Summer 2025

As cliché as it may be, our summer truly flew by.  Aside from a couple regularly-programmed trips to NE, we did not have any big travel plans on the docket.  So, going into the season, I thought we would likely have a pretty laid-back, slow few months off school.  Our calendar, however, seemed to fill up of its own accord, which lead to every week (and every day of every week) bringing a new adventure.  It was all good things, and while it was a bit of a whirlwind, I am so grateful for all the new experiences, fun opportunities, and memories made.  We certainly made the most of it and soaked it all in!

We kicked off summer by sending Jacob to a science/nature camp in Topeka.  It was led by one of my mom's friends, and he attended with two cousins.  They had a great time, held lots of reptiles, and did some cool experiments.  They also got to have some quality time at Grandma and Grandpa's, without the "pesky" youngest sisters, which was possibly of equal enjoyment.  

Our quality time with Lydia was so delightful.  I know we have great kiddos, but when in their sibling form, it is often difficult to catch them at their best.  The one-on-one time was valuable for this reason, as was her getting an opportunity to choose things she wanted to do without any outside influence. 😉 

Ready for a date with Daddy!
(She "got ready" with no prompting, which included spraying her hair with a ton of detangler and water...😬😊)

He's not quite doing this unsupervised, but is excited to be one step closer!

Jacob did two weeks of morning swimming lessons, and sis was often taking care of business while she waited.  
(Lydia would rather not be in this sort of learning environment with people she doesn't know, so she did "lessons" with me whenever we could this summer.)

first carrot of the season (look at that top!)

One of our summer goals was to do a weekly art video.  Jacob was so proud of this jet plane, and I was very impressed by his attention to detail!

A friend invited me to a cookie-decorating class, courtesy of their realtor, and it was fun and refreshing to be led so well and learn a new skill!

Their first of several camping trips with Grandma and Grandpa included "gourmet" s'mores after I let them use the leftover icing from my class to decorate graham crackers.

Our sweet and talented neighbor made Lydia her own basket for the garden (after she asked if he would give her their similar family heirloom basket when he was done with it).  She immediately wrote/drew him a thank you note...and delivered it in the basket. ☺

They are not yet too old to enjoy the free kids exhibit at Crown Center, and I am so glad.
(This was just before we attended "A Year with Frog and Toad" at the neighboring children's theater with our wonderful homeschool group.)

She planned, packed, and prepped for an impromptu picnic breakfast.

(The iPad was so they could listen to their audiobook while they ate.)

Jacob discovered Garfield this summer, and there were lots of shared giggles during their reading time(s). 
(They definitely earned all their summer reading program prizes!)

The elementary kids at VBS all received tiny Bibles to take home at the end of the week, and this sweet girl asked if she could have one, too.  It is often packed in her purse or bag for trips long and short.

We spent some quality time with my brother and family in Manhattan, which included the kids' first time on a boat!

This girl gave up naps at home at a fairly young age, but she is almost guaranteed to fall asleep in the car if traveling between 1-3:00 p.m.. 

Sweet friends from church took the kids to the zoo, giving me some very valuable time to myself.

More carrots!

♥

Jacob's birthday celebrations this year included the requested meal (and free dessert!) at Nick and Jake's, a huge squirt gun fight with friends, and more special treats and gifts from family at our July 4th gathering.

When you get exactly what you were hoping for...☺

We had our homeschool group and a few other friends over for donuts (he asked for these over cake) and the birthday boy's much-anticipated epic water battle.

A sweet, thoughtful mom friend (who has only boys) made Lydia a festive bracelet.

Before we went shopping for fireworks, Lydia said, "I hope they have a unicorn!"  Low and behold, look what she found...for $17...😳 She nearly didn't let anyone light it, because she wanted to save it - haha!

This sweet little helper helped dig for potatoes, and while we were wrapping up other garden tasks afterward, she took it upon herself to wash all the potatoes.  Needless to say, we used them all much sooner than we'd anticipated...and we were thankful it was a relatively small harvest for her to wash. 😬

Our annual trip to Omaha included a visit to the Laurtizen Gardens.  Their new area for kids is so unique and cute and fun!

♥

The biggest ever elephant ear plant in the atrium.

