Heavenly Homemakers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone took turns scrubbing potatoes for dinner.

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

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

It’s a great crew!

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

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

We had a popsicle to cool off that afternoon.

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

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

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

Arrow hung out with us all morning!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I made a Spinach Cake for a bedtime snack.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that was our week!

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

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

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

May 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus Buddy helped unload groceries when I got home.

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

Josie was eager to be a helper that evening!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As it turns out, Brayden speaks “giraffe.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I baked several pans of Bacon that morning.

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

Acacia and Hopelyn took a ride around the block.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 25

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was pleasantly surprised when he got home!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acacia and Josie had dentist appointments on Thursday morning.

Hopelyn came over for the day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then Brayden took a nice long turn!

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Even Arrow joined in the kick ball game!

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

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 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 28

We had an extremely full day on Saturday and were on the go from morning until evening. After a full morning out and a quick lunch of leftovers at home, we headed to Heartlands so that Brayden could rehearse with the Worship Team. I love that he got to be a part of this with two of his brothers. Matt was setting up tables and chairs for a special worship service the next day, and I sat in the van with Auggie who was taking a nap. The little girls took part in worship rehearsal too…

We left from there to go to Keith’s soccer game. The wind almost blew us off the field, but we managed to survive, eating snacks to weigh us down.

We’d been running so much that day that we decided to have Pizza Hut that night. I ordered on my phone during Auggie’s van nap and Malachi picked it up so we could eat right away when we got home.

Big Family Food and Fun: March 29-April 4, 2026

Sunday morning, we ate a dish full of Breakfast Cookie Bars while we got ready for church.

Our worship time together looked a little bit different that morning – with everyone sitting around tables and chairs. Matt led us in a Seder Service to help us learn more about the Passover as we head into our Easter celebration.

Afterwards, lots of people helped put away tables and chairs, then we swept and mopped before putting all the chairs back in place. I grabbed a picture of the awesome mopping crew!

Keith is usually hard at play, but I caught him here, hard at work. I’m not sure who talked him into doing this sweeping job, but it sure was good to see him doing it. Notice that he hasn’t taken off his helmet for a good solid week, even at church. ;)

Thirty-one people gathered at our home for lunch that day. We had a fun buffet of BLT fixings with Bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, roast beef, and turkey and lots of bread/bun options. I’d made a big bowl of Pineapple Fluff and friends brought potatoes and chips. It was a delicious, fun meal together!

Matt and I enjoyed Community Group time after lunch. Then we loaded up our kids and went to a park. We played for about an hour, then presented them with a bag full of picnic food options to choose from (cheese/crackers, pepperoni, fruit cups, clementines, apples, applesauce, avocado mash and chips, and protein balls).

We packed up the food, then Matt led everyone on an “adventure” through the trees at the back of the park. Our goal was to have fun and wear the kids out so they’d sleep well that night. It was, unfortunately, mostly not fun because so many of our kids struggle with impulse control and have no concept of safety when they see something they want to do. There were a few ledges that we discovered on our walk that could easily turn into kids falling down into the water – so our adventure turned into “keep all the kids from slipping off the ledge into the water and breaking a bone.” Meanwhile, another of our kids decided to defy everything I said in order to sabotage the outing. So this was all very…special.

They did all sleep well that night, so that was a plus. ;)

Monday morning, after we got the kids all settled in with therapy and school, I took off for the day. I had heard about a new discount store in town: Buresh Meats, and I wanted to go check it out. It was quite the drive from our house, so I won’t likely go very often. However, it was a neat store to experience. They had a lot of meat options I was interested in – but most of it was sold-out because I went the day after a weekend. So I learned to go later in the week, Thursday or Friday before the weekend rush.

Beyond meat, they had random items that had damaged boxes, which were highly discounted. I got some fun hydration drinks for the grown-ups in our house, some super cheap orange juice, graham crackers, and peanut butter crackers. There was a case of Corn Chex for ridiculously cheap, so I got some to put out in our Little Free Pantry. Then I got a 10-pound tube of hamburger meat for a pretty good price. It was a fun experience!

