Our Most FAVORITE Trip to Illinois and Indy

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October of last year brought a family trip to Illinois and Indianapolis!

And when I say family trip – I mean our ENTIRE family!!

It was the BEST family day ever that lasted three days!

There were twenty-one of us on this trip in five different vehicles.

Looking back at these photos to download for this post has me smiling SO big and wanting to do it ALL again!

The first photo was in our driveway as we got ready to head out.

It was fun to meet up with each other on our long drive – especially when your daughter gives you cookies to snack on that she made for you!!

Our first stop was in Morton, Illinois, to see Blake’s Mom.

Of course we started at our favorite coffee shop – Four30 Scones!!

Goodness, I just love this photo!!

 

After having our treats, we walked up the road to a little park so we could let the children run around and play.

The weather was SO nice for the middle of October!

We were thankful for that since we were such a big crowd!

Blake and I met in the summer of 1985 in this town, right near this park in the Dairy Queen parking lot, which is behind us in the photo below.

Isn’t that CRAZY??!!

Look what 40 years can do!!

We got a photo of everyone with Blake’s Mom, but we were just missing Chad and Kailey who were meeting up with us in Indy later that evening.

What a fun afternoon that was!

After our visit was over, we all got on the road to head to Indy to our hotel there.

We had about a three and a half hour drive that evening.

Our hotel was BEAUTIFUL and we all had rooms close to each other there.

Of course I started the morning Saturday in God’s Word with a hot cup of coffee!

We have a travel Keurig, well, because we are old and think we deserve it, ha, ha!

The best part of the morning was heading down to the breakfast area and being there when everyone came down for breakfast!

I WAS HAVING THE BEST DAY EVER!!

And I do not have one photo of that part, drats.

We headed to my Mom’s place as soon as we were all ready.

We were having  brunch there – I prepared half of it and my brother did the rest!

It was SO fun to be there all together enjoying my Mom and my brother.

My brother was HAVING THE BEST DAY EVER TOO!!

We took an opportunity to get some photos with my Mom.

She too, by the way, was having a great day!

She told my brother “it is SO nice having the house full!”

Yes, I cried!

These photos are precious to us all and I am so glad to have them.

Around one o’clock we all headed to Tuttle’s Apple Orchard for a fun afternoon in the beautiful weather!

We had been there before with my brother – but we usually visit the first week of November and the weather isn’t quite as warm sometimes.

Little did we know how absolutely CRAZY it would be there!

When we started getting close and saw two police cars directing traffic we were on the family chat wondering if we should even try it.

I am SO glad we did!

It was busy, but mostly by the food area, and we had already eaten.

I mean, look at this sky – and now you can see why so many people were there!

We got checked in and then made a buddy plan for all of the grand children.

They were NOT allowed to let go of their buddy’s hand when we were walking!

It worked well and Kayla and I both felt confident with this plan!

There was SO much to do and it was all SO fun!!!

After we played for awhile we decided to get some slushies.

This was the WHOLE reason I was there, just so you know!!

They have apple cider slushies and they are so so good.

My brother and Chad went to wait in line for them, while we all waited at a picnic table under a big tree in the shade.

Everyone gave these slushies a huge thumbs up, and they were very refreshing on such a warm day!

Even Miss Goldie Hayes loved it!!

I want another one!

We then decided to go on the hay ride and do the corn maze.

The hay ride was covered so we were in the shade for that too, which was nice!

Once we were wore out, hungry and hot, we headed back to the hotel.

We had reserved the conference room for the evening so there would be space for us all to eat together and hang out together.

We got Chipotle for dinner and also had snacks that everyone brought.

It was perfect!!

Next up was swimming!!

I am here to tell you – that pool was ffrreeeeezzzzinnnngggg.

Not one of those crazy kids cared!

Even the biggest kids of all – I will let you decide who they are, ha, ha!

Some of us were smart and stayed on dry land.

Well, kind of dry land!

I am so so glad someone took a photo of my brother and I!!

The only photo I have of him the whole trip, what in the world.

