July brought unfathomable tragedy to many Texans, including some just miles from my home. It feels wrong to keep on with life as usual when life has changed or even ended for many nearby. Horrific events happen around the world every day, but that unobserved reality becomes undeniable when those hardships are happening right across town. Our family is fine, and grateful for our safety, but the catastrophic floods this month cast a somber tone over my July while leaving me more appreciative than ever for life’s joys, both big and small.
|| READING LATELY ||
I did quite a bit of reading this month, with mixed results. In fiction, I read two excellent thrillers (this and this) as well two books (a romance and a mystery) from authors I’ve enjoyed in the past but who didn’t quite deliver this time. I also read an epistolary novel that is tied for my favorite book of 2025! And I DNF’d this literary novel that was beautifully written but wasn’t totally capturing my attention; the tone was off-putting, so I set it down around the 15% mark. In the read-aloud realm, the kids and I enjoyed reading this classic that I loved as a child.
In nonfiction, I learned about the dark underbelly of one business and the bright side of a totally different industry. I also explored spiritual warfare with this insightful read; suffered through this disappointing take on a childhood favorite; and studied up on digital detoxing with this book that was my Shepherd-themed/inspired book for the summer. Full reviews of each of these titles is headed your way in a couple of weeks.
|| LISTENING LATELY ||
I listened to fewer podcasts this month, but there were still a few standout episodes I’d love to share.
Focus on the Family with Jim Daly—A Hopeful View of America’s Future
The Sage Steele Show—”I Hit Rock Bottom After Getting Red-Pilled” | EP 66
|| MONTHLY KID-ISMS ||
CHARLIE-ISMS:
+ After we saw a Darth Vader-themed car and were having a conversation about what movie character we would choose as a theme for our car. “I’d have a Jesus car. . . What? I like Jesus movies!”
+ “I decided that before I run for president I should show people I have experience listening to the needs of others. So I’m going to be an entrepreneur first, and I’ll invent a glow-in-the-dark toilet so you can see it at night without having to turn the bathroom light on. After that I’ll go into politics.”
+ “I think Tiger’s Blood favor may just be a big promotional campaign for cherry flavoring.”
+ Me: “You’re such a great big brother. I couldn’t ask for better.” Charleston: “Well, you could ask, but you probably wouldn’t get one.”
+ “I can’t wait to get to Heaven. Because the more we study the Bible and history, the more questions I have for God. I think when I get old I’m going to put all my questions on a sticky note and hopefully I can take that to Hevan to ask God when I die.”
KALI-ISMS:
+ “Mama, I’m making you a lot of pictures of us so when I grow up we remember that we loved each other.”
+ When she made a mistake on a picture she was drawing: “It’s okay. Because nobody is perfect except Jesus.” (This was huge for Kali, who struggles with perfectionism.)
+ “Mom, is the future real?”
+ “How does the car know where you want it to go?” (Apparently she didn’t ever notice the steering wheel!?)
+ “Are there any words that only Jesus can say?”
SULLY-ISMS:
+ When Kali was sad that she couldn’t get Nico to stop crying. “Don’t worry Kali. His second most favorite people in the whole wide world is us. He really, really loves us.”
+ “You know that thing when you’re hot and there’s water coming out of your head? That’s happening to me!” (While pouring sweat at the playground.)
+ Telling me about some kids who were not nice to him at childwatch at the Y: “That’s how I knew they had to be my friends. Because Jesus tells us to love our enemies.”
|| HAPPENINGS & HIGHLIGHTS ||
Our Independence Day was a bust. That morning we excitedly donned our patriotic attire and headed to my in-laws’ house, with plans for fireworks at their place in the afternoon, after which we would all relocate to nearby Marble Falls for dinner overlooking the river followed by a fireworks show over the water. It’s how we spend every 4th of July and something we always look forward to. Unfortunately it rained that whole day, so we were unable to do our backyard fireworks and the big show was postponed (and later canceled). We were bummed. Only later did we find out about the devastating flooding that had happened the previous night in nearby parts of Texas and that would come to our own town later that night. Thankfully our family was okay, but there were tragedies within a mile of our house, not to mention the scores of lives lost in towns that are terrifyingly close to ours. So while we were sad to have our plans spoiled, it was NOTHING compared with the devastation that we so narrowly avoided. I held my babies tight that weekend, heartbroken for the many grieving families in our state and grateful that we were dry and safe; thankful for our amazing country, even though we didn’t get to celebrate it as we had planned, but even more grateful for the safety and well-being that I too often take for granted.