I drove to Panera, used my sip club subscription to get an iced herbal tea, and sat outside to work for a while.

Then I went across the street to shop and Sam’s. I found some great sales that day! Strawberries were just $2.97 for a two-pound container, so I got four!

After we got all of our groceries unloaded and put away at home, I made Strawberry Parfaits to go with our dinner before we picked up the kids from school. I had a container of Smothered Pork Chops in the freezer that I’d thawed all day while I was gone. It rewarmed quickly, plus I made a pan of Stick of Butter Rice and a pan of Green Beans. This meal was a 14 out of 14 and all bellies were full and happy that night. (I needed this encouragement because many of our meals are met with fights and turned-up noses. It was nice to have a more simple dinner time that night.)

Everyone spent a lot of time outside that evening. The grown-ups set up trash cans and challenged each other to throw a football into a basket onto a can. It was very entertaining.

Tuesday morning, I baked Spinach Cupcakes and Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins to have on hand for snacks.

We had therapy all morning and Hopelyn came for the day. Acacia spent some time “reading” to her in the playroom.

I asked the girls to help me put drinks in our living room’s mini-fridge. They got the cart and took the job very seriously.

Auggie took the trash to recycling after the girls did their part…

That afternoon, I made Chicken Fried Steak that I’d prepped ahead and frozen a few weeks ago. I left it for Matt to finish up dinner and feed kids while Brayden, Kiya, and I were at our weekly Food Distribution.

On Wednesday mornings, Brayden has to get out the door by 6:35 for a 7:00 Choir practice. I usually warm up a Breakfast Sandwich for him to eat before he heads out. By then, Auggie is hanging with me and we start doing some baking since we have extra kitchen time. That morning, I made a batch of Crustless Cheesecakes so I would have a high protein option to go with my morning coffee for the next few mornings. Elias and Malorie had picked up some flowers at Trader Joes and put them in the kitchen for everyone to enjoy!

With the oven on, I also baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice to go with our dinner that night. I had some black bananas and some squishy apples, so I made a batch of Apple Bread and Banana Bread. It felt good to fill the oven and make good use of its heat.

Matt went to York for the day to work on our rental property while I stayed back with the littles. Josie and Auggie had ABA therapy all morning. Acacia hung with them quite a bit and Arrow came for the morning. Before Malachi left for his office, he said yes to some book reading time. Arrow LOVES books.

For dinner that night, I used the rice I’d baked earlier in the day plus some hamburger meat I’d cooked and frozen a few weeks ago and put together a huge Tator Tot Casserole. I made another big batch of Strawberry Parfaits to go with it plus Green Beans and Corn. Matt and I got everyone fed, then we left the kids and their therapists with Elias, Malachi, and Malorie while we headed out for our date night.

I took exactly two picture on Thursday! I guess there wasn’t much out of the ordinary to highlight. :)

After his morning therapy, Auggie had a lively conversation with Hopelyn while they had bowls of granola. This was very sweet and he must have been doing stand up comedy because he had her belly laughing at times.

For dinner that night, we had a big breakfast buffet: French Toast, Sausage, Bacon, Hashbrowns, and Fruit.

The kids were out of school on Friday. We had reserved a free family pass offered by Autism Family Network so that we could go to the Bee Me Sensory Gym for the day. In preparation, I gathered food: apples, bananas, applesauce, grapes, muffins, and protein bars.

Our friend Christina had dropped off two pizzas leftover after an event the night before. So I cut the slices into very small pieces and warmed them up in the oven for our lunch later. I put them into insulated bags in hopes that they would still be warm in three hours.

Auggie and Josie still had ABA therapy that morning, and their behavior technicians were able to meet us at the gym. Asa, Eva, and Arrow met us there too, which was extra fun!