♥

One of our weeks was occupied by VBS at our friends' small country church.  As expected, it was so well-done and so fun!  Not only did the kids get poured into, but I also got a few hours to myself each morning (most of which I spent planning for our school year, but was still a nice change of pace).  

(Though not pictured, we all got to participate in our own church's VBS at the end of June.  It was a really fun and really full week, with 250+ kiddos in attendance!  The kids enjoyed participating with their peers, and I enjoyed leading around a group of fifteen preschool "ladybugs.")

Riding a Clydesdale...

...was obviously a highlight!

Building his army uniform, one belated birthday gift at a time.

We see a movie probably once a year.  This feature was the new How to Train Your Dragon, because we happened to borrow/watch all the older ones from the library immediately prior to this.

As usual, our summer included as much pool time as possible.  Forever thankful for friends who invite/allow us to use their neighborhood pool passes!

After a fight about who got to sit where on the couch, I built her a "throne/nest," and she sat there reading for at least half an hour...the next day, too...and the next.
(She always says, "But I can't read," when she's directed to go read a book, but this girl looks at pages and words so intently, one could easily be convinced she can, in fact, read.)

I am increasingly delighted by the flowers in our garden and flower beds, and arranging them for friends and neighbors brings me even more joy!

A playdate for Jacob meant a date with this gem - she chose a coffee shop, so she could get a "fluffy" (steamer) and "that purple poptart."

It happened again...the snails laid eggs, and they hatched!  (Big snail and penny just for scale.)
We put them in the "big habitat" with the other snails about a week ago, and I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not they've survived the transition from their secluded Cool Whip container...😬

Another camping trip, another new adventure!

Chuck E. Cheese does a summer reading program - free play points with a food purchase - so, Dippin' Dots, it was. ☺

"Proof of Mom" picture, thanks to the neighbor friend we took to the water park (and who was an awesome playmate for these two several days this summer).

We just can't get enough of her. ♥

A friend invited us to a special community service event she heard about that immediately made her think of us, and I was giddy when we arrived and saw what our task was to be.  We took apart and sorted Lego bricks for kids in need, and I wish I could convey how perfect and fun it was!  Jacob, of course, provided enthusiastic commentary the whole time, and Lydia had her nose to the grindstone, making sure all the pieces at our table, as well as others, were sorted appropriately.  We could have done this all day, and we hope to again!

Some of you may have read on Facebook that I didn't necessarily plan on putting in a full garden this year.  The volunteer plants, the kids, and friends/family with orphan plants, however, had other ideas.  As usual, while it has been a ton of work, it is (often) so fun to work together and to provide garden-fresh produce for our family, as well as so many friends and neighbors.  We even dipped out toes further into canning this year.  We put up some tomatoes a couple years ago, but this year, we tried our favorite sweet relish recipe from my mom, as well as tomato sauce and dill relish.

This helper often snags a snack while out there (peep the green beans and kale in her little pocket!).

Me: "Do you want to smile for a picture?"
Her: "No, I'll stir, so it looks like I'm cooking for real, since I am."

As always, thank you for reading and caring about the happenings in our little corner of the world.  Many of you provide encouragement, solidarity, and wisdom for me in this season of motherhood, and it is so valuable and appreciated.  I often feel like I am failing in many areas of life, but I try hard to remember how impossible it is to succeed at everything all at once.  Perhaps someday, I'll have an intensive workout routine, try fancy new recipes, and keep up with correspondence with great regularity and eloquence.  For now, though, I'll at least maintain friendships near and far (thank goodness for technology), make sure no one leaves our home hungry (or at least without a snack for the road), and continue to partner with my husband to raise (increasingly less) tiny humans who show love and respect to those in and out of our home.  Amidst all that and more, I am thankful, on the daily, for the peace and strength I have in the Lord and for His amazing grace.  He fills in my many gaps and so often shows up for me in tangible, meaningful ways, and I hope I will always stop to recognize them.

We have begun another year of homeschooling, and I am continually grateful for the opportunity to educate our children in this way...and to get to do recess at the pool!  ;)  As I have said before, not all days are easy, not all memories are beautiful, and not all words are kind, but I strive to pray through the hard and focus on the days that do feel magical, the memories I want to cherish, and the words that are sweet.  Another cliché to end this post:  "The days are long, but the years are short."

