The Rainy Fourth of July

by Steph // Friday, September 6, 2024 // Comments off

The Fourth of July this year had lots of opportunity to be a huge fail!

I had just taken treatment for a health flare I was in the day before, had broken my toe during the night that night, and it had literally been pouring rain forever at that point.

The fireworks were even cancelled completely because of the weather!

Well, we made a GREAT day of it anyway!!

My kiddos are good to me that way!

We spent the day eating, playing games, eating, playing outside during a break in the rain, eating, and JUST BEING TOGETHER!!

The girls made some delicious food for that day!

Addie Mae makes a fourth of July dessert every year and I think we need to hold her to this tradition, don’t you?

We did some wedding prep things that day too!

Like testing the bubble machines for the bubble send off!

I can hear the squeals just looking at these photos, and love how Scottie just jumped right out there with those kiddos!

It is a tight race for the most favorite uncle, just saying!

Chad and Kamryn also started to practice the song that they were doing during Scottie and Addie’s wedding.

Filled my heart SO full watching and listening to them!!

The race for the favorite Uncle continues!!

Lane is a good one too!

GPa set up the sprinkler and the little pool so some kiddos could get some energy out!

They had a blast out there!

We finished the day with a round of the game “Um.”

We love to play games – but especially a few of us do – who keep the rest of us playing them!

I have a video from that evening when it was just pouring and pouring buckets upon buckets of more rain.

I think we have watered our garden twice this summer, even though it has been drier as of late!

The fourth of July makes me grateful, does it for you too?

Grateful for freedom.

For family.

To be an American.

It’s easy to be grateful though when you think of everything through the lens of God’s perfectly appointed plan for your life!

I sit often early in the morning during my Bible time asking God “Why me? Why us? Why do we get to live with SO much when there are others who live without even running water? Why, Lord, Why?”

We don’t deserve these privileges!!

No matter what, God is a good God with a real good plan.

THAT’S where my hope is!!

Did you all have a nice fourth of July??

Can you even remember if you did??

I only ask that because I had to look back at my Instagram stories to even remember what we exactly did this day, ha, ha!!

In my defense, I was pretty sick!!

Guess what is NEXT??

A post about the most beautiful wedding of our beautiful girl on a beautiful day in the middle of July!

Can’t wait to tell you all about it!!!

June Stuff

by Steph // Thursday, September 5, 2024 // Comments off

June was full and wonderful as you have already seen by some of the June posts!

We started the month with a fantastic get together at Grant and Kamryn’s house to watch them open their wedding gifts!

I thought my heart would explode I was so excited to be there!!

We had a lovely brunch and then the newlyweds started the big job of gift opening!

I spend a lot of time with our trio here.

We enjoy our days SO much!!

I kind of feel like we have raised two families because of the large age gap in our children’s ages!

God’s PERFECT plan and I wouldn’t change it for a second – it has been so good!

Just look at them.

They fill my days with such intention, purpose, and JOY!

We went and visited River Salem on his seventh birthday!

We had already celebrated him back on Memorial Day weekend, remember?

But he is worth celebrating!!!

He was playing with his new battleship game so we all got in on the fun!

Please take note of Jack Jack in that last photo and how big he was already getting!

I saw these at the grocery store back in June and was like “WHAT??!!”

You know your diet is super sad if you are excited that they made the only chips you eat now in a wavy kind, ha, ha!

But you really need to get yourself some of these.

Trust me!

And dip them in guacamole.

Eliza decided to write a family newspaper back in June, and has diligently done so every week since!

It comes out on Wednesday morning at breakfast.

Goodness, I sure hope the Lord uses Eliza’s love of words and writing in her future!!

This is super cute, you all.

Try to read them through the photos!!

This is the day that we picked up Addie’s wedding dress from the seamstress who was altering it!!

We might have been a bit excited, hence the photo!!

And this day was sponsored by iced coffee and a cute new top.

Anyone else loving all the dresses, skirts and feminine tops you can find so easily right now?

Me too!

Kayla and I are still enjoying our monthly grocery shopping at Costco!

This new way of doing things is really working for both of us – it took a minute for one old lady to figure it all out!

It’s fun to go with Kayla to a big city because she knows where all the fun stops are!

We enjoyed Chipotle before our shopping this day.

They have the BEST lemonade!

I was having a health flare this summer, and when I look at this photo of Kay and I, it makes me realize how much I was struggling with my health before I figured out something was up!

Grateful to be mostly on the other side of that now – the Lord is so good to me.

Kayla and I started ordering our big items from Costco to be delivered to our home because we are only two people and are already trying to push two carts each!

This new addition to our bulk shopping has really perfected it.

After our Costco run that day, we also had our Azure pick up that evening.

It was the first time my hubby got to experience that and I took a photo of the pick up sight!

Back during strawberry season I would make homemade dairy free ice cream a lot so we could eat strawberries!

I heard about this ice cream storage container and immediately got one.

It keeps the coconut ice cream from freezing so hard that you have to let it sit out half of a day before you can scoop it!

I love that thing!

Scoopable ice cream straight from the freezer!