We ended up spending over four hours there in total. Around noon, we sat in our van to eat pizza (which wasn’t warm any more but oh well, I tried and the kids were too hungry to care).

Costco is right across the street from the gym, so before heading home, I left the kids in the van with Matt and some snacks so I could “just run in for a few final things for Easter.” Oh boy. Good Friday is a terrible day to go to Costco…

I’m not sure if you can see this line, but I’ve never seen it quite like this before. It stretched all the way from the front of the store to the back. Whoa. Everyone needed “a few last minute items for Easter” apparently. ;) Thankfully, the line moved pretty quickly and the kids had played so hard that they sat in the van eating and chilling with Matt. Phew!

Back at home, our evening ABA therapy started and I made a simple meal of Bacon Cheese Eggs with Banana Bread and Strawberries.

We had big plans to go to Omaha the next day. So I wrote everyone’s name on a bag and set out lots of snacks for them to choose from as they filled their bags. They also made a sandwich for their to-go lunch and we got those into the fridge to have ready for our trip.

Before the day ended, I made a big Cheesecake for our Easter dessert. It felt good to check that off my to-do list!

Saturday morning, I made two loaves of Stir-and-Pour Bread and a pan of Party Potatoes to have ready for Easter. We gathered all of our snack bags and sandwiches, water bottles, and a few extra snacks, diapers, and extra clothes. Then we headed out for the day! I’ll share more about our adventures next week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 15-21, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 15-21, 2026 post!

Last week, I ended up getting sick before I could finish our weekly post. And I couldn’t get out of bed again until Monday morning. Matt was amazing to take on so much without me.

Saturday, February 14

Before I started to feel sick, I made a double batch of Butterscotch Bars for Justus’ birthday lunch the following day.

Matt stayed home with kiddos who had been sick while I took Keith, Acacia, and Josie to the library. Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there. I was absolutely fine until it was time to load up to head home. Then suddenly I felt achy and sooooo tired. It was to be expected. I’d been coughed on by lots of sick kids all week. I took my temp when I got home (102) and went to bed.

Big Family Food and Fun: February 15-21, 2026

Sunday, Matt and our adult kids got the seven young ones off to church. I watched online and felt very thankful to have that option. I attempted to get out of bed on Monday but only made it until around 7:00am when I had to go back and lay down. Thankfully, Emma came that morning to help Matt survive. The weather was beautiful so the kids (who were all home from school) played outside a good part of the day.

Matt warmed up leftovers for lunch and we took advantage of Valentino’s gift cards I’d picked up discounted at Costco a few weeks ago to order pizza for dinner.

On Tuesday, I attempted again to get up – and this time I made it! The kids were home again that day, and somehow this guy showed up in our entryway.

And then this princess appeared in the living room.

Praise God that the weather was amazing all during these days of sickness and breaks from school. The kids were outside again most of Tuesday, and we had an adventure with a run away dog. We called the number on his collar and a few minutes later, we had a chance to meet one of our neighbors that we hadn’t met yet! The kids were all so excited about solving this “crisis.”

We continued to finish off some leftovers at lunch time. Josie enjoyed the last of Malachi’s Cream Cheese Salsa Dip. I sent him this picture to give him a taste of home. He was in California spending the week visiting Matt’s side of the family. What a gift that he got to do this!

That afternoon, we put Auggie (and Mommy) down for a nap while Matt bravely took all six of the other kids to a park to play. Matt reported that a ton of kids were out that day. So many of us took advantage of this lovely weather and the days off of school to play!

For dinner, I’d grabbed a bunch of Chicken Legs from the freezer to thaw and then did my infamous “dump sauce on chicken” trick. For being that ridiculously easy, this meal sure is delicious. Or maybe I just finally had an appetite again? According to all the kids who had been running and playing in the fresh air and sunshine for days, their appetites were extra large too. We ate a lot of chicken legs, oranges, and broccoli that night.

Those who ate well (six out of seven kids) were rewarded with Homemade Chocolate Milk! We had some milk that had reached its expiration date, so I didn’t have a choice. I had to make Chocolate Milk so we could quickly finish it off.