Seasonally,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

good watermelon

BLTs

unexpected compliments

Caterpillar Chronicals

Once upon a time (September 2024), our kids found a little caterpillar on the dill plants in our garden.  They quickly fetched the bug house (one from my childhood) and gave the caterpillar everything it could possibly want (including lots of dill...which it obviously enjoyed - it was very hungry, of course).  Knowing what would likely come next in the caterpillar's life cycle, I immediately ordered a butterfly habitat (which very closely resembled my college-days collapsible clothes hamper).   It was to arrive in a couple days.

Thanks to Google, we identified the critter as a black swallowtail caterpillar (affirmed by their documented attraction to dill plants).  The article mentioned that once a caterpillar's chrysalis is formed, it could either hatch in a couple weeks or it could potentially winter inside the chrysalis for several months - something I read over, but didn't necessarily consider happening.  (Narrator: She should have considered this possibility.)

(caterpillar is at the far right of the bug house)

As luck (or Amazon's timing) would have it, we only just missed getting the caterpillar in the butterfly habitat before it built its chrysalis.  Instead, it formed it in the little bug house...with the tiny door...which lead to plenty of late-night anxiety for me.  What if the butterfly couldn't get out of the house once it emerged?!  What if it emerged and harmed itself trying to fly around in there?!  What if we have to demolish our beloved bug house just to set the butterfly free?!  I tried to put these thoughts to rest and know that we would cross that bridge when we came to it.

It stayed here for a long time anchoring itself, at which point I knew we were too late to transfer it to the butterfly habitat.

Perhaps you, too, can see the big white spot at one end of the caterpillar? It reminded me of a spider web material.

Meanwhile, the chrysalis just hung there - in the bug house (with the door open)...in the butterfly habitat(the size of a clothes hamper)...in our dining room (by a window, per the advice of a friend and creature expert).  We checked it daily for a few weeks.   The weeks turned into more weeks which turned into months during which we were maybe checking it once or twice, and mostly only when we had to move it when company came, etc.

9/19/25

9/20/25

9/29/25

10/11/25
This was the day I further researched the part about it staying in there till the next spring.

At some point, I stopped taking pictures.  It looked dried up and dead, and I lost nearly all hope that it anything would ever come of it.  I thought I could see spots resembling what I knew about swallowtail wings in there, but also thought it was probably just wishful thinking.  I considered spritzing it with water, setting it outside, or researching anything else that might assure us we would see a butterfly, at some point.

And then...

We were getting ready to head out the door one morning this week, and by the grace of God, I happened to catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye.  I had no reason, really, to be in that corner of the dining room on that day and at that time, but I am so glad I was.  There was a butterfly in there!  I immediately opened the habitat to make sure that tiny bug house door was open.  The movement spurred the butterfly into action and with some finagling/tipping, it safely crawled out of the house and into the habitat.  Crisis averted.  Phew.  

The empty chrysalis was not extracted in tact, so this is the best picture I have of it.  It had not grown, or anything, since it was formed.  It maybe even shrank...?  

Yes, we are a little disappointed we didn't get to see it all happen.  We had been gone almost the whole day prior, so I'm not sure how long it had been since it emerged.  But also - nearly all interest had been lost and no one had been checking on it with any regularity, so it is to be expected we missed the big moment.  I'm just choosing to believe it happened at nighttime, and we wouldn't have caught it, anyway.  😉  

Of course, upon its discovery, a butterfly photoshoot promptly commenced.  Of course, the pictures through the mesh, etc. are terrible quality and don't do it justice, at all.  Of course, I'm still going to share them.  😁

Go figure, Jacob was gone the morning we discovered it, but he was very surprised and delighted upon his return!

See the little curled-up proboscis?!

The butterfly was very still for at least twenty-four hours, moving its wings only occasionally.  It did crawl around some, but from what I could tell, it never partook of the sugar water-soaked sponge, banana slice, or selection of flowers we provided for its consumption.  Lydia believes otherwise. 😏

At this point, I had (and still have!) so many questions:

• How was it not just a dried up, "crispy" (Lydia's word) thing after all that time?
• How did those big, beautiful wings fit in that itty-bitty living space?  (😉🧞‍♂️)
• How did the butterfly know it was time to come out (I realize it has something to do with circadian rhythms or something, but still!)?
• How did it have any energy to not only emerge, but use its body afterward before/without consuming anything?
• How does this happen in the wild?!?!?  How does a tiny chrysalis stay safe and secure the WHOLE WINTER and most of spring?  And THEN - how does the butterfly stay safe (and secure!) while it dries its wings for a whole day's time?

