headed off to Speech Therapy that morning. He was less cooperative than he typically is – likely because he was wary after his big Developmental Pediatric appointment the day before? By the end of the session, he’d finally warmed back up to spending time with Miss Marissa.

Little Sweetheart had joined the crew at home with Matt so when Auggie and I got home, I grabbed her up. She enjoyed many little bites of Lolli’s Applesauce Bread. :)

If Auggie could vacuum all day (and turn the switch on and off over and over), he’d be pretty pleased.

My niece was driving through Lincoln that afternoon on her way home from visiting family. She stopped by so we could meet her sweet new baby.

Eva and Arrow stopped by to say hi also. We got some cousin pictures, but my favorite, by far, is this one in which Arrow decided to try and take a bite out of his cousin to see if he was as sweet as he appeared to be.

Aww, here’s Pop having some Arrow playtime.

After school, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to hand out food at our weekly Food Distribution site. There was a lot of food to hand out that day and a huge crowd that went through the line. The kids did great!

Back at home, Matt had fed the kids an entire pan of Burritos that I’d made with Sunday’s leftovers. He was working on this second pan of remaining pan of rice/meat mixture as we continued to put burritos together to feed kids. This meal was a hit, for sure!

We’d brought home several packages of buns from Tuesday’s Food Distribution, plus a very big and exciting bonus: EGGS. At the end of the evening after we’d handed out food to over 100 families, no one had taken a bag of pre-cooked eggs that had been donated by a restaurant. (Items are set on tables and clients can choose from a variety that we set out. The cooked/frozen eggs didn’t look very appetizing, I guess?)

We were blessed to bring them home, so on Wednesday morning, I set out the buns with the eggs along with sausage patties, ham, and cheese so everyone could build a Breakfast Sandwich.

Then, I used what was leftover to put together more Breakfast Sandwiches for the fridge and freezer for grab-and-go breakfasts. I was so shocked by how many eggs were in that bag! I got 22 sandwiches prepped for our freezer!

My friend, Charlene, came to visit that afternoon and we had a wonderful time catching up! That evening after homework, Brayden wanted to help make dinner. He cooked hamburger meat and added sauce. Then he put together two bags of salad.

I boiled noodles and warmed up leftover corn. Then we enjoyed a Spaghetti Dinner.

We all headed out for a short walk around the neighborhood so that we could take advantage of the nice weather before it got dark. Afterward, we came in and worked on our Family Therapy Homework. Our assignment/goal this week is to work together to establish Family Expectations (rules) so that everyone is on the same page and very clear on what behaviors are accepted. We are couching all of it in scripture so that we can emphasize that all we do is a reflection of Jesus’ love for us.

Thursday morning, I put a Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast with Carrots into the crock pot to slow cook all day.

I had a lot of fresh greens in the fridge, so I made a batch of Chocolate Cupcakes with Spinach, using 1/3 pound of spinach – which is a lot. Can you see how these are tinted green before they are baked?

But after they are baked, they look like regular chocolate cupcakes!

Mid-morning, we took the four littlest kids to a Sensory Storytime at a bookstore.

Eva and Arrow met us there, and Auggie went straight over for a hug.

The rest of the kids followed him to gather around one of their dear sisters-in-law and their favorite nephew. :)

When we got home, I made a double batch of Angela’s Egg-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies for our breakfast the next morning.

That afternoon, I spent time with Little Sweetheart while putting together an activity to help us continue to work through our Family Therapy Homework. Matt and I decided that a theme verse for the basis of the “Family Expectations” page that our therapist team asked us to put together is 1 John 3:16. If we can all recognize how much our Father loves us, we will move forward in love for others. I created this simple poster plus wrote the word LOVED on cards for the kids to put together as we met together that night.

Then, I cut the poster into puzzle pieces so that even the littlest kids could participate in our discussion time.

When the kids got home from school and finished homework, we enjoyed our Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast and Carrots. I buttered and toasted some rolls to help fill the kids’ bellies.

Later, we sat in the living room, talking through our L-O-V-E-D cards, which had scriptures to go with each letter. This was a loud event, not one that was calm and precious like one would hope. But it went as well as it could go, I think, with this many high need kids of such young ages. Brayden, Kiya, and Keith are at least catching on to what we are trying to teach.

Friday morning, we finally got to eat the Angela’s Egg-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies I’d made. The kids were so glad to finally dig into them!

After the elementary kids headed off to school, I spent time in the kitchen prepping ahead. I made a huge Lasagna plus a regular-sized one for our upcoming Sunday Lunch.

Meanwhile, I baked 14 pans worth of bacon to finish off a box I had in the fridge. Now we have lots of prepped bacon in the fridge for breakfasts or sandwiches.

Matt had taken most of the littles outside for a walk while I finished my work in the kitchen. Then Anna and I (plus Little Sweetheart, who had been dropped off somewhere in there) headed out to join them.

I took the girls inside to fix their hair before the preschool bus came for them. I asked Acacia to watch Little Sweetheart and keep her safe while I fixed Josie’s hair. Acacia took her job very seriously.