Meanwhile, we had about 8 bananas sitting on the counter that had turned black while I’d been sick in bed. So I turned them into three loaves of Banana Bread that evening. It was a perfect bedtime snack (and breakfast the next morning).

The weather was gorgeous on Wednesday so we played outside as much as we could. Arrow was hanging out with us that morning!

I had baked a pan of Stick of Butter Rice that morning, then turned it into Tator Tot Casserole for dinner that night.

On Thursday morning, I made a pan of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars for breakfast.

Throughout the morning, I baked several pans of bacon so I could finish off the box to clear out space in our fridge. The kids munched on bacon for their morning snack, and I got ahead for upcoming bacon-based meals.

Hopelyn hung out with us Thursday.

When the grandbabies are here, there is no shortage of caretakers. I’m often having to tell our little girls, “Give them some space!”

Dinner that night was a FEAST. I’d taken all the meat off the bones of our leftover BBQ Chicken Legs from Tuesday night. There was Bacon. There was White Queso. We had BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Nachos for dinner and it was delicious. All of us were home that night because snow had hit and was coming in fast, so we were hunkering down for the night.

Anna’s ABA behavior tech has been teaching her to play Chess – can you believe it? She is somehow loving this and figuring it out! As a result, she set up this game all by herself, and then started attempting to teach me how to play. It was very sweet.

Friday was a Snow Day! This called for a breakfast of Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Sausage.

We barely made it through breakfast before very eager children dug out all the boots and snowsuits and headed outside. As expected, this was a cold experience and didn’t last as long as they had originally intended.

Brayden had requested Warm Vanilla Soother, which really hit the spot along with the sausage links that hadn’t been finished up during breakfast.

Even Keith’s sloth got to enjoy this special snack.

We pulled out a craft project that afternoon. Those little beads are more complicated than one would hope.

However, Anna locked in and did not stop until her snowman was completed. This was a very big deal!

After that, Acacia and Kiya helped me put together a big Egg Hashbrown Casserole for Sunday’s Lunch.

For dinner that night, we had Sausage Gravy, Mashed Potatoes in the Crock Pot, and Peas.

On Saturday morning, I baked a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars and a pan of Nutella Oat Bars.

We made plans to have Justus’ birthday lunch redo since I’d been sick and unable to host Sunday lunch earlier this week. Elias and Malorie had frozen this Italian Cream Cheese Chicken sauce that I’d prepped ahead, so we thawed half of it for Saturday’s lunch.

This is as far as I got on this post before all the kids came over for birthday lunch. I’ll share more about our time together in next week’s post!

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Big Family Food and Fun: January 25-31, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: January 25-31, 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!

Saturday, January 24

Kiya and I both have pink sweaters, so she asked if we could wear matching outfits on Saturday. Absolutely, girl!

Bonus Buddy was visiting for the weekend and I caught this super cute scene of him and Acacia playing Air Hockey.

Matt and I got to go to a Trauma Training at Heartlands Church that morning. It is a huge gift that our Lincoln church family sees the value in supporting people who are healing from trauma. They love our family and others so well. It is humbling and offers so much hope.

Our ability to go was only possible because of the Case family who kept all eight of the younger kids that morning. Amazing!

Back at home later, I made a monster-sized batch of Mudballs as a way to provide Keith and Bonus Buddy with some protein.

We had the most wonderful evening as we celebrated the birthday of one of our friends/housemates. All of our adult kids were able to join us, plus some of Kelsey’s extended family who were still here after celebrating Hopelyn’s adoption.

He’d requested Burgers and Ice Cream for dinner, which is easy and always a crowd pleaser.

After dinner, we turned on a show for the kids and we adults gathered in the dining room to play Cards Christians Like. Oh my goodness, I now have a new favorite game. We laughed so hard!

