what's saving my life

because summer is already the most wonderful time of the year my life doesn't require much saving in this season, but it's always worthwhile to pause and notice the things that are making life a little extra enjoyable:

• water [easily one of the best parts of summer. being in or on the water just makes everything better.] 

• archie's delightfulness [he has been so enjoyable lately. it's this great combination of being hilarious and adorable.]

• sleeping in [i love sleep. i love it so much. and i really, really love not setting an alarm.] 

• hawaiian roll sandwiches with salami [there are a few lunches that taste like summer to me, one of which is ham and cheese on a hawaiian roll. a friend recently inspired me to add salami and it is next level.] 

• community [we have a regular rhythm of hanging out with other families and we collectively have a whole bunch of kids from babies to high schoolers. the way they all play and interact together is just magic.]

• daily movement [i've never been great about consistent exercise, but i've been hitting a modest daily step goal and doing squats while brushing my teeth.]

• our summer vibe [we intentionally don't put a lot on our calendar in the summer so we can enjoy a loose rhythm with lots of flexibility for whatever fun comes along.]

• games with jack [he recently learned five crowns and we've been playing almost every day.] 

• sour cream [potluck situations sometimes stress me out, so this is my decide once. if sour cream is even remotely appropriate, that's what i'm bringing.] 

• letting things be good enough [as a recovering perfectionist this is sometimes easier said than done, but i'm trying to let good enough be good enough.] 

bonus: i was inspired to start making these lists by the lazy genius. i have listened to her podcast for years and read all of her books. i am a big fan. earlier this summer i submitted a question for one of her office hours episodes, and was delightfully surprised when she answered my question on air! it happened the same week the kansas city episode of ted lasso dropped, and getting to be a small part of two of my favorite things was definitely a summer highlight.

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what's saving my life

one of my favorite podcasters [kendra adachi - aka the lazy genius] has a regular practice of noticing and naming what is making life good in any given season. she calls it 'what's saving my life' and her recent list inspired me to make my own. so here are the things bringing me little bursts of joy in the fall of 2025: 

• laughing with archie [he is easy to engage with and loves to have fun and laugh.] 

• giving myself permission to spend money on things that bring me joy [i recently realized i was often putting experiences off for 'someday' when there was no real reason not to enjoy them right now.] 

• ted group [some friends from church are getting together to eat dinner and watch ted lasso while the kids enjoy their own movie upstairs. sinking into that couch and hearing the theme music begin is a highlight every week.] 

• marta the food fairy [my friend has been clearing out some pantry and freezer food and we have been the beneficiaries. we are always excited to see what will show up next and it has made cooking feel like less of a chore.] 

• my yellow new balance tennis shoes [these were such a delightful find and they make me smile every time i put them on.] 

• the life of a showgirl [admittedly my interest in taylor has increased since she and travis became an item, but i genuinely can't quit this album. it has been the soundtrack of our fall.] 

• a weekly rhythm with lots of white space [i'm so thankful for a flexible calendar that has room for both adventure and slow days at home depending on what we need.] 

• word searches [i wanted an analog activity i could do outside while jack and archie play that wouldn't get derailed by multiple interruptions, and word search books have been the perfect thing.] 

• a very warm coat [we had a sudden early cold snap and i was so happy i had finally gotten myself a long cozy coat last winter to make it more bearable.] 

• simply doing what is mine to do [this has been a heavy season for many and it's easy to feel helpless. i can't fix it all, but i can do what is mine to do. i am starting small and helping the people right in front of me.] 

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that homeschool life

when we started this whole hybrid homeschool situation i was not quite sure what it would end up looking like in our day to day, but we've found a great rhythm and are loving the setup we have right now. jack goes to 'school school' at fellowship church homeschool academy twice a week on monday and wednesday. he was a little apprehensive as the first day of school approached, but jumped right in and is loving it. it took a few weeks for him to get to know the kids in his class, but now we get stories about him and his friends every day. 

on those at school days archie usually keeps sleeping while i drop jack off in the morning [which ends up being about an hour round trip] and sometimes he's even kind enough to let me go back to sleep for a bit when i get back home before we officially start our day. it took a bit to get used to it only being the two of us, but we've started getting out of the house for walks or errands and it's really fun to have time with just him to give him extra attention, go his speed, and notice all the fun little things he says or does.

we typically try to get the rest of our school work done on tuesday and thursday. if we're just hanging at home we tend to do a couple subjects, then play outside for a bit, and fit our other lessons in here and there throughout the day. but we can also buckle down and get everything done in the morning if we're wanting to go on an adventure. that leaves friday free for field trips or our little homeschool hiking group.

it's been a great mix for us since we get the fun of a classroom and school friends, and the support of a teacher, but we also still have a lot of flexibility in our days and haven't felt too tied down. i was initially a little worried about how school would affect our family vibe, but it's been great so far and we're still able to go on little trips and get out around town to all the places we love to go!