It felt strange and unfair to transition to celebration mode while many in Texas were still heavily grieving, but we had big plans for the week after the 4th and we moved forward. For the past two years, our family has attended the annual homeschool conference at Kalahari resort in the nearby town of Round Rock. The conference is close enough for us to return home after each day’s events, so we’ve never actually spent the night at the resort; but the kids have been begging to stay the night since they first spotted Kalahari’s spectacular waterparks, and way back in January, Charleston opted for a trip to the Kalahari waterpark as his big birthday gift. The only catch was that he would have to wait for the week of the convention so that we could utilize the conference discount. He’s been counting down the days for months! We spent one night at the resort, which got us two days’ admission to the indoor and outdoor waterparks. Not a bad deal!
I was extremely nervous about the waterpark portion of this trip because there were lots of unknowns and plenty of potential roadblocks to a successful trip: 1) water and I generally don’t get along well since I HATE being cold, and cold & water almost always go together; 2) I had no idea whether the twins would be able to manage any of the slides or other activities since they are not yet swimming without floaties; 3) I didn’t know what we would do with Nico at the park. Thankfully I needn’t have worried about any of those things! The water in the park was very warm and the indoor facility was kept at a pleasant 82 degrees (outside was even warmer), so I never felt cold and was actually able to enjoy the water. Luke is not a fan of waterslides, so I got to do all the big slides with Charleston, and we had an absolute blast! We did more than a dozen of them and only skipped the two very scariest ones; he was so brave!. The twins and Charleston all had fun on the kids’ playground and in the wave pool, lazy river, and outdoor pools; Kali was a little nervous to do some of the slides, but she worked her way up to them and we were all so proud of her. And Nico LOVED the park; there were several baby-friendly areas and he enjoyed being in the swings and baby seats and splashing around the shallow pools. Luke and I took turns holding and wearing him, and since the three littles were all in life jackets, we weren’t too concerned for their safety. I was impressed with how many lifeguards were on duty, and the park was not overly crowded as I’d feared. In other words, everything I’d worried about was a non-issue, and the experience was even more amazing than any of us thought it would be. We played hard for two full days and had the time of our lives.
Since were were at the parks for most of our time at Kalahari, we didn’t spend too much time in the room, which was probably a good thing: the room was fine, but our view was a total bummer (we literally faced a wall). We also had a rough night with none of the kids sleeping, including Nico (who wouldn’t sleep in his swing, so I spent a very uncomfortable night with him on the floor). BUT we had a fun dinner out at the pizza place downstairs. We brought our own food for lunches and breakfast, so that was our only meal out, and though it wasn’t fancy, it still felt special. We also just enjoyed being in the beautiful resort and were all totally enamored with the decor.
We got to continue appreciating the resort’s amazing decor for the next few days as we were commuting back and forth from home for the homeschool convention. We packed our lunches each day and had “our spot” for lunch that worked well: we got the feel of eating on the patio of fancy restaurant, but without the restaurant prices. We also took pictures with all the cool statues, explored the shops, played on the Lego wall, and took countless joy rides up and down the escalator. It felt like our vacation was extended, even though we technically were no longer staying at the hotel.
The conference itself was great. The kids spent the majority of their days at the Giant Cow Convention, where they played games, jumped on bounce houses, watched skits, sang worship songs, and had the most fun; they were all totally jazzed at every pick up. Luke and I attended nine excellent workshops that left me feeling motivated and inspired for another year of homeschooling, and I enjoyed being surrounded by other homeschooling Christian families. We spent some time walking the exhibit halls, where we spotted the Tuttle Twins booth and literally bought every single book they offer (the kids are obsessed with the Tuttle Twins show so we went into the conference with plans to buy the books; in other words, this was not a spontaneous splurge). It was fun to spot booths for Classical Conversations, Trail Life, Focus on the Family, and a few other groups we love. The kids also got books signed by Davy Liu who had left them awestruck after his presentation to the kids at the Giant Cow Convention. And I got to talk with a few of the workshop speakers and let them know how much their words and their products have meant to me.
Attending the conference workshops with Nico along for the ride wasn’t easy. We brought some toys and let him crawl on the floor at our feet during sessions, and we took turns holding/bouncing/nursing/pacing with him when he got fussy. We didn’t get to take copious notes as I’ve done at workshops in the past, and just making it through each hour felt like a workout, but we did it, and Luke and I were both glad that we made the effort.
We started up our sixth year of homeschooling this week, with kiddos in Kinder and 5th. We got off to a less-than-ideal start, made more challenging by a round of family colds and a tummy bug Nico is fighting. But we’re doing it, and