I'm no longer surprised by time rushing by and have kind of just accepted it as a way of life. Acceptance is the first step, right 😂 but it doesn't change the fact that it's accelerating at a compounding rate. It's a constant reminder to savor the moment, which is SO cliche and also something I'm terrible at doing. It's just not in my nature to be in the "now," I'm always 10 steps ahead, dreaming about the future, planning for tomorrow. While that tendency has its benefits, it's also a curse. I HAVE to stop and remind myself to look around in the moment. After all, isn't the current reality of my "today" what I used to look forward to in the past?

Since we just celebrated Mother's Day, I'll do a little snippet "update" on each of the littles who made me a Mom in the first place. ❤️

"In Minecraft, he punched the hay block and it like tumbled down."

-Otto

Otto

7 years old • graduating 1st grade • video games, basketball & soccer • LOVES his sisters but also loves to "stir up the pot" • even-keeled, go-with-the-flow, rule-follower, responsible, goofy, smart, & always thinking/listening

"Mommy, did you have fun last night? Who was all there?"

-Pippa

Pippa

5 years old • graduating Pre-K • dress-up, playing with friends & snacks • little sister with Otto & 2nd mommy to Phoebe • spunky, spirited, sweet, thoughtful, always noticing & thinking about others, social, sensitive heart

"Mommy...

hold-you me!"

-Phoebe

Phoebe

2 years old • staying in Pee-Wee Potters • baby dolls, singing songs, photo albums • TEXT-BOOK last-born • ORNERY, active, explorer, fun, chatty, bossy, always smiling

Mother's Day Celebrations

We had a great time with both families! We celebrated with the Kaiser side by going out to eat at Alexander's with just the adults the evening before... always a fun evening out. We celebrated on Mother's Day with the Knepp side... such a beautiful evening it was!

The Kaiser Originals

What Has Kept Us Busy...

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own' or one's 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one's real life is a phantom of one's imagination.”― C.S. Lewis

Bubbles

One day, I'll clean up my last sticky mess of bubbles that have been knocked over or poured onto someone's hands... but until then, still going strong with solid bubble popping over here.

Pippa & Friends

She has so many that I can't keep track of them all 😂 but the cutie in this pic is one of her all-time favorites from pre-school.

When Wisteria Blooms...

A rare moment in history when the beautiful wisteria on my parents' gazebo bloomed overnight. This gazebo was built by my brother and Dad many years ago, and the wisteria has been there for years but has never fully bloomed like this. Had to document.

Core Memories

I love it that my kids' childhoods will have the core memory of cats being a playmate... so much like my own. First pets are such sweet friends & also come with important life lessons.

Is it worth it?

Sand... it occupies them for hours & is the ultimate sensory experience. The trade-off is ruined clothes, sandy feet, and dirty floors... oh well?

I can't imagine that she's ornery...

😏

Equally sweet

As pictured :)

A Must

Sprinkle-laden melting cones... a part of every Morton kid's childhood!

The Cutest Pee-Wee Potter

Phoebe LOVED getting to have cousin Sylvia as her PWP partner this semester, as well as Sabrina. She made her this darling book for her last day. Looking forward to another fun year in the Fall!

Sisters

Having grown up with sisters, I love it that they have each other. Also, I promise that Otto exists :) he's at school the greater portion of most days, so my girl photo footage tends to be heavier!

Dream Hair

I saw these little braids at Ross one day for $4 and knew Pippa needed them!

Until the Pool Opens...

The unicorn will have to do. Actually, it popped about 3 minutes after this picture was taken, but we have a back-up Intex pool that works just as well :)

Pippa is

Headed to Kindergarten!

Pippa loved her year at Bethel for 4s Pre-School! She had Mrs. Suttles and a class full of old friends & new. She was there MWF, with MW being full days where she got to stay for lunch & and an afternoon class. Otto did the same thing, and I feel like it helps them so much get ready for staying all day at Kindergarten, learning how to eat lunch there, etc.

I have no doubt Pips will shine in K, make many new friends, and love the experience of attending public school with her older brother.

Recipes of the Week

Protein Pancakes & Street Corn Enchiladas

There are two this week!

