I don’t have any extra deep thoughts today. No stories about walking through thunderstorms. No new recipe for granola. Today I just have some pictures of what life has looked like lately.
Here are a few snapshots and thoughts from this season!
Mordecai has been so into motorcycles lately. He was thrilled—and a little scared—when Jimmy’s dad offered to ride him around the church parking lot on his motorcycle. We had Sadie go for a ride first so he could see how fun it was. Then he was brave and went on a ride with Pappy! It made his day. 😊
I made M&M blondies for the Bible school class Jimmy and I taught on Sunday! It was my birthday treat for the kids. Our lesson was on Esther—one of my favorites! It’s always fun to tell the story of Esther and mention Mordecai’s name.
Our crazy Koko! This girlie loves shoes so much. She finds them around the house (and even tries to swipe strangers’ shoes at the pool 😅) and brings them to me to put them on her all. day. long. As long as she has one shoe on, she is good to go for some reason?! She can often be spotted with just one shoe on and it’s usually not even hers!
I loved watching Mordecai soak in the sights and sounds on the Gateway Clipper. He was so content to take everything in. I want to be more like Mordecai.
Poor Jimmy. There is not sitting on the couch with young kids. It’s more like being a human jungle gym the second you lay down. 😜
Dakota likes pastry dough.
Dakota is now big enough to stand on a kitchen chair and bake with mommy! My heart is bursting with equal parts joy (baking with my kids is so fun!) and a touch of sadness (she’s growing up so fast!).
Lady locks, cream horns, clothes pin cookies… what do you call these? I’ve been practicing these like crazy lately for a wedding I’m baking for. Nobody is more excited about all this practice than Mordecai. 😬
Our little guy is way more crafty than I give him credit for. I’ve been trying to find opportunities to have him paint and do crafts more often because he seems to really enjoy it. I love his sweet little focused face.
These two! Best friends. Arch rivals. Codependents. All the things. They’re so close and are lost when they aren’t together.
We did our school lessons outside the other day and this was the stack of books I brought with us. A Children’s Bible, The Good and Beautiful Math Level 1, 10 Minutes a Day Spelling, All About Reading Pre-reading (for Mordecai!), Shelter, All About Reading Level 3, and Sadie’s science workbook. What we use changes slightly every day and I love looking back on posts like this to see what resources we were into!
Sadie and Mordecai went to a class at the library together. It’s cute seeing them do things like this with each other! They learned magic tricks and Sadie was over the moon excited to show them to Jimmy when he got home from work.
While the kids had their class, I chased Dakota all around the library.
Am I the only person who still uses cookbooks versus online recipes? Possibly. I really love the King Arthur Essential Cookie cookbook. I’ve made so many recipes from it and they always turn out great.
Like these peanut butter blossoms, for example! I had to make them gluten free for a customer and they came out perfectly. I used my favorite gluten free flour! I first discovered it when I used to sell GF brownies on Etsy. My recipe is here!
We had my niece over for the day and I brought the kids to the pool. We all had a great time soaking up the sun and I especially enjoyed watching Sadie play and play and play with her cousin all day!
The crew! They were all so good about the long walk from the car to the pool with all of our gear.
My little pool buddy. I love watching her explore. One day I will be able to bring a book or my journal to the pool. That summer is not this summer, though, and that’s okay. It’s cute watching Dak climb stairs, splash in the water, and meander around nonstop.
The shoe bandit! She was wearing one of Mordecai’s shoes here and sporting a bandage on her knee because she fell on the concrete and was bleeding. Thankfully the lifeguards had a first aid kit and I was able to patch her up!
Other Notes and Thoughts 📝
- Scripture I’m loving: Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 🙏🏻
- Recipes to make: Rosemary Chicken, Black Bottom Cheesecake, and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. 🍋
- Today I cleaned all the glass in our house and it was glorious for the 5 seconds it stayed clean. I do love seeing those cute little fingerprints smudging up the glass, though! My favorite glass cleaner always comes in clutch! 🧼
- I have been sloooowly working through this memoir and this novel. I always seem to read just a few pages before I’m interrupted (read to me, mom!) or my eyes flutter closed and I crash for the night. 😴
Those are my snapshots from life around here lately!
Living My Full Life 