September Review

 September was a fun month for us. We are really in the groove of homeschool for one, public school for two, and the delicate balance of it all with a two year old. We are all doing the best we can but, in most aspects, we do seem to be really flourishing. Every single one of us.

Probably my most favorite picture of this month is of my family, gathered around to do absolutely nothing but watch a movie together in my bed. Our lives have picked up the pace and it's really hard to factor in down time. We have to really fight for it these days. It's a battle truly worth it though. This time we introduced them to Honey, we shrunk the kids. They all enjoyed. 

                                         

Avery is really into taking her baby outside to play. She loves to carry her, push her in her stroller and do all the things a mama does. 

Or I guess what she thinks a mom does. And then she takes selfies of her experiences:

One day Jayden didn't go to school and we took him to an appointment. Then we went shopping and to the children's museum for some fun. 

I seem to be finding more and more selfies of my child:

We randomly talked about how the kids used to play a game called baby Jesus. They played this all the time. Basically, one child was Jesus and the other two were the caretakers or people coming to worship the baby. Jayden didn't really remember this game as the other two did so they re-enacted it for him: 

All in all, it melted my heart to remember this game and all the time they spent playing it. The truth is, time is so short. I don't think I ever really thought that season would end. I miss it.

We got out for a homeschool field trip to an apple orchard! It was so fun and we learned a lot. We walked the orchard and then left, headed for a picnic lunch at a nearby park. 

                                        

                                                    

                                                            

We got out our bounce house for Avery. It has seen better days but she enjoyed this time:

I made banana chocolate chip bread:

We went together as a family and picked potatoes for a morning. It was fun and we are hoping this will last us a good chunk of time (a year maybe?). We are hopeful at least. 

We had our local town's Septemberfest and had a blast celebrating. We looked for coins in the sand, did the parade and even participated in a local organization's cow pie throwing contest. Yes, you read that right. 

Payton, Jayden, and Monte all won. Monte donated his winnings back to the pool for kids. My other two kids got gift cards to use. They have enjoyed spending this money. 

I took Payton to a local college's volleyball game. It was a blast and I hope we make it to another one this year before the season ends. 

We took kids out for ice cream on a random Thursday evening. 

A random picture of Avery sleeping. I treasure being able to see her sleep. My own child we had a video monitor for and it's been a real treat. 

Riley took an art class this month. He loved it! Really loved it so much he wants to do another one ASAP. While he did his class, Avery and I went to play at the children's museum and then headed out for a girls lunch. Riley had lunch as part of his class. 

A selfie I found of these two:

Riley has started a new hobby this month, an ant colony. He is working hard to learn about ants and documenting his journey as he goes, from getting his ants to opening them and then putting them in their new home:

A random picture I found that Avery took. We are homeschooling. I am entertaining the toddler with her books (which must be widely successful as she has a phone and is taking a picture) and having the 4th grader work on his social studies (reading a Benjamin Franklin book). It's a total balancing act and we are all learning a lot. I wouldn't trade this time for the world though. 

Another real life homeschool moment. One child is working on his art project while Avery colors in her book. 

A moment of the girls cuddling after school one day:

Riley attended one more class out of the house! He went to the extension office's class on butterflies! He loved this as well. They learned all about butterflies and played a game where they pretended to be a butterfly to better understand their life cycles and ways they can be harmed. We got to town early for this class so we grabbed some donuts together first. Because, is there ever a bad time for donuts?

Jayden is playing football and loves his team. They are really focused on socializing so they host a meal each week for the team so we can all get to know each other. We have found it to be a real blessing our whole family loves. 

Payton and her friend, Skylar, at one of the meals:

The team photo:

Football ends in a few weeks. We will be sad to say goodbye to this time but will cherish the moments we have had. 

Along with saying goodbye, we knew the corn next to our house would be harvested soon. So I snuck the kids out for one last photo. 

The corn was gone the next day.

Public schools had a day off, so I took the kids out of town for some time at the park. And, Riley had another class start. He is doing weekly PE at the local college. If you are counting, that is 4 adventures with homeschool we took on this month. This is the only one that will be weekly. The art class and butterfly class were a one time thing. We plan to get out for more homeschool field trips as our schedule will allow. 