That afternoon, I headed out and got a haircut – which felt like a lovely treat. Then I went to Panera to have some quiet, alone work time. See those wrappers on the table? Yes, indeed, I had packed a couple of special chocolates in my computer bag to enjoy with my coffee.

Eva texted that day to share that she needed to use up some potatoes and cream, so she’d made a pot of this Potato Soup. YUM. I’ve been making this version of Ham and Potato Soup all winter, and kind of forgot about my original Potato Soup recipe. Now I’m hungry for the original and need to make it before the weather gets too warm…

I’m so thankful the moments of quiet I was able to snag that afternoon, because as soon as 4:00 hit, it was incredibly intense for Matt and me as we managed the evening. Two of our kids had appointments with their therapist right after school (this was good, but also a lot for them as they processed some hard memories throughout the rest of the night). Meanwhile, everyone was hungry at 4:30. Auggie had a very scream-y day/evening and we couldn’t figure out why. The three little girls were exhausted from their week and couldn’t regulate their emotions. Dinner, simple as it was, felt chaotic. (We made Orange Chicken with Sliced Pears and a Salad.)

To end our evening, we attempted to continue with our Family Therapy Homework. We reviewed our L-O-V-E-D cards, reminding them about how much God loves them and delights in them. Then we worked together to put together the scripture puzzle I’d created the day before. We practiced learning 1 John 3:16, reminding them that because they are so loved, they can live confidently in that love and therefore, love others – in our home and out of our home.

Saturday morning we ate Cereal for breakfast, plus I made a double batch of Peanut Butter Honey Puffs.

We took the kids to Library Sensory Storytime where they got to listen, play, sing, and dance.

We got back home to enjoy a crowd of Malachi’s friends who were gathering to spend the weekend together. These buys have been friends since they were all little boys. :)

Thanks, Allan, for being such a good sport and reading a book to Malachi’s little sister. :)

Lunch that day was an assortment of random leftovers. But I also made a big package of hotdogs to stretch our meal since we had several extra guys joining us.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, giving kids their baths, and getting our home ready for our time of Sabbath rest. I’ll share more about our Saturday next week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: December 29-January 4, 2025

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: December 29-January 4, 2025 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: December 29-January 4, 2024

I stop working on Saturdays in the afternoon so that we can move into our special time of Sabbath rest that we’ve chosen to practice for our family. Therefore, each week when I begin these posts, I start by backing up to share what the last part of our Saturday looked like. :)

Last Saturday was amazing because we asked some friends to come help with our seven littles so that Matt and I could spend time with all of our adult kids for a few hours. We all met up at Justus and Kelsey’s house, had a Secret Santa gift exchange, ate a super delicious meal courtesy of Famous Dave’s (Justus and Kelsey had gift cards!), then played games for four hours!!

We laughed so hard and had so much fun. Phew, we needed this.

Back at home, we walked into this scene with our kids having the time of their lives with Ms. Kathi and Ms. Terra. The other kids were hanging with Mr. Matt and since the weather was beautiful that day, they’d all been playing outside most of the time we were gone. Our three caregivers rocked it for us and we are sooooo grateful for the gift they gave us that day.

That morning before we headed to Justus and Kelsey’s, I’d put a Melt-in-your-Mouth Beef Roast into a crock pot to cook for our dinner. Kiya had helped me scrub potatoes and we filled another crock pot so we could make these mashed potatoes to go with our roast. When we got home, I realized I’d forgotten to add the carrots I planned to throw in with the roast. So I quickly made peas while Terra mashed the potatoes for us. We got hungry kids fed, bathed, and tucked in for the night after an awesome day!

Sunday was Brayden and Auggie’s birthday! Brayden chose all the meals for the day. (When Auggie gets older, we’ll have to figure out meal choices having two birthday kids in one day!)

We had Scrambled Cheesy Eggs and Hashbrown Patties for breakfast.

Brayden wanted Lasagna for his birthday lunch, and we had some of our normal Sunday crowd join us after church. Friends brought a Pasta Bake and Oranges to help complete our meal. We made Caesar Salad and Corn, plus Oreo Brownies for the birthday dessert.

There were 29 of us gathered that day.

It was fun to celebrate Brayden during this time! Meanwhile, Auggie was having a lovely birthday nap. :)

Two stick candles side by side make an 11, right? ;)

The weather was sunny and gorgeous! Our friend Mandy stopped by and many of us headed out to take a walk together to fill up our church’s Little Free Pantry. It’s just a few blocks from our house.

Back at home, Auggie woke up and shared a hug with his Birthday Bro.

Brayden wanted to make his birthday dinner for the family: Orange Chicken and Onion Rings.

I got out cucumbers and carrots to offer a veggie with dinner. Brayden did a great job!

Then it was Auggie’s turn to blow out candles. He’s the big 2 now!

Elias and Malorie had to run to Walmart and asked if I needed anything. You guys? I am a sucker for these cheap hams. I’d gotten four of them on clearance for a $1.00/pound last week. But just in case, I asked them to look and see if by chance they’d been marked down any more to $0.50/pound.

