Quick Calzones with Store-Bought Dough — The Boys Take Over the Kitchen

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If you didn't know, Aldi has a ready-to-bake pizza dough they sell right in the store — and it's actually pretty good. We've used it a couple of times now and it's become our go-to for a quick lunch that gets the boys involved in making their own food. This time around we put it to work on calzones, and let each of them build their own from start to finish.

Tytus, Ezra, and Kyle all got in on it — and let me tell you, the personality differences between these three showed up immediately the moment they started choosing their fillings.

Serve - Love Your Neighbor!

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Another Saturday well spent — feeding neighbors and showing up for the community.

Every first and third Saturday, Tytus and I show up to cook. No matter what the weather is doing, no matter what else is on the schedule — we load up the gear and we go. It's become one of the most important things we do together, and honestly one of the things I look forward to most on the calendar.

The command is simple. Love your neighbor. For us, that looks like firing up a grill in a parking lot, standing over a smoker for hours, or setting up an assembly line to make sandwiches for a crowd. Food is how we serve, and food is how we connect.

Stephanie's New Job - From The ER To School Nurse

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Three years in the ER, through a pandemic, and she landed exactly where she was supposed to be.

I want to take a minute to brag on my wife, because she deserves it.

Stephanie just landed a new job as a school nurse — and if you know what she's been through over the last three years to get here, you understand why this is such a big deal. Three years working in the Emergency Room. Three of those years overlapping with a global pandemic. The things ER nurses dealt with during that stretch — the hours, the weight of it, the decisions made under pressure — most people have no real frame of reference for what that actually looks like up close. Stephanie does. She lived it, and she handled it with grace every single time.

Ezra Takes On Karate — And He's Not Stopping

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Ezra decided earlier this year that he wanted to take karate. That announcement caught us off guard — which, if you know Ezra, is kind of the whole thing. When he decides he wants to do something, it comes from him completely. No outside pressure, no one suggesting it. He made up his mind and told us what he wanted.

We said yes immediately. And then we watched to see what would happen.

A Few Months In — And He's Still Going

Here's the thing about Ezra: when something isn't working for him, he lets you know. So the fact that he's been going consistently, sticking with it week after week, and genuinely looking forward to class — that tells us everything we need to know. He loves it. And he's not just showing up — he's progressing.

🥋

Showing Up

Consistent attendance, every class, no complaints

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Stripes Earned

Multiple stripes added to his belt — progress is real

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Belt Advancement

Already moved up a belt level in just a few months

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Home Practice

Grandma & Grandpa got him a punching stand — he uses it

Family Kitchen — Life is Full, Groceries Are Expensive, and We're Not Compromising on Food

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Where it all happens — the family kitchen, the planning zone, and the place everyone ends up eventually.

Let me check in with you for a minute, because life is full right now and that's actually a good thing to talk about.