All these, and more, have been speculated about in our home...and will likely continue to be.  I know we could do research and potentially find some answers, but mostly, we're just excited to ask God when we get to Heaven.  There are so many everyday miracles occurring in and around us; what a privilege it was to get to experience this one so very up-close.  What wonder and awe it instilled in our little family and the friends who were along for the ride, as well (namely, my weekly piano students), and perhaps most of all, what wonder and awe it instilled in me.  I truly can't wrap my mind around this process, and then to think about allllll the systems and cycles and life and rhythms God has created!?  It's just so truly amazing.  

Based on our research, and the butterfly obviously becoming more active, we did set it free after a couple days in its cozy habitat.  It was not easy for everyone, but we talked about how and why it was necessary and good.  Thankfully, the loss of the butterfly was assuaged a bit by the discovery of a baby deer in our backyard the very same day.

#deerdiaries, perhaps?  😉

We actually weren't sure it was alive upon discovery, but then the mama came back and all was well.  Phewww. 😬

I'll leave you with this cheesy, but genuine, prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for sending Jesus, so that we can emerge from our crispy chrysalises of sin and spread our beautiful wings, showing Your glory to those around us before joining You in Heaven.  (Thank you, also, that the baby deer was alive.)

Appreciatively and awe-fully,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

just some quality time with this girl

❤️

A Day in the Life, These Days

(This account of a day in my life is now a week or so old, but as all our days seem to be simultaneously the same and different, the lapse in posting time has little bearing on the message of this post. 😉)

• was awakened by Jacob at 6:38 a.m.
• This was a few minutes later than usual, because he happened to catch Bryant on the way out the door.
• I have been trying to get up before him (Jacob) to do my Bible study, and have mostly been successful in this new-ish habit, but I took this morning off (mostly because I worked extra on the study the night before).
• read a chapter of Because of Winn Dixie, as well as a picture book requested by Lydia 
• She's not usually up this early - I typically just read a chapter or two to Jacob, and she's sometimes in on some of it, too  - but since she was and made the request, we obliged.
• made breakfast 
• It was Waffle Wednesday, so this meal was frozen waffles, scrambled eggs for J, yogurt and PB for L, and bananas.  They also had some of the smoothie I made for myself.
• (Wednesday is the only specifically designated breakfast day except for the occasional Waffle Thursday, as well.) 
• Lydia was supervising me while munching on a frozen frozen waffle, and Jacob was rebuilding his fort from the day before then working on his independent school work and piano practice.
• did Lydia's hair while she ate
• L requested a princess exercise video, so turned it on for her while J and I finished breakfast 
• They typically do one together and later in the day, but this is how it went down today.
• did my hair and make-up while I drank my smoothie
• J requested an army exercise video next, and Lydia did it with him, so I took the ten minutes to start getting myself ready.
• went through our "morning basket" routine - Bible reading, prayer, Awana verse practice, and picture book
• Today, we did this in the kitchen while they drank their smoothies, because the living room where we typically do it was fortified - literally.
• went downstairs to do our daily calendar and J's math lesson
• Lydia took it upon herself to write all the letters in the alphabet on the dry-erase board. So far, we'd worked on A-H, so she required some assistance while Jacob and I were discussing how to write fractions.