Sure enough! There was an entire case of them. I asked them to get four for me, then I worked to create freezer space!

See how hard this is to resist??

Present time! Auggie was pretty excited about his magnetic toy set.

Brayden started playing school right away with his new Dry Erase Board. What a great day!

Monday morning, I made a blender full of smoothie for Matt and me. The kids ate yogurt and granola, plus Banana Bread.

I spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen that morning getting ready for company to come. I had chicken bones in the freezer that I’d saved after a Rotisserie Chicken purchase. I used the bones to make Chicken Broth for soup, knowing we’d need it for a big crowd we’d be feeding on Wednesday.

I also put several pounds of boneless chicken thighs into a crock pot with two jars of salsa. I planned to have it ready to turn into Taco Soup.

I also cleaned out one of our dishwashers and was so happy to see this top rack. This is what our dishwasher looks like after a big Sunday Lunch. We eat, we visit, we drink coffee and have dessert together – it’s such a beautiful time. I love a dishwasher full of coffee mugs to remind me of our awesome time of fellowship.

Late in the afternoon, I blended the onions and carrots that had cooked with the chicken bones and stirred the veggies back into the broth. This makes it so rich and extra nourishing.

I shredded the chicken and put it into the fridge with the broth to be ready to make a huge amount of soup on Wednesday!

For dinner that night, I put one of our $5 hams into our large roaster to cook. This created the easiest, cheapest meal on earth. The ham was delicious, and we ate it with leftover mashed potatoes and veggies from the fridge. I also cut up two pineapple, which really hit the spot! (By the way, the spiral cut hams we get so cheap are coated in a brown sugar glaze which we don’t love so I rinse it off before cooking it.)

Tuesday morning we spent time cleaning and making beds as we prepped for our friends to come hang out with us and spend the night. We LOVE it when the Brocks come to visit! They also have a large family (there are eight of them!) and our kids all get along well. They arrived just before lunch and we had the goal to eat quickly then play games all afternoon!

Lunch for our large families was a simple spread of Summer Sausage, Cheese, Crackers, Chips, Dips, Veggies, Fruit, and Zucchini Bread and Banana Bread that the Brocks brought.

I love it when our table is full of Coppingers and Brocks, but the sweetest scene is….

THIS. Their little girls and our little girls like to sit together in these special seats. Meal time is crazy and loud at our house, but when the Brocks are here, everyone is calm and grounded (at least for a time).

We played games all afternoon, then Brayden, Kiya, Keith and I took two from the Brock family to help hand out food and clean at  our weekly Food Distribution site.

This particular week, there were fewer volunteers available, fewer clients who came through the line, but extra food to hand out because of the holiday. Our kids worked very hard and very well and we were so proud of them. Putting our kids in situations like this where they serve is sooooooo beneficial in so many ways.

Brayden wanted to take a picture of Keith scrubbing a cooler. And do you see those strawberries above? Clients who came through the line took as many as they wanted, but at the end of our give away time, there were still many flats worth of berries and they needed to be eaten or frozen right away. We brought home many, many pounds of strawberries that day, and then we all promptly ate many, many pounds of berries as soon as we got home. What a great treat – free strawberries to feed our collective 13 kids!

After everyone ate their fill of berries, we ate our actual dinner: Hawaiian Chicken, two pans of Stick of Butter Rice, Steamed Green Beans, and Rolls.

We had invited our friend, Breck, to join us for dinner because she knows the Brocks too. It was such a great time of visiting before everyone moved into playing more games as we rang in the new year. (Some of us rang in the new year by going to bed before midnight, ehem.)

Wednesday morning we celebrated the first day of the year by eating 28 Eggs and lots of Bacon. (The Brocks had brought six dozen eggs from their chickens!)  The plate of bacon you see below was just a small portion of what we baked as people ate it as fast as it came out of the oven. We finished off all the strawberries we’d brought home the night before from the food distribution plus we ate more of the Zucchini Bread and Banana Bread the Brocks had baked and brought with them.

Kids played and played all morning while the grown ups visited and worked in the kitchen to prep for a huge lunch.

We had invited all of our older kids to come for lunch so that they could catch up with the Brocks, plus we invited another family to come join as they have great connections with the Brocks too. Altogether, there were 30 of us, and it was a great time of visiting and feasting.

We went through at least three pots of coffee that day. Lunch was a huge roaster full of Spicy Ham and Potato Soup, two crock pots full of Chicken Taco Soup, and a big assortment of anything else we could set out to fill everyone up: rolls and croissants, fritos, sliced oranges, carrots and cucumbers, crackers, and cheese.

Take note of Elias wearing Malorie’s shower cap. :) He was doing an oil treatment on his scalp and wasn’t shy about walking around like this most of the day. It was hard to take him seriously, but somehow we managed to have real conversations and play games with his crazy-headed self.

We filled our dining room table.

And spilled over into the living room. Meals and times like these are truly awesome.