You know what Sunday brought.

We had to go back home.

We hung out in the hotel all morning, sitting outside by a fire and enjoying everyone SO much.

Then we all headed out – not all at the exact same time, but close.

We did manage to hook up with Scottie and Addie that evening, back in Morton, Illinois, in a parking lot for some snacks.

Home Sweet Home.

And honestly no place I would rather be!

Look how green and beautiful everything still was in mid October!!

So much in my heart I could say about the abundant blessing of family.

Having a large family is certainly not for the faint of heart – it is busy!!!

But Blake and I are literally living out our prayers all those years ago when we first got married – God has been SO KIND to say YES to our prayers.

Being able to see my Mom and my brother also fills my heart so full.

Being able to take this trip to see my Mom and brother with everyone literally made my heart burst.

Just reliving this through these few photos and typing these words has complete gratitude bubbling up inside of me!

I have dreams, as you know!!

Dreams turned into prayers.

Time will tell how the Lord chooses to answer, but it is my hope that we will take more trips like this together and make many more memories to last a lifetime!

Thank you, Jesus, for it all!!

Our Wonderful Weekend

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Blake and I had a wonderful weekend away in the middle of August last year.

We usually take a trip together sometime in February, March or April.

Since we went to Florida with the children in March last year, we never took a trip for just the two of us.

We TREASURE time away together – and it is SO important for our marriage!

We left on a Friday evening (after Blake got home from work) and headed to Rochester, Minnesota, which is under two hours away from home.

We made a pit stop along the way to have some dinner too.

We had a suite to stay in at Staybridge Suites.

It was a nice place!

Fall temperatures had arrived that weekend, and it was chilly!

We still took a Saturday morning walk together – my morning habits travel with me – Bible time and long walks!

We decided to visit the farmer’s market that morning as well, and then do some shopping.

It was blustery and got cloudy, which made it even more cold!

It was so relaxing to just wander through the farmers market, talk to the vendors, and enjoy purchasing a few things.

After the farmers market, I asked Blake if he could take me to a thrift store that Addie Mae had told me about.

We went there and it was VERY nice!

I found a few treasures for our newly painted home, and even found a rocking chair for Kayla!

Yes, this is me sitting in that chair until I heard back from Kayla to see if she wanted it.

She had been looking for one, and this one was in perfect condition for only ten dollars!

Or course she said yes.

We stopped and got a light lunch and then headed back to our room to get ready.

Having NO plans, NO pressure, NO timeline was so wonderful – now I am wanting to do this again!!!

We did some more shopping after getting ready for the day, and then had a planning meeting of sorts.

Blake LOVES when I bring my lists and planner and pens and lists upon lists, ha, ha!!

At least I bought cookies for our planning meeting – I mean, how thoughtful!

That evening we had reservations at a restaurant that Kamryn’s family had told us about.

I could eat safely there, which you know is a BIG deal!

I WAS SO EXCITED!!!

We were seated outside, even in the chilly temperatures, but right by a fire and it was nice and toasty warm.

THE FOOD.

Oh I can still taste it if I close my eyes.

It was SO good.

So very good!!

I could have eaten three plates of this salad and had been done.

You just cannot make salad taste like a salad someone makes for you!

We had a fired brick dinner and cooked our own meat.

It was relaxing, delicious, and very enjoyable!

We did not want to leave!!

So we ordered decaf coffee and lingered by that fire.

We both kept saying that we needed to do this more often.

I think we need to say that again, because it just does not happen very often in this season of life right now!

Sunday morning we took another walk.

It was colder!!

But we had fun and Blake managed to keep up, as he kept saying, ha, ha.

I like to walk fast.

We got ready for the day and packed our bags up.

And then we went and found a church to attend.

It is always wonderful to attend different churches when traveling!

I love doing that!

It was a beautiful service and a challenging message.

You guys know that any trip to a big city would not be complete without a trip to Costco.

We had brought two huge coolers to stock up!!

That’s why that rocking chair was in the back seat!