First up is the ever-popular protein pancake recipe that I've shared with many of you. Then I also wanted to share a family-favorite that is on the rotation in the summer (well, more of a "Ryan & I" favorite, but the kids do eat it).

Protein Pancakes

This recipe is for ONE serving. It makes around 10-12 pancakes, depending on your batter consistency. I got this recipe from my health coach when I worked with him last year. I eat this around 3x a week, and top mine with Kerrygold butter, spiced maple cinnamon sugar & berries. SO delish!

On their own, these pancakes pack 29g of protein, but I always add 1 serving of collagen peptides to the batter, packing on an additional 9-10g of protein.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 egg whites*

BLEND

That's your batter.

Heat a frying pan to medium, using butter or spray to coat the pan. I wait until it's HOT. Use a cookie dough scoop to portion the pancakes out. Wait until you see bubbling, then flip. You'll have to get the hang of timing with the flip to really get the golden-looking pancakes.

*I always use 2 egg whites + 1 full egg with yolk. You can adjust to your liking. The whites allow for more protein with less calories.

One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake

This is a Half Baked Harvest one... mine never looks as beautiful as hers :) but OMG it's delish. We always have fresh chives growing in our yard in the Spring, so it's the perfect time to make it!

Scroll down & click the button for this recipe.

Protein Pancakes

Phoebe LOVES these & usually steals 2 or 3 of my pancakes when I make them

One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake

In the garden...

Strawberries

I've tried to grow many things over the years, but have learned that simple is best. (We've had one-too-many-summers where zucchini & pumpkin plants have grown awry and taken over the whole yard 😂)

I planted a few strawberries a year or two ago, and boy do those multiply! They've taken over one whole garden box, and honestly... I'm not mad about it. They're the tiny kind, but still fun to grow & we'll see how our crop does this year.

I also planted a squash & zucchini plant and some snap peas, and we have some stray mint that has taken over a bit, but otherwise things are seeming under control... for now. Check back in July. I might be drowning in vines by then.

Current crop from my yard! Peonies are JUST starting to bloom... I snagged the couple that were open. Daisies have been around for about a week, and I have some flowering bushes, too.

Devotional Thoughts

"It is always spiritually dangerous

to allow yourself to be more upset by the sin of the people around you than you are with your own sin."

-Paul Tripp

You've got to love the cutting candor with which Paul Tripp uses. When I read this, it was immediate conviction.

How often do I hear a spiritual truth, or read a spiritual warning, and the first person who comes to mind is not myself but someone else? Way too often.

We tend to belittle our own sin & maximize others'. We're great at justifying. "I didn't mean it that way.... it wasn't THAT bad. My intentions were misunderstood. It's fine."

As great a danger is not considering WHO we sin against. Not only are we terrible at owning the sin that is ours, and calling something for what it is... but forgetting that we sin not just against people, but against a holy God. Such knowledge should send us to our knees on the spot. Instead, we often walk ahead without a sideways glance, or are more concerned with righting a wrong with a person to get back to the equilibrium of peace.

That's not a bad thing to want to do-- and we should. We should also repent to the God Who created us. Sometimes, I can be so lax in doing this. I'm so concerned with my horizontal relationships that I forget about the most important one... the vertical relationship.

I was at a place several years back that I would describe as "spiritual apathy." I remember telling my mentor that I had lost my fire, my spiritual passion. I wanted it back. I also remember saying that I wasn't "feeling the weight of my sin" like I should anymore.

She told me to pray about this. I did. And God was faithful to work on me, and work on me... and work on me, until I had not choice but to face the sin in my life that was the very barrier that was keeping me from feeling the burden of my sin.

God will answer our prayers... if we pray in His will. I'm so thankful He was faithful in revealing the areas where I focused far too much on others' sins instead of my own. What a prideful position I was in.

It wasn't an overnight shift. It wasn't even an immediate revelation. It took time... years, really. But God isn't on our timetable. He's in the business of progressive sanctification. Progressive. And at times, aggressive :)

Romans 2:1 sums it up the best:

"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things."

Thanks for reading 😊

-Taryn