The rest of the day was spent playing more games together. In fact, the Brocks intended to head home mid-afternoon but by the time our third game ended, we realized we needed to give them a bite to eat for dinner so that they wouldn’t have to stop and feed all their kids on the way home. So we pulled out all kinds of random leftovers (I forgot to get a picture), rewarmed soup, and got them filled up before sending them on their way. What an amazing visit!

Thursday morning we decided it was a pajama day. We also had a refrigerator that looked like this, so I declared it to be a Leftover Day for all three meals. (I had Lasagna and Soup in our pantry fridge also.)

As I was clearing out food for kids to pick what they wanted for lunch, I pulled out the spinach that was expiring and turned it into these Cupcakes. I find it amazing how much spinach I can manage to stuff into my blender to make these. What a great way to eat greens. ;)

Later in the afternoon, I looked up “ways to use cottage cheese” because I had quite a bit in my fridge that needed to be used. I found a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies and the girls and I gave it a try!

I used all whole wheat flour instead of some of the white that the recipe called for. They turned out pretty tasty. I froze most of them for an upcoming Sunday Lunch. And check out the awesome three-tier cooking rack Malorie got me for Christmas!

Bedtime at our house is quite the hectic situation, with so many littles struggling with behaviors or needing attention. Matt put on Acacia’s leg brace and read to the three little girls while I wrestled with Auggie then read to the three older littles. By the time I got into the little girls’ room to tuck them in, Josie and Acacia were already fast asleep. I soaked in their sweetness for a moment.

Friday morning we had a lot of prep work to do so that we could be ready for what we thought would be a full weekend. I put a Pork Loin into a crock pot to cook for Sunday’s lunch. I also put several pounds of boneless chicken thighs into our large roaster with barbecue sauce to shred for Sunday as another meat option. Here’s what it all looked like later in the day when it was finished.

Mid-morning, we loaded up all the kids to burn off energy in the indoor play area at the Zoo. I packed snacks because even though they ate all morning and would eat all afternoon, we need to eat also while we’re out and about.

We came home and finished up a jar full of Ham and Potato Soup leftovers.

Friends came for dinner that night, so I made 9 Pizzas from crusts I had in the freezer. We ate our pizza with Caesar Salad.

One of the reasons we’d arranged for dinner with friends is because they had some toys to hand down that their kids were finished with. A tool set and work bench? Keith was in heaven!

And check out this amazing play kitchen they brought. The little girls got lost in there while we grown ups visited, and Auggie even played for quite a while. Such a cool kitchen!

Saturday we had a meeting out of town, but had some sick kids which changed a lot of our plans. We ate leftovers for all of our meals and tried to catch up on some laundry. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: December 8-14, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: December 8-14, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: December 8-14, 2024

Last Saturday evening, we pulled out our special candles (the battery operated kind that doesn’t involve actual fire) to kick off our Sabbath. We try to use our meal time to teach our kids more scripture and more about God’s love for them.

We ate Chicken Nuggets, Fries, and had special Coconut Cakes that a friend had made. Mealtime, in general, at our house is loud and hectic. Per their usual, the kids didn’t get the memo this week again that Sabbath is supposed to be restful and a time of delight. :/ BUT, we’re going to keep doing this anyway because it’s important to us to set aside this 24-hours to have a work-free mindset and to try and engage with our kids and our community in a different way.

Church on Sunday was wonderful and Spirit-filled. After worship, our kids got to participate in a ministry that was so good for them. A few weeks prior, we’d grabbed some Gift Tags that allowed us to purchase gifts for kids in Lincoln who may not otherwise have anything under their trees. Matt and I pulled enough tags for each of our kids to pick a toy for another child their age. We shopped with them individually online so they could pick their gift. Then this Sunday, they got to hand off their gift to the people facilitating this ministry.

The kids were so proud of the gift they’d chosen and loved handing it over. We have a lot of chaos and frustration with behaviors at our house. But THIS. Involving our kids in ways to serve like this shows that their hearts are loving and good. We will keep finding opportunities for them like this. It is a win.

There was a lunch meeting after church that day that most of our regular Sunday Lunch people were involved with. So we invited a different family that we had been looking forward to spending time with. Our meal was smaller and very simple: A pot of Chili with cheese, sour cream, and Fritos, Muffins, Carrots, and Grapes.

We set out the last of the Coconut Cakes from our friend and a plate of Christmas Spice Cookies for dessert.

There were 18 of us sharing our meal that day. It was lovely and peaceful.

The weather was unusually warm, so the kids played outside most of the afternoon.

Keith and Anna wanted to help me make Pizza that night for our dinner.

Keith was very proud to turn his pepperoni into a happy face.

I only had two crusts in the freezer, so I made a small dish of Crustless Pizza to go with the regular pizza. Brayden declared the crustless version to be the best pizza he’d ever eaten and begged me to please do this every time. :)

Monday was a catch-up day and also a get-ahead day. Our meals consisted entirely of leftovers as we pulled out and warmed up random items all day long as needed. Not cooking meals freed me to make a large Lasagna Casserole to eat Tuesday night before a music concert for Brayden and Kiya.