Big Family Food and Fun: January 25-31, 2026

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

Justus preached at church that day, which isn’t anything new, but is always a delight. He has a gift, and it is so beautiful to see God at work through Him in teaching and sharing Truth.

We had a wonderful crowd at our house for lunch that day. I had made a huge pot of Taco Soup and friends who joined us brought veggies, fruit, cornbread, Fritos, and desserts.

There were 36 of us gathered that day. Bliss.

Matt and I got to enjoy our Community Group time that afternoon. Then we sent Brayden off to a youth group activity, warmed up leftovers, and reset our house to start a new school week.

I made Eggs in a Nest for breakfast on Monday morning and finally remembered to take pictures so I could create a tutorial post about them.

Anna was excited that it was “fancy day” at school as a way to celebrate 100 days of school. Not only did she get to wear a dress-up dress, as she was eating a banana for breakfast, her tooth came out. So it was a big morning for Anna.

Brayden got out the door at 7:35, Emma came at 8:00 to help with kids all morning, Auggie started ABA therapy at 8:30, and Matt left with Kiya, Keith, and Anna at 8:40 to get them to school. Phew. Then I headed out for my “day off” which is still full of work, but truly a time of refreshment because I get to be out all on my own. My first stop was Aldi.

Then Wal-Mart.

Then I went to Panera for two and a half hours to write and rest.

At one point, I looked up and there were our York friends, Stewart and Dawn!! I was so happy to see them that I forgot I was in a public place and might have made a scene. Dawn has recently been given a cancer diagnosis and I’ve been praying so much for their family. To look up and see them was such a gift. This was, for sure, the best part of my day.

At 1:00, I wrapped up my computer work and went next door to Costco. We were low on a lot of paper products and food, so it took two carts to manage our big needs this week. I filled the first one with non-perishables, checked out, and loaded the van. Then I went back in and filled cart number two.

At home, Matt took a million trips in and out to unload the van while I put groceries away. I’d bought a Rotisserie Chicken at Costco for our dinner and put it into the crock pot to stay warm. Then I boiled noodles and warmed up Alfredo sauce that I’d bought on sale. I’ve not found an Alfredo sauce that I feel is comparable to this homemade version, but either I was really, really hungry or the Costco Alfredo sauce is actually amazing. The convenience of sauce in a jar is working for us during this season in life, plus Salad kits are winners. I cut up strawberries I’d picked up, and we all ate very well that night.

As we cleaned out back packs that evening, we found this gem. Keith celebrated 100 days of school by filling this out on his own. We couldn’t read everything he attempted to write, but at 100 years of age, he plans to be living in the North Pole without any children. He hopes to pet a sloth sometime in his life, and his favorite thing to do will be to ride a bike. But the best part is that his favorite person will be Jesus and he will always remember “be cinde” which translates to “be kind.” Yes, my buddy. If your favorite person is Jesus, you will always remember to be kind. :)

Tuesday morning, these two helpers were eager to scrub potatoes to put into the crock pot for dinner. Auggie took a turn too, working it into his ABA therapy time.

In an attempt to get ahead, I made a pan of Nutella Oat Breakfast Bars and a batch of Spinach Cupcakes. I often try to bake two things at once if possible. That way I’m making the most of the two racks in our oven.

Hopelyn spent the day with us, toddling around and playing. See that little speaker on the table in front of her? Matt had turned on some “Jesus music” and the kids were all jamming. Hopelyn loves music. She can’t help it. Justus is her dad.

That afternoon, I took Brayden and Kiya to our weekly Food Distribution. Lots of food was handed out that day too 100+ clients. Then while I vacuumed, the kids helped scrub spots out of the carpet.

Back at home, Matt had steamed Peas and Broccoli plus warmed up leftover Chili for our Baked Potatoes.

We had brought home a lot of expired milk from Food Distribution. In an effort to use it quickly, Keith helped me make Warm Vanilla Soother in special snowman cups.