The kids loved the fresh air and outside time:

Payton and I had a wedding shower to attend:

Riley went to a baseball day camp and Payton had her first volleyball tournament:

Both kids had a blast! They look forward to doing more with these sports as time allows. 

I will end this post with outside time at our house. The same as we started, but inside our house. This is really where it's at for me. I love being home. We are blooming where we are planted.

I hope your September has been as full of life (with some downtime) as ours has been!

My Birthday

And just like that, my birthday has arrived marking another year for me. Today I turn 38. Birthdays have always been a mix of celebration and reflection for me, but this one feels a little heavier, a little more tender. Time has moved so quickly, and I find myself standing at a crossroads of sorts—closing certain chapters while opening others and some doors I am just not ready to walk through. 

One of the hardest doors I’ve had to close is the one of continuing to have children of my own. It’s a chapter I'm sad to say goodbye to, and letting go of that dream has not been easy. There’s grief in that, and I won’t pretend otherwise. But life, in its mysterious way, has also given me unexpected gifts. And I am deeply grateful for the 4 beautiful souls God has gifted me. They are definitely the best yes I have ever done, hands down.

                              

And a new door. This year, I stepped into the world of homeschooling a 4th grader. It has been challenging, stretching me in ways I didn’t anticipate, but it has also been one of the greatest joys of my life. I call it “bonus time”—precious hours spent learning, laughing, and growing alongside this sweet child. 1,000+ hours I will never regret getting back. I see flourishing, not just in my sweet boy, but in myself too.

A continual journey for me seems to be centered around my health. As I spent a large part of my morning unable to move around, I felt so stuck. Literally and figuratively. Sometimes we are called to a life we never imagined. Sometimes, that is for the better and we are thankful for that. And sometimes that's the hard thing about being in a hard moment. I am trying to find gratitude even in being in the hard. 

Recently, as part of our homeschool journey, we read a book about Benjamin Franklin from the Magic Tree House series. His life struck me as profoundly remarkable. With only two years of formal education, he became a man of endless curiosity and tireless service. He helped shape a nation, yes, but he also shaped everyday life—starting the first library, organizing the first fire station, improving postal routes and roads, even inventing the rocking chair. He even created a list of goals all humans should persevere with the goal of making life better for those around them as one.

I’ve been carrying his story with me, turning it over in my mind. It makes me wonder about my own life, my own mark. I may not be flying kites with keys or drafting declarations, but I, too, want to leave this world better than I found it. How do I do that? 

At 38, I am still asking the big questions: Who am I? Where is God calling me? How can I use my gifts, my time, my heart, to make a difference? These questions don’t scare me as much as they used to. Instead, they feel like companions—reminders that life is not about having all the answers, but about living faithfully into the questions.

So here I am, another year older, carrying both the weight of what has been and the hope of what is still to come. I don’t know exactly what my legacy will be, but I know this: I want it to be rooted in love, in service, in creativity, and in the small, everyday acts that ripple outward in ways we may never fully see. I want people to see me and to think of Jesus and how faithful I was in my convictions. 

If Benjamin Franklin could do so much with so little, perhaps the same is true for me—and for all of us.

Here’s to 38. To closed doors, to open ones, and to the courage to keep walking through them.

August 2025

 Back to school month! This is always a month full of finishing up summer and then, bam, we are slammed with back to school and slide right into the sports and extra-curriculars. 

Wrapping up summer, always a really special time for us. Our art district hosted featured artists and they also rented a pedal pub. Our family went on it and I sat with Avery (so I didn't even have to pedal my way through town). It was a fantastic time for all of us:

We also tried to soak up as much time at the house as we could. I love long days at home. I'm sad to report we didn't get enough of these this summer but we took the few we got:

We got out and walked the country road. I took this picture of Payton:

                                                  

Fresh peaches on the deck:

                                                  

I also stumbled upon some selfies on the front porch:

                                        

                                        

Just a picture of a homemade roll I made. I work really hard to learn new skills in the kitchen:

Payton and I met up with some friends and packed meals for a program that feeds children. It was our first time and we had a blast:

The kids had a garage sale and lemonade stand at their grandparents house. They even sold sno cones and fresh made sourdough bread! It was a lot of fun.