The girls helped me make a batch of Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins.

Worth noting: Having all this “help” in my kitchen will be great some day. Meanwhile, this day it distracted me and I forgot to add the coconut oil I’d melted on the stove for these muffins. They still tasted ok, but were a bit crumbly. Meh.

That evening, since we just had leftover tidbits, Anna helped everyone choose a (low fat) muffin, ha, to round out our meal.

Malachi came over for a while that evening!

Every once in a while, Elias and Malorie take both Brayden and Kiya out on Mondays for some Big Bro Big Sis time. This is very good for them! A local restaurant offers half-price kids meals on Mondays so that was their destination. The restaurant was packed that night so they brought their food home to eat.

Tuesday mornings, I leave early to take Auggie to Speech Therapy. I scrambled 12 eggs before I left and the kids ate them with Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins. Malorie helped Matt get the other kids to school.

The rest of the day was spent playing, caring for Little Sweetheart, and getting Brayden and Kiya ready for their school concert that night. I baked the Lasagna Casserole for a very early dinner and warmed up leftover green beans, two cans of corn, sliced pears, and made a salad.

We got everyone out the door to enjoy Brayden singing and playing his ukulele on stage.

Then, both Brayden and Kiya sang fun songs together with their friends. It was an awesome evening, with all of our older kids making the effort to be there and support. I wasn’t able to get a picture, but there 20 of us in the fan club. I’m so thankful for our Bigs and how they love the Littles.

Wednesday morning, we ate yogurt and granola for breakfast. I asked Kiya to help me get out the granola options, and as I shared last week, her personality was shining as she got everything set out just so. :)

After we got the elementary kids off to school, we loaded up the other four and headed to Walmart and Aldi for groceries.

Back at home, I made a double recipe of Breakfast Cookies into Bars. I really like having these in the freezer to pull out on Sunday mornings for an effortless breakfast.

Arrow spent the afternoon with us. This was Keith’s reaction when he got home from school and realized that Arrow was hanging out in the kitchen with us.

I got out raspberries to go with our dinner – and the girls discovered them as soon as they got off the school bus. At dinnertime, here’s what I had left to offer. :)

I made a big Taco Bar for dinner with Crusted Tilapia (from Costco) and Seasoned Beef. I made a pan of Stick of Butter Rice to help stretch the meal, plus we had shredded cheese, queso, salsa, cilantro, lettuce, black beans, tortillas, and chips.

After we all ate our fill, I took all the tidbits of leftovers and stirred them together into a Burrito Casserole for a future meal.

Thursday morning, we warmed up some bags of Breakfast Sandwiches that I’d made last week and frozen. This photo doesn’t look like much, just the tail end of some bags of Breakfast Sandwiches, plus oranges and the Salad Matt and I drink every day. :) Mornings are so fancy around here.

Throughout the day, I worked on putting together a triple batch of Spicy Ham and Potato Soup to rewarm for our upcoming Sunday Lunch. It has hard for me not to dip into it because this is my favorite soup. Or maybe this one is. Meh, I love both!

Brayden had another music concert that night – this time for band. We ate an early dinner again of two Rotisserie Chickens (that I’d picked up marked down to just $2.02 at Walmart the day before!) with Mashed Potatoes (instant from Azure Standard), Fried Zucchini, and Stuffing.

These kids just began learning instruments so we were proud of what they’ve learned so far.

Malorie and Elias helped us hold down a row full of restless kids throughout the concert. Thank goodness I’d packed snacks (for the kids, not for M and E). ;)

We got home and rewarded everyone (especially the adults who had survived the second concert of the week managing a row full of littles) with a piece of fudge before bed. Keith had helped me make it that morning and he was proud!

Friday morning the kids ate cold cereal for breakfast. I made a pan of Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Bars to have on hand for easy snacks.

I’ve been needing to give this fella a hair cut but it’s hard to find the time (and honestly, the motivation). He has curls when we get his hair wet, but then it turns to this after playing and putting on hats to go outside. I attempted to take a “before” picture and he refused to smile for me, making for a perfect “please cut my hair because I am pitiful” photo. :)

While he sat at the kitchen counter, I cut off about an inch of hair. He is never impressed with hair cuts, and this time was no exception. But look how sweet!! And how grown up he looks.

I wrapped some presents that afternoon – one of my favorite parts of holiday prep!

For dinner that night, I boiled a pound of noodles and warmed up leftovers from Thursday’s rotisserie chicken. Typically I make homemade Alfredo Sauce but this time I just opened a jar of sauce from Aldi. We had all of this with Steamed Broccoli. Then we put on pajamas and headed to Heartlands church for a Christmas Movie Night for the kids.

The older kids watched the Muppets movie in one room.

And the younger kids watched The Grinch in another room. Everyone enjoyed popcorn and mix-ins. The kids loved this!