Does anyone else run their ice cream maker in the bathroom because it is so loud??

We had LOTS of celebrations this summer!

Lots of showers and weddings!

Here I was ready for a Saturday morning shower to celebrate the sweetest friends!!

We also got to help Addie celebrate Scottie’s birthday!

Scottie’s first trip to Wisconsin was a few weeks after his birthday last year, so this was his first one we could celebrate with him in person!

Some photos of our fluffy pup Ruby, especially because she does not live here anymore.

We love you RuRu and are super glad you get to visit us so often when Addie works!

Did I ever mention what a rainy start we had to summer?

It was crazy!

But our front landscape LOVED it!

Just look how pretty everything was this year!

We had some beautiful skies, even with all of that rain.

I hope I never lose my love of the sky.

It just is so incredibly beautiful and awe inspiring!

Well, that wraps up June, which means July is next and that means A WEDDING!!!!

July was PACKED, so hang on tight!!!

Until then…..

Father’s Day with the Blue Angels!

by Steph // Wednesday, September 4, 2024 // Comments off

I am pretty sure that since we moved to Wisconsin in 2001, we have never missed watching the Blue Angels when they are in town!

How fun it was to find out they were going to be here again this year, and also that they would be here on Father’s Day weekend!

I am not sure who was more excited about seeing them – my hubby or our grandson River!

We went to our earliest church service that morning so that we could get to the airport on time for the air show.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day – hot, but not too hot – and both cloudy and sunny at different times.

When we got there, the guys took the kiddos to walk around the air show while Kayla and I and some little ones stayed with our camp chairs.

Pretty soon planes were in the air!

I could not believe how fast and how LOUD the F22 Raptor was!!

We worked hard at keeping everyone hydrated and snacking!

Blake did walk around to see if any of the booths had safe food for us, but even the smoothie booth was made with junk that they poured in those blenders – shame, shame!

The guys also went and grabbed all the umbrellas they could find from our van when it got super sunny, and it really helped to keep everyone cooler!

Before we knew it, it was time for the BLUE ANGELS!!!

The skill that these pilots have is incredible.

Just thinking about the fact that one wrong move could make them all crash is mind boggling!

We really enjoyed watching their show!

And tried to get a few good photos!

I think Addie’s photo won the prize that day – just look at this one!

Well, we were hot and sweaty when the show was over, so we all headed back to NaiNai’s house (that’s me!! And I love that my grand children call our home that!!) to jump in our pool and cool off!!

We hardly used our pool at all this year, so these photos are great memories!!

Of course, no amazing day wouldn’t end well without smores!

I buy a huge amount of smore ingredients at the first sign of summer and hide them in our storage room pantry, ha, ha!

I love being able to pull that box out and have an impromptu camp fire!

Here is the last photo I took that day as everyone drove away from NaiNai’s house.

Goodness, such a fantastic summer day – the kind of days we wait for!!

Well, I want to do that all again!!

Fall is nipping the air as I type this post…so I don’t think we will all be in the pool anytime soon!

Let’s talk about the father of my children for a second, since this post is about Father’s Day and all!

He has A LOT, a lot, a lot on his plate right now – EVERYDAY.

I am sure I don’t need to make you the list of all those things – but we are living out this “sandwich generation” thing – and I am here to tell you, there is no one who does it better than my hubby.

He is FULL of a calm, patient, wisdom that is just the foundation and rock of this family, and we could not be more blessed to have his guidance, example, and stability in our lives.

Truly, he is one in a billion.

I could not show you a more self-less man.

Goodness, Blake Moschel, I love you so much!!

Thank you for being our steady leader, even when life seems so upside down and crazy sometimes.

I am SO glad we got to celebrate you!!

The air show and a swim was a perfect celebration!!

Happy Father’s Day, babe!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

A Beautiful Bridal Shower!

by Steph // Monday, September 2, 2024 // Comments off

On a Saturday morning in the middle of June, Kayla hosted a bridal shower for Addie Mae!

I was Kayla’s side kick, and helped her bring her beautiful vision for this shower to life.

It was SO much fun preparing for that day!!

We were serving brunch to the ladies at the shower, so the first thing was to get some food made at home to take to Kayla’s the next day.

Of course I had my best helpers to help me!

Friday we headed to the farm to help Kayla clean and set up.

Being at the farm is just one of my favorite things, even if I am scrubbing chairs and sweeping floors!

I only took one photo!

The last thing that we worked on that day was blowing up all the balloons for the balloon arch – don’t worry we had an air pump!

I had to leave right in the middle of that project to pick up Lane from work, but Kayla managed to finish it!

Saturday morning started early!

Blake was going to feed David and all of our grandbabies some pancakes and bacon at our house while I went to the farm to finish getting ready for the shower!

Addie Mae brought Kayla’s big girls and Eliza to the shower – which worked out perfectly!

Everything was coming together SO beautifully!!

Kayla is so talented at things like this!!

Scottie made the donut board for us, and I love that he got to contribute to the shower in such a special way.

Pretty soon we were set up and waiting on our guests to arrive!