Blake is a great Costco buddy because he does all the heavy lifting.

Thank you, honey!!

Couldn’t believe it, but it was time to go back home.

We stopped for a coffee on our way out of town.

It was good coffee too!

We are already talking here and there about vacation plans for this year.

And we are talking about a trip for just Blake and I too.

It is not as simple in this season as it has been in the past!!

But we NEED to make time together happen – even if we do not go somewhere away from home.

I have plans for getting old with my hubby, Lord willing, and we need to be close and connected to make those plans come to fruition!!

I really thought finding time together would get easier the older we and the children got – but this has not been so!

In the end, all good things take intention.

Time away together takes intention.

Here’s hoping we stick with these trips away together!

They reconnect and refuel us!

I wouldn’t mind going back to the restaurant Twigs either – it was SO good.

Time will tell!!!

Hopefully I will be writing a post soon about some intentional time away with my awesome hubby.

We are attending a weekend retreat in February with some friends – and I think that will count!

Stay tuned to hear all about it.

The BEST Day of the Week!

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Sunday.

It is always full of my VERY favorite things.

Blake is home.

The at-home children are home.

We get to go to church!

And then after church it is family day.

I really should look back through my calendar this year, because I know that we have only missed a hand full of everyone getting together on Sundays!

Blake and I say to each other ALL the time – how is it these kiddos of ours want to hang with us for a whole day each week???

I HOPE IT NEVER CHANGES!!

One thing about not keeping up with this scrapbook of mine this year is how fun it is to “catch-up!”

I get completely lost in my photo storage going through months of photos for these posts!!

I gathered photos from all of our family days from the beginning of March until now for this post.

See what I mean!!

You all will literally get to watch Goldie grow up through these photos, ha, ha!

First up was the end of March and two special birthdays to celebrate!

We celebrate A LOT of birthdays around these parts!

We have made this more simple this last year by just sticking a candle in whatever dessert is being served that day.

But there are gifts, of course!

And lots of best friends to help you open them!

Family day starts with lunch!

I provide the main gig and the big girls each bring something to help out.

(Around dinner time, I throw some snack like foods on the counter, and we pop popcorn and make smoothies.)

After lunch you can find us all doing all kinds of things!

The grand children play SO nicely at “NaiNai’s house” – as they so fondly call it and I so fondly receive it!!

Our children and our grandchildren are always gifting each other things.

It is just the sweetest thing to see their relationships – they truly are best friends.

Here is a look through April!

 

Addie and Scottie hosted Easter this year!

I WAS SO EXCITED to be at their place for a Sunday!!

Please notice the photobomber in our attempt at a family photo, ha, ha!

May, of course, brought Mother’s Day!!

Kayla hosted that Sunday and I WAS SO EXCITED about that too!!

My girls really know how to do things up – everything is so beautiful and special when they host!!

We took some photos at home with my trio that morning before church and the children gave me gifts.

Sweet gifts!!

But it was the homemade cards and words that I will cherish forever.

In May we started using our deck for family day!

It is such a blessing – minus the fact that it is in full sun the entire day.

Trust me, I am not complaining about the sun!!

But it is too bright and hot to sit in to eat a meal.

We were very grateful when my mother-in-law gifted us an umbrella to use out there.

We ended up buying a second one!!

We got to celebrate Miss Saigey Grace in May!!

She turned two.

She is SO fun!!

Others might not agree since she always only wants me on family day, ahem,  but I think she has chosen wisely!!!!

It was really fun to celebrate Saige!

June brought another birthday, imagine that!!

River Salem turned EIGHT years old.

What is happening.

Time is a thief!

River is PURE SMILES!

He literally lights up every room he enters!

And he was a joy to celebrate!

Father’s Day looked like this –

It was not ideal, or what we hoped for – but a distant memory that I would not have remembered without this photo!

There were still gifts, though!

Sweet gifts!

Look at the visor clip that Kay gave Blake for his truck.

I LOVE IT!

Next up in June was Scottie.

He is a fun one to celebrate too!!