Saturday morning was pretty chill as we let the kids watch some Christmas shows while I got some work done in the kitchen. I mixed up a quadruple batch of Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies so that we could work on them together throughout the morning.

Reminder if you’re making cookies with kids: DO IT LIKE THIS. Unless you love Christmas cookie stress, of course.

I also made a big batch of Pancake Sausage Muffins to help us through the next week as we finish up getting ready for Christmas. We make lots of Breakfast Sandwiches to make early mornings easier for adults when they head to work. So I thought maybe Pancake Sausage Muffins would be a nice change of pace. Also, at this time, Kiya baked a cake for our Sunday lunch. She’d gotten the mix for her birthday and was excited to use it.

I have no idea what I did wrong on with the Pancake Sausage Muffins, but they did not rise. Did I forget the baking powder? We’ll never know. Either way, they taste fine and I packaged them up for easy breakfasts.

Then I brought the kids in a few at a time to roll and cut out Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies. First the girls.

Then the boys.

Phew! Got ’em done! (We’ll decorate another day.)

After the kitchen got cleaned up, we made some Christmas crafts at our living room table.

We cleaned out the fridge to eat leftovers for lunch. Then we spent the rest of the day watching a Christmas movie, picking up the house, and getting ready to move into our time of Sabbath rest.

And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: December 17-23, 2023

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: December 17-23 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: December 17-23, 2023

As you can imagine, Sunday mornings are a bit hectic at our house as we try to get out the door to church with so many little ones. I’d get more done ahead of time on Saturday night if I wasn’t already just trying to survive the regular needs of Saturday night. Phew.

At one point in the morning this Sunday, I was able to run to our laundry room to gather outfits for our five littlest. I laid them on the back of our living room couch like this so that Matt and I could work together to get everyone dressed.

Our Sunday lunch that day included 23 lovely people and it was marvelous! I set up a big Baked Potato Bar and our friends brought salads and desserts.

I usually bake potatoes like this in a crock pot. But I needed my crock pots for other things, plus 10 pounds of potatoes don’t fit into one crock pot. So I “baked” them in our large roaster, hoping it would work well to do the job I needed it to do while we were at church. Phew, it worked!

Our potato bar included Chili, white queso, bacon, shredded cheese, butter, sour cream, salsa, ranch, guacamole, and olives. At the last minute, before leaving for church, I also threw 24 hotdogs into a crock pot to cook all morning. I knew we’d have a large crowd and I wanted to make sure we had enough food. AND I realized that a lot of baked potato toppings can double as hot dog toppings (chili dog, anyone??).

We went through all 24 hotdogs plus almost 10 pounds of potatoes this meal. It was awesome!

Here’s our drink station filled with coffee options, hot cocoa, and tea:

The selection of desserts our friends brought was so good. Those frosted bars there look like brownies but take one bite and you realize they are a delightful Ginger Snap bar. Wow. So good. I’m not going to tell you how many I ate with my coffee that afternoon. And the next day. :)

Our friends trickled away for the afternoon and our family pulled up the Husker volleyball final match to enjoy together. This photo is a peek into why we love living in Lincoln. Being able to enjoy time with our adult kids is a gift I can’t put words to. (Even if the Huskers did choke and forget how to play their sport, bless ’em.)

After the game, we got the kitchen cleaned up from lunch and I decided that there would be no more cooking or dishes that day. Anna finished off the can of our lunch olives while I put five frozen pizzas into the oven for dinner.

I only burned one of them. Ack.

Some friends of ours had been sick all week so we decided to put together a surprise package for them and deliver it to their porch. Brayden, Kiya, and Keith made cards…

And we put together a box filled with treats and crafts. Look at these adorable ornaments from Delight Design! I have a stash of them for our kids to color or paint so I put some in for our friends to color.

I had a couple of frozen Lasagnas in our freezer so I put one in a large gift box to go along with our surprise box along with the cards our kids had made. Then we loaded everyone up to go make our delivery.

We had some disposable cups with lids leftover from our Christmas party the night before, so we put some hot cocoa into them and told the kids they could have one for the road after they buckled in. This was a GREAT idea that we will probably not do again any time soon because giving kids sugar while confining them to car seats made for an extra-crazy van ride home, oy!

Someone gave us the gift of this delicious loaf of cinnamon-y bread at church on Sunday so Monday morning we enjoyed it with our breakfast.

Eva came over and helped Matt with the littles while Keith and I headed to our  Food Distribution set up to help get food ready to give away on Tuesday. Mid-morning, Eva sent me this “Mini-Laura” photo of Acacia. :)

There was a Sam’s close-by so after Keith and I finished helping at Food Distribution, he and I headed to Sam’s to pick up a few necessary food items as we get ready for Christmas.

That afternoon, I browned 4-pounds of sausage and 6-pounds of hamburger meat to get meals ready for the upcoming days.

I used a combination of cooked hamburger and cooked sausage to make a huge Lasagna for Friday night. My dad and his wife were coming for a visit and we were planning a fun evening with all of our big kids coming to see them.