Our men’s Husker basketball team was playing a big game against Michigan that we all wanted to watch so one of the boys got it pulled up on our TV. Between dishes and ABA therapy, we watched the first half. Then it got intense and we gathered in the living room to watch the ending. I love doing this with our big boys!

I put two huge Pork Roasts into our roaster to slow cook overnight so that I could shred, cool, and freeze them the next day for an upcoming event.

Wednesday mornings I often find myself working a little bit extra in the kitchen. This is because on Tuesday, we usually bring home some random food items from Food Distribution that are about to expire and need to be taken care of quickly. I find this to be a fun challenge – to see how I can use up this food so we can keep it from going to waste!

I’d made Warm Vanilla Soother the night before with all the extra milk we brought home, and I made another batch Wednesday morning. The kids were thrilled with this! I’d also brought home lots and lots of different kinds of breads and buns, so I baked 24 eggs to make Breakfast Sandwiches.

Later I was able to put together all of these Breakfast Sandwiches for our fridge and freezer. We love having these on hand!

With all of the slider rolls we brought home from Food Distribution, Josie helped me make four packages of Ham and Cheese Sliders for our freezer.

Arrow came over to play all morning! He had a special conversation with Uncle Malachi about all the food Lolli had been making in the kitchen. His vocabulary is exploding! (Arrow’s, not Malachi’s. Though we are also proud of all the words Malachi knows.)

For dinner that night, I’d slow cooked Party Potatoes all day. I baked two pre-seasoned Pork Loin that I’d picked up at Aldi earlier in the week, and I steamed Green Beans. This meal was so delicious!

I fixed plates for all the kids, then Matt and I left for our regularly scheduled evening out while Malachi, Elias, and Malorie held down the fort. We praise God for this time!

Thursday morning, Kiya helped me make another big round of Ham and Cheese Sliders. We plan to use several packs of these for Sunday Lunch. Here’s a look at one of our freezers when I realized that our efforts this week had completely  filled this one – with Sliders and Breakfast Sandwiches.

Justus dropped off Hopelyn that morning but had a few minutes to hang out before he left. Acacia and Josie loved this and kept taking over their art work to show him!

When Anna got home from school that day, she chased Hopelyn around and made her giggle like no one else can.

We all ate leftovers for dinner that night in an effort to clean out the fridge of all the odds and ends. That evening, Keith was excited to help me make a big pot of Tapioca Pudding for our Friday breakfast. His ABA technician was standing by, which allowed Keith to be at the stove stirring the pudding for twenty minutes!

On Friday morning, Acacia had Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy.

Most of the day was pretty uneventful. I made a big batch of Sloppy Joe meat to eat for dinner that night and to freeze for another meal. We had leftover baked potatoes in the fridge, so I peeled and cut them to fry in butter. This paired with Sloppy Joes was super good! We had leftover Green Beans and Peas in the fridge, so everyone got to choose which of those they wanted for dinner, plus we had grapes.

As I headed to bed that night, Kelsey sent me this photo, sharing about the Raspberry Oatmeal Bars they had made. I hope those tasted great with their coffee the next morning!

Saturday morning, I baked a batch of Crustless Cheesecake plus a double batch of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

We went to the library for Sensory Storytime. Kelsey and Hopelyn met us there!

Here’s a great picture of Anna, Acacia, and Keith! Oh wait. You can only see Acacia’s legs…and Keith? Well, he’s in that red tube somewhere.

We drove straight from the library to the Bee Me Sensory Gym. We get to go there once per month for free thanks to a family pass offered by Autism Family Network.

Before we headed home, I texted to ask Malachi to put pizza in the oven for lunch because we had a big bunch of hungry kids! (Mom might have been hungry too.)

Earlier that morning, I’d mixed up a double recipe of Cream Cheese Cookie Cut-Outs. That afternoon, we rolled and cut them into heart-shaped cookies. I used these fabulous tips for making cookies with kids. Still, it was a mad house. :/

The rest of our afternoon and evening was full, and I’ll share more about it next week!

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