• kids had ten minutes to play in the reconstructed fort while I got dressed and filled water bottles
• went to Mimi's Pantry for Kids for homeschool board game playtime
• I played a couple rounds of Wheel of Fortune with Jacob (This is the reason we went, in the first place - he'd seen the game on the shelf (when we were there for story time the week prior) after he'd just seen the show for the first time.  Knowing I loved the show, he wanted to play the game together.).  
• Lydia played Candy Land with others. 
•  I worked on my Bible study a bit while they both played with others, then had the provided snack and library time.
• kids played in the fort for a bit, then quietly read library books (without being asked) for fifteen or so minutes while I made lunch and caught up on some correspondence
• I was only interrupted once (to referee a fight about which fort entrance was to be used by whom).
• The unsolicited quiet reading happens probably once a week, on average, and it never ceases to feel like a small miracle and true gift from the Lord.
• Lunch was requested mac and cheese (with non-requested but still-enjoyed sides of cucs and strawberries). My lunch was random roasted veggies and bacon and turkey lunchmeat that was on its way out that I threw together with some feta, pecans, and dressing and called it a salad. 
•  We ate outside because it was beautiful and the dining room was also still fortified.
• kids requested an outside rest time, so I assisted in taking out perler bead projects and playdoh with tools to separate work surfaces (along with iPads so they could listen to their audiobooks like they typically do during rest time)
• went inside to spend about fifteen minutes cleaning up lunch things, sending a couple Marco Polos, cleaning the bathroom, and gathering work gloves and tools to go work in the yard
• After about five minutes of working on my own, Lydia joined me in picking up sticks, pulling weeds, and cleaning out flower beds (after I helped her clean up the playdoh things). She was the best helper - doing things without being asked (i.e. bringing over empty buckets when others filled up, finding sticks beyond the one I may have pointed out, and asking what needed done next). 
• Jacob finished his perler bead projects, then he swung while still listening to his beloved audio book while Lydia and I kept working. He asked to go inside after about 15 minutes of this, and then, Lydia did, too. I said, "Sure - just be sure to be kind to one another." 
• I didn't see or hear from them for about 45 minutes while I continued to work outside then iron the perler beads (which took longer than normal, because he used two different kinds or something and they weren't "fusing" as they should have without some special attention...).
• kids heard me coming up the stairs, so my presence was requested in the living/dining room to get a tour of the new and improved fort
• was gleefully informed that Mango the (stuffed) cat had been found two months after her missing person report had been filed
• Phew!
• prepared requested (right on schedule, at 3:15) snack
• I sent them to the front step with it (cashews and Bugles).
• handed the parenting baton off to Bryant (he got home shortly after snack) after kissing him hello
• retreated to the basement (as he and I had previously planned) to practice my "audition" music for worship team at our new church
• I was also able to deal with a few items of business and correspondences from earlier in the day as well as write Jacob's independent work list for the next day. 
• This all took about an hour, and afterward, I went outside to see their progress on various projects.
• squeezed in a quick shower while Bryant warmed up the soup I'd thawed from the freezer for supper and got the kids started on it
• Not an ideal day for soup, but we're trying to clear out the freezer.
• watched some of the eagle footage while we finished up 
• This is not something we typically do at the dinner table, by any means, but it's been a regular part of our days for weeks, now, and they wanted to show Bryant the babies.

I don't know that this picture was from the exact day we watched, but I just have to share here. 
She had three wiggly babies under there for literal hours! 
After the winter we've had, I could sooo relate to her (though it made me even more thankful for our warm, spacious home).  Bring on the memes!

• cleaned up from supper, got the kids' things ready for Awana, then saw them out the door before I left to attend Bible study (6:30-8:30)
• got home and debriefed with Bryant
• checked on some potential event tickets, reviewed my daily to-do, and checked on tomorrow's list
• found out there were no new episodes of our show (The Rookie) available
• Bryant decided to catch up on some reading, and I decided to document this day, because it's these details that are so difficult to distill when someone asks, "What have you been up to?" or "How was your day?" So, I thought I'd just get it all down on "paper" while it was somewhat fresh.
• set tomorrow's alarm and turned out the light around 10:30 p.m.

If you made it this far, kudos and thanks to you!  This - these seemingly insignificant days and the rollercoaster of emotions, both in and outside of myself - is all part of my job, my calling, right now.  Raising up our children to know and love the Lord and to love others is seemingly the simplest job description, but man - the job sure entails a lot, to say the least.  It is, however, the most important thing I can be doing and the most important thing I will ever do, and viewing life through this lens makes it much easier to find joy, meaning, and purpose in these often-mundane details.  Of course, I am not always successful in viewing it all this way, but through ceaseless prayer and with an affirming, supportive husband by my side, I remain grateful and fulfilled in this particular season of motherhood.

SAHM-ly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

making new friends (This week is full of play dates!)

Lydia saying, "This is unbearable!"

(The fit during which she declared it wasn't my favorite, but the fact that she used it in context sure was.)

GF Golden Oreos