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life with archie

archie celebrated his mini golden birthday when he turned seventeen months on april 17th, so to mark the occasion here are a few of the fun things we are loving about archie right now: 

• whenever we tell him its time to eat he excitedly toddles over to his high chair and waits to be picked up

• his face lights up when he smiles and he has the best laugh [and he's always getting complimented on both]

• he loves to dance and it's hilarious to watch him spring into action with his elbows up and his signature shimmy 

• after a diaper change he's usually quick to snatch up the dirty diaper and throw it away

• he's embraced our love of sleep and goes down easily after our bedtime routine of books, songs, and snuggling up with his taggies

• he is starting to love book time and wants to hear his favorites over and over

• in the morning he's content to hang out in his bed until his big brother comes in to say good morning

• he enthusiastically waves at just about everyone he sees, and if you're lucky he'll ask for a "fiiiive" and a fist pound

we sure are glad he's ours!

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life with jack and archie

i am keenly aware that we have less than a year before jack starts kindergarten and have been doing my best to enjoy the time we have together. it often feels like the days are slipping past quickly, but i'm so grateful to get to spend every one of them with jack and archie. they are funny and fun, and i love going on adventures with them. 

jack is learning a lot and loves finding rhyming words and making patterns, along with his well earned title of puzzle savant. he has quite the theatrical side that often makes us laugh. he also loooves getting to play with other kids. in the spirit of seizing the pre-k day we took a couple trips to visit the broomies and the taltons and he was in heaven having other big kids to run around with.

archie got to take his first flight for one of those trips and while he was a bit of a wiggle worm, he was a great little traveler. he continues to get lots of comments from strangers about his bright eyes and just generally how cute he is [and of course we agree]. he has started protesting when we drop him off in the nursery at lakeland [i haven't made it through a whole service in a number of weeks], but i'm know this too shall pass. he is standing on his own and sooo close to walking. he can be generous with his smiles, but you have to work for his belly laugh [it's definitely worth it].

we are doing well, but there is much in life around us that is hard. we are doing our best to take what comes with each day. caring for our people and working through hard things together. and remembering to enjoy what we have today.

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life with archie

we are loving life with our little archie! jack has been a great big brother and is really enjoying archie's snuggles and smiles. we stuck close to home a bit more than usual for awhile, but now that it's summer we're heading out on adventures and archie is content to tag along. he doesn't have an especially predictable schedule, but we're all getting a decent amount of sleep and are settled into a good rhythm. unfortunately pumping and supplemental bottles re-entered our lives around five months, but he's starting to dabble in solid food so there's a light at the end of that tunnel.

archie hasn't ever been super interested in his pacifier, but has recently discovered his thumb and seems to be a big fan. it's pretty adorable. he also loves chewing on everything [including the windowsill] and moving as much as possible. current favorite activities include kicking in the pool [which makes mom very happy] and pulling up on anything he can find.

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a glimpse of life

this is our life in 2021. donald works nights as a nurse at ku's strawberry hill campus. i work from home for a law firm and spend my days with jack. we're fully vaccinated, and while things are not quite back to the way they were in the before times, life is feeling a little more normal every day. in just a few weeks we will be back at lakeland on sunday mornings as a family, and we're so happy to have our lunch gang back together again. thursday night is dyer dinner, which usually involves a game of dominos. donald spends his free time playing games like pandemic, domination, and fortnite. i spend mine on house projects like organizing the garage, living room paint prep, and brainstorming landscape ideas.

jack has oatmeal and fruit for breakfast every morning. his current interests include playing outside with his bubble gun, driving daddy's car, and eating peanut butter sandwiches. he also frequently shouts "play cookie" in an effort to get the google home to play 'c is for cookie' for the millionth time. at bedtime he sings amazing grace with me [which he calls "how sweet the sound"] and it is pretty much the best thing ever.