I then used some of the cooked sausage to make four pans of Quiche for our dinner that night. Brayden was happy to mix up a big bowl of Caesar salad to go with them, plus we had some strawberries.

I had planned for us to make these Reindeer Cookies for a couple of weeks and we finally made it happen Monday night!

Our little Josie-girl had fun trying to put antlers and a nose on her cookie. Turned out pretty good, don’t you think?

Anna was very proud of her cookie creation!

While the cookies were baking, the kids watched part of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer since it matched the theme of the evening.

And then they ate their cookies before getting ready for bed!

Tuesday morning Keith decided that pancakes sounded really good. :) I had a Kodiak mix from Costco so he helped me mix it up and I made a huge batch of pancakes on our griddle for breakfast.

A dear lady at church had told us on Sunday that she had the week off and to “go out for some time to yourselves before Christmas!” while she came to babysit. Ohhhhh such a sweet offer!

So Tuesday mid-morning we left the youngest five with Kathi, Elias, and Malachi while Matt and I had an early lunch at Cheddar’s. I took this picture to send to another friend who had given us a gift card to use on a date sometime. Great food and uninterrupted conversation!

I wrapped presents all afternoon during naptime, then picked up Brayden and Kiya to head to the Food Distribution to give out food. This service opportunity really stretches them and is teaching them so much about seeing others and showing love. It also sometimes triggers some tough emotions as sometimes they see someone that reminds them of a person from their past. We tend to have a few things to work through as we drive home on these days.

This particular day, they had been given an excess of donations from various grocery stores so we brought home two bags of food like potatoes, salad kits, canned soup, buns, rolls, and bread.

I had put White Chicken Chili into the crock pot earlier in the day so that dinner would be ready to serve without me being there to make it. I forgot to take a picture that evening but here are the lovely leftovers in the fridge. ;)

Wednesday morning after we got Brayden and Kiya off to school, Matt and I loaded up the youngest five to run final errands before Christmas. We went to Aldi because butter and cream cheese were on sale. I got a case of both – woot!

Then we headed to Costco, putting two kids in my cart and three in Matt’s.

I felt a little bit like a crazy woman, but that afternoon I also went to Sam’s. I’d gone to a different Sam’s with Keith earlier in the week but they didn’t have the bacon I wanted and we must have our bacon, mustn’t we? This Sam’s had it and it was still hugely discounted! I got two boxes, which equals 20 pounds. I feel no regret. :) :) :) I am now FULLY stocked up on groceries and ready for Christmas!

When Anna got off the bus from preschool that afternoon she was excited to open a gift from her teacher. It was so sweet to watch her delight as she pulled the little items out of her package!

Have I mentioned that we have not one but FOUR birthdays in our family in December? This particular day, we were celebrating Malachi turning 19! Per his request, we had a junk food buffet, ha. I couldn’t handle only serving pizza rolls and corndogs so I included grapes, berries, and carrots in the food line.

Several off his friends came to Lincoln to celebrate with him plus his cousin from Kansas. SO special! Asa and Eva came too (Justus and Kelsey weren’t able to join). It was a great evening!

I could only scrounge up 10 candles for our 19-year-old. I need to put candles on my Walmart list. :)

We had “present time” in the living room, giving Malachi some very adulty gifts like dishes and boxes of mac-and-cheese. He and his cousin are planning to get an apartment together soon so he’s starting to collect needed items.

Somewhere in there, I managed to get Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Anna to join me in putting together little gifts for their teachers. Phew, what a busy (but great!) time of year.

Acacia wanted to get in on the action, the little sweetheart. She put together a teacher gift for the teacher she doesn’t have, haha.

Thursday morning I made our daily smoothie, then put a roast and carrots into the crock pot to slow cook all day for that night’s dinner. (Note to self: Put the carrots on the bottom next time so that they can cook in the juices and turn out to be more tender.)

My dad and his wife, Tacy, arrived early in the afternoon – such a treat to see them! (We hadn’t seen them since Adoption Day in May.) We visited all afternoon, then for dinner enjoyed the Roast and Carrots plus Buttered Corn and Rolls.

Our nephew, Troy, was still here visiting too – so much fun to have family in town!

We finished off dinner with Christmas Cookie Cut-Outs, which we’d made like this. So I gave each kid a cookie with some frosting and sprinkles so that they could decorate their treat before eating it.

Friday morning it was fun to make several pans of bacon with the big box I’d picked up on sale earlier in the week. We had it with Cheesy Scrambled Eggs and Grandma Tacy’s Banana Muffins that she’d made and brought for us.

Papa walked to school with Matt, Brayden, and Kiya. Then he and Grandma Tacy were excited to walk Keith and Anna to their bus when it came to pick them up at noon. :)

We set out a fun Sub Sandwich bar for lunch with a variety of breads, meats, and cheeses plus avocado, spinach, and condiments. We had chips and carrots on the side and we were nice and full afterward.

Acacia and Josie ate their lunch at a little table Papa and Grandma Tacy had brought for them. It’s soooo cute.