His beautiful wife made him a cake!!

And it was our first family swim that day.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!

Please notice above what family day looks like by the end of each Sunday!

That is the sign of THE BEST DAY EVER right there.

I only have a few photos of family day in July.

That means only one thing – I was enjoying everything very much and my phone was laying somewhere unnoticed!!

I want to include what I have here though.

August brought Tate’s birthday!!

We actually celebrated on a Saturday evening because we had a big day with our church that Sunday – his actual birthday!

We were in charge of our annual church picnic, and then our church’s baptisms were in our swimming pool.

This year was EXTRA special again, because Tate chose to be baptized – on his 14th birthday!!

What a great day that was!!

Not only having our immediate family here for family day – but our church family as well!!

Tate did a GREAT job sharing his testimony.

Of course I cried, you guys!

The rest of August was filled with lots of outside time on family day.

We would eat and then be outside!!

It just fills my cup to overflowing every week!

At the end of August – guess what??

Two more birthdays!

These two have always shared a birthday and their celebration – literally every single year of their lives!

I am glad we got to celebrate them together again!

We had guests that day too, so a ride in their jeep was in order.

And lots of outside time on such a beautiful day!

We are getting closer to the end of this post!!

September.

The first Sunday of September our big kiddos were out of town – how dare they!!!

This is what Sunday looks like when it’s just us at home – he, he!

Quiet and boring!!!

And here are the only photos I have of the next two Sundays.

Shame, shame, you know your name!!

Someone can be VERY distracting during church, just so you know!

Next up was……you guys are so smart!

Another birthday!

But I don’t get older, so I am not sure what all this fuss was about.

They are too good to me!

In October we had the BEST family day EVER!

I cannot wait to tell you all about it!

It lasted THREE DAYS!!

I have a million photos of that, of course.

But only two photos of the rest of October – well, we had no birthdays to celebrate, what in the world!

Don’t worry, we make up for it in November.

Kay did take our family photos in October on a Sunday quick – quick family photos have been my thing lately.

There just is so little time where everyone is together these days!

Clyde’s birthday kicked off family day in November.

He is TEN.

No I did not give him permission to be ten.

How is Clyde ten??

Someone make it make sense!!

We had fun celebrating him, of course!

And his NaiNai had this brilliant idea for a new tradition! (that’s me!)

Each grandchild gets a sleepover as one of their birthday presents!

GENIUS!

It has been SO much fun!!

I allow them to bring one sibling, if they choose!

We celebrated Clyde at the farm the first Sunday of November, and then the boys spent the night the next weekend, because Clyde chose River.

We celebrated more birthdays in November too!

Next up were Briar and David!

Tate and Eliza made cupcakes for their celebration!

They did a great job.

Bri Bri spent the night with us after thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day!

River joined her too.

I heard there was some bribing going on at the Kozelek house to entice Briar in who she should pick!

Crack me up!!

We had SO much fun with them!!

The beginning of December brought Ellie Joy’s birthday.

She is also TEN.

Seriously, my heart!

We had fun celebrating her and then she spent the night two weeks later all by herself, smart girl!!!

That was a super long family day recap!

I must tell Blake at least three times a week that “I want to do it all again!”

I say this about sooooo many things – but I say it about family day too.

It is not lost on Blake and I that our older children make time for this every single week.

Life is BUSY!

They could choose so many other things besides hanging out with all of us!

We are not worthy, and we are so grateful.

Family Day, we sure hope you stick around!

As our family grows, it just keeps getting better and better!!

I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL SUNDAY!!

School Days

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In the midst of all these seasons of life colliding together, I am still teaching school to three kiddos!

School has always been a mix of book work, chasing interests, working together, projects, and just LIFE.

That has not changed – but I feel like the emphasis on chasing interests dominates our “school time” these days.

When you have two children in eighth grade and one senior, there is less “hand holding” and more “equipping” them with what they need to learn.

I LOVE THIS SEASON!

I will say, though, that I have looked back at posts here and videos I have of when the children were little – and that honestly is one of the most fun seasons as a homeschool Mom.