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life with jack

jack turned twenty months on this 20th day of october, so i declared it to be his mini golden birthday. to celebrate, we thought we'd document a few of the fun things we're loving about jack right now:

• he loves playing with balls...footballs, basketballs, any kind of ball. and he excitedly yells "ball ball!" anytime he sees one.

• whenever he spots the chiefs logo or a football game on tv [which happens a lot at our house] he puts his arms up and says "touchdoooown chieeeefs!"

• he has loads of hilarious faces and expressions: the sneaky, innocent look when he is trying to get something that's off limits; his big eyes when he runs across a room; the squinty eyes when he's copying daddy; the surprised face he makes just for fun; and the big, toothy grin when he sees a phone and says "cheeeese!"

• the awesome bouncy dance moves he breaks into almost every time he hears music.

• he's still an embarrassingly good sleeper and our quarantine rhythm has him sleeping in L. A. T. E. 

• the sing-song way he signs and says please, which sounds exactly like "peas." it's one of my favorite sounds. 

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that pandemic life

we've been living the pandemic life for about six months now, and while our pace of life is a little slower, in a lot of ways things aren't all that different from before. donald works at the hospital two or three nights a week, and jack and i spend most of our days hanging out at home. while we would certainly prefer to be going on adventures and spending more time with friends, overall being at home still feels pretty normal.

but there are many things we've become accustomed to over these past six months that are decidedly not normal. we wear masks everywhere we go and everywhere you look there are signs and floor stickers reminding us to stay six feet apart. grocery stores are well stocked again, but paying with cash isn't always an option due to a national coin shortage. we can't visit the library in person, so we reserve our books online and pick them up curbside. getting takeout food doesn't feel as risky as it once did, but actually eating inside of a restaurant is a rarity for us.

schools are a mixed bag. many districts have some form of in person learning, while others remain fully virtual. churches are able to hold services, and we've been a handful of times, but it isn't at all what we're used to. while there is some comfort in actually sitting in the sanctuary as opposed to watching online, and a welcome feeling of community with those we see on a sunday morning, things are very obviously not as they should be. the lights in the lobby are dim. there is no nursery or toddler room for jack to explore. there are many faces we don't get to see and our beloved lakeland lunches have been confined to zoom or the occasional socially distanced park visit.

there are stretches when we're at home for so many days in a row that i kind of forget how different everything is [except when all the pools were closed this summer...that i always remembered]. but there is no arguing that we are living in strange times. 

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life with jack

after a few months in survival mode and an insane amount of pumping and supplemental bottles [which in hindsight were probably largely unnecessary] we've settled into a good routine. jack typically wakes up for first breakfast after sleeping eight or nine hours, a feat which mom and dad are both incredibly thankful for. soon after he and i both head back to bed for a bit because the love of sleep is one of our core family values. jack does his sleeping in a bassinet by our bed partly because he is "supposed to" and partly because his room isn't ready, but he's a pretty great roommate so we don't mind one bit.

our days mostly consist of a repetitive cycle of eating, playing, and sleeping, along with a healthy dose of spitting up, which seems to be jack's favorite activity. we have dyer dinner every thursday and church and lakeland lunch on sunday. we do our best to get out of the house a few other times each week and get ourselves to a pool as often as possible.

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a glimpse of life

this is our life in 2016. donald is in nursing school at penn valley and works part time at the university of kansas hospital. i work for david christian attorneys; half from home and half at the office. we are part of lakeland community church and we love it. we are s-l-o-w-l-y fixing up our house one room at a time. we spend a lot of time with our family and friends and always look forward to dyer dinner on monday nights. we love playing games and watching fun shows. as much as i hate to admit it, we both really love our smartphones. we think dag is just the cutest [even though he is rather odorous]. i love sleeping and i do it a lot. donald loves his recliner and he sits in it a lot. it is a good life.

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a glimpse of life

awhile back my friend joy documented a week of her life in photos. i loved seeing the 'everyday' bits and pieces of her life and thought it was a fabulous idea. i wanted to do it myself, but naturally i stressed about how to select a week, since no two ever look the same. then i had an epiphany and decided that i could take the idea and give it a twist: just a glimpse of life, no matter the week. so here is a little of what it looks like to be me...

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