When Keith and Anna got home from preschool that day, they were excited to pull everything out of their backpacks and tell us about their Pajama Day – Gingerbread Party. :)

Kiya and Brayden made crafts at the table with Grandma.

We ate a huge Lasagna for dinner with Caesar Salad and Green Beans.

Plus we enjoyed Christmas Cut Out Cookies and Frosted Brownies.

All of the older kids were able to be there to enjoy some Papa and Grandma Tacy time. :)

I happened upon this scene in the kitchen and while I had to keep up with littles and couldn’t hang out with them, it was delightful to me to see all of our Bigs enjoying each other in our kitchen. :)

We gathered in the living room after dinner for a little bit of Christmas gift exchange time.

And then we attempted to put some VERY HYPER CHILDREN to bed. They are all a little bit extra-emotional because of the holidays. Having extras at our house is so exciting – but makes it hard for them to regulate. Which makes it hard for me to regulate as I work with Matt to settle everyone. This was the third night in a row of crazy bedtime behavior (it started on Malachi’s birthday evening) and I was in tears by the time we finally got them calm and into their beds.

Ugh. This life is so, so good. And also very much hard. It is everything all at once. God led me to read Psalm 18 on Saturday morning and the Truth from it is so good and was so needed. He is our strength. He is our rock. He delights in me and loves me. This is how we can walk through these days. Breathing all this in changed Saturday for me.

My dad loves to buy donuts for us when he comes to visit so we enjoyed those with an Easy Egg Casserole and fruit.

We had gifted my dad a Big Boggle game for Christmas and I reallllllly wanted to play it with him. So we decided to let the kids open a gift from their CASA that she’d delivered that week. I knew that the gift was a huge set of Magnatiles and thought the kids might spend some timing enjoying them so that I could have some good grown-up game-playing time. This plan worked out about as good as it could work, haha. Dad, Tacy, and I played several rounds of Big Boggle even while there was a bit of chaos behind and around us. :)

I had started a full crock pot of Ham and Potato Soup that morning and it was ready for us to eat at 12:30. I buttered and warmed up some rolls we’d been given at the Food Distribution to help stretch the meal. We had a few additional friends hanging out that morning and Justus and Kelsey stopped by too. So altogether there were 20 of us and we finished the entire pot plus all the rolls! (And some clementines and cookies.)

I rested that afternoon after Dad and Tacy headed home. Then I went to the kitchen, turned on Christmas music, and did some baking as the girls were waking up. I mixed up my Peppernut recipe but made them into regular cookies instead of a billion tiny bites like my grandma used to make. They taste delicious like this and of course take much less time.

I also made Fudge and Shortbread.

After all of that, I didn’t feel like making dinner, ha. So we made popcorn and got out fruit, cottage cheese, peanut butter pretzels, and yogurt.

While Matt and I started our Saturday night bath process, Malachi and the boys set up our new Corn Hole game that Papa and Grandma Tacy had gifted us. :)

Then the best thing happened! We settled all of our clean, jammied kids into the living room for Singing and Prayer time. Just before time to head upstairs, the doorbell rang. Who could it be??

The kids were AMAZED by this special visitor and each one of us received a beautiful handmade (by Mrs. Claus) gift. It was incredible and sweet and well, we have some pretty great neighbors. ;)

And that was our week! Merry Christmas!

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Taco Soup for a Crowd

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Here’s Taco Soup for a Crowd – an easy way to feed a lot of people!

What actually is a “Crowd?”

First question: What is considered to be a “crowd” anyway? I’m not sure how to define this.

We currently have 16 people living at our house and we often have guests. So pretty much every meal at our house “feeds a crowd” I suppose. :)

For the purpose of this post, we’ll understand the word “crowd” to be: If you’re feeding a lot of people (any number will do) and want to make it easy, here’s what to make.

Sound like a plan?! :)

Taco Soup for a CrowdYum

This soup is very easy to put together and can be made with either cooked chicken or hamburger meat. When making this for a large crowd, I like to make one crock pot with chicken and one crock pot with hamburger. This helps stretch the meal plus gives everyone the option of choosing their favorite meat.

If you have hamburger meat and chicken cooked ahead of time, then truly all you have to do is put it into crock pots, then dump in a few ingredients and that’s it!


Taco Soup for a Crowd
 
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Author:
Serves: 15 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds cooked ground beef or shredded chicken
  • 32-ounces salsa (any variety)
  • 3 cups frozen corn
  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans
  • 32-ounces (1 quart) chicken or beef broth
  • Shredded cheese, sour cream, and fritos for toppings
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients (except for toppings) into a crock pot.
  2. If you're making this soup for more than 15 people, consider making two separate recipes in two different crock pots.
  3. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or on Hi for 4 hours.
  4. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and Fritos

 

You will love how easy this Taco Soup is – and it is a crowd pleaser for sure!

Fun Side Dishes to Serve with Taco Soup

NOTE: This Taco Soup can be made in a large pot on the stove instead of in crock pots if you wish. Simply heat until bubbly and serve!

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