Little children are just sponges – soaking up and learning things so quickly and with enthusiasm that just fuels their teacher!

What am I saying – I still have very enthusiastic children, who just are not little anymore!

I scrolled through all of my photos since the end of February and gathered a pile of “school” like photos for this post.

ANY learning is “school”, in my opinion.

I am grateful to say that all of our children have really loved and continue to love to learn.

WIN, WIN!!

School is teaching them to love to be outside…

And teaching them to love to work outside.

Spring cleaning is a BIG job and many hands make it lighter work!

School is about teaching them to figure things out and have FUN while doing so –

Like when we tapped our maple trees and made our own maple syrup this spring!

School is about teaching them to take care of themselves well, through the way they eat and the habits they make.

It is about teaching them how to work hard in the kitchen to nourish their bodies in the best way!

It is about pulling them to your side in everything you do until suddenly they are in the kitchen without even being asked making amazing things all on their own!

School is also about teaching them the JOY of serving others – even in small ways –

Whether it is helping your big sister one day a week at her house,

Making chicken salad for a women’s conference that will have ninety women in attendance,

Or cleaning the church for that conference.

Maybe it’s just giving your other sister’s dog a bath and a grooming,

Or making a baby blanket for your soon to be new niece.

It could also be helping your mom make food for your Grandma, helping deliver it, and helping your Grandma with any projects she has!

School also is teaching your kiddos how to advocate for their health and manage appointments.

School is teaching them to look adults in the eye and speak to them when spoken to – especially at appointments.

School is about teaching your child to drive, how to get a job, and how to manage all of the things that go along with that.

It is about teaching them how to launch into a world that is getting worse by the day.

It is about doing all of that in confidence and fellowship, yet while on your knees every morning asking God to strengthen you and guide the way!

School is also about bookwork!

Don’t worry, we do that too – every morning, Monday through Thursday.

They thrive in their bookwork and are SO easy to teach!

Read aloud is still one of our favorites – do children ever get to old to read aloud to?

I sure hope not!

School is about choosing awesome Unit Studies, about countries, and running with all kinds of things as you learn.

School is about making as many things as you can hands on – which is an awesome way to remember the things you learn!

School is about letting them try things they are interested in, supporting them with all of the things they need.

It also is about encouraging them when they struggle to figure things out to keep trying!

School is a lot about being a cheerleader and helping your children meet their goals!

School is about not being tied to someone’s else’s schedule for your life and days.

It is about choosing to set the books aside and spend time doing things that are better!

It is about teaching your children to be flexible with their time too, and also teaching them to manage their time well so they can do this.

School is also about growing together in our faith.

It is about spending time in God’s Word and spurring each other on with our walk with Christ.

It is about teaching your children that they have to OWN their faith and not ride on the skirt tails of their parent’s faith.

It is about teaching them good habits of Bible study and memorization of God’s Word that you hope they will always embrace.

School is about running with your children’s strengths, helping them strengthen their weaknesses, and having  A LOT of FUN along the way!!

These children are SO much fun.

They keep my days full and exciting and filled with joy!

Here was our first day of this school year – 2025-2026.

We “started” school on August 11th.

I have a photo of each of our children on the first day of school every single year!

  

In other school news….this guy GRADUATED High School.

Last week!!

Five months early.

And just like that, I only have two students left.

Cue all the tears!!

We died laughing at how very accurate this t-shirt is for Lane!

We are currently on Christmas break for the next two weeks!

I hope to get that tall guy’s (in the photo above) transcript all finished for him.

Wish me luck!!

I know it sounds cliche, but I never could have guessed what my homeschooling career would have looked like all those years ago when we decided to bring Kayla home from a Christian private school to homeschool.

What a wonderful journey it has been!!

So many precious memories!

It is my hope and prayer that our children will look back on their school days with great joy and appreciation for the way that they were raised.

TWO MORE!!

I have the privilege of two more students to graduate!

I cannot wait to see what the Lord allows for their high school days ahead!!

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