We squeezed in as much park time and fishing as we could:

And saw baby ducks:

The kids whipped up some brownies together:

Monte and I got out together for one of the few date nights we have had since having kids. We went to a dueling pianos show (we both had never been before). It was a lot of fun and gave us so many laughs we will carry with us for years. Monte placed a few bids on some silent auction winnings hoping to increase the values they would go for. In the end, he won those items! He was pretty shocked and we will now be taking our family on a very special trip to a college football game. The kids were thrilled:

We also got out of a concert. Such a rare month and it happened twice! I won tickets to this event and didn't want to miss. We didn't stay long as we were extremely tired and had activities all day but it was fun to go. 

                                                 

Funny story. While at the concert we won tickets to, I was told we also won a bobblehead of the singer. I politely asked if they had that wrong but the group insisted and showed me the "official note" of this winning with a highlighter next to my name saying bobblehead. Thus, I took the bobblehead home with me where he met my children and I hoped it would survive the next few days. 

                                                  

A few days later, I get a message on Facebook. This message indicates that I actually did not win the bobblehead and I needed to return it asap. 

These are the types of things always happening to me. And they make me laugh. I returned the barely held together by this point bobblehead and have yet to hear another word on where that guy ended up. I hope he found himself content in a new home though.

This month, we had not one but two weddings this month! It was a great time for our family:

Just a random picture I think one of my other children took of breakfast at our house:

I'm working on this succulent planter and trying to make it more visually interesting. I added in some hens and chicks and that seems to help balance it out more.

And just like that, summer ended. The big 3 started school again.

Let me tell you though, there has been a small tweak to our normal. Riley is trying homeschool this year! I am beyond thrilled and thankful for this time back with him and will never regret that. The other two are back to our school (in 6th and 2nd grade). We all seem to be where we need to be right now. I have no idea what the future holds for us or what next year will look like. I have learned (over and over again) not to get so sucked into the details as life goes exactly as God wants it to. I try to focus on today and know my story will unfold exactly as it should. 

But, this means there will be so many more pictures of Riley as he with us in the day to day! Avery and I love that!

One thing we have been working on, as we finish up school work, Riley like to make a snack a few times a week for when the kids get out of school. Here, he found a recipe in a harry potter cook book and made meringue cookies:

They were a real hit! He also made Harry Potter themed brownies from the book:

                                        

And we tried out smores cookies:
                                                       

I also have pictures of school for us, which is done all over. Sometimes at the table and sometimes reading to his sister at the park.

We are doing it! And I am trying to embrace this time and even lean into the struggles. It's a real honor to be Riley's mother and teacher.

Riley, Avery, and I are trying to still process the garden each morning until the first freeze comes:

                                                            

I found a picture Payton took of me as I read to her nightly with her devotional. A special time for the two of us, well sometimes three of us as Monte sits in there too occasionally. 

And she's at that age where right after taking my picture she proceeds to take a selfie:

We redid our secret spot and had a fire pit to celebrate:

And after school I caught this sweet moment with 3 of my kids. Sure they are on the phone which I don't necessarily love but the moment is beautiful. I am thankful they have each other:

Sweet Avery with Sashi, the hippo, as she prepares to go to bed. Another photo courtesy of a sibling:

Riley took on becoming a reader at church. This is huge for him as he has avoided doing since they started asking. One day he randomly said he was ready. So I didn't delay and signed him up asap. Not sure if he will do again but he did it! He faced his fear and tried public speaking:

Just a few pictures to spotlight Avery, who is always smiling and saying cheese. Two can be such a fun age.

She also left me a sweet random present one day so I had to take a picture. She had me get a sunflower outside and I saw she put it in water in a cup in the bathroom and then added a pick to the container. I assume she brushed her hair with and then decided why put back in the drawer when you can enhance a flower with it. It made me smile and laugh nonetheless. These are the days.

There is beauty in all of life if you choose to look for it.

I hope your August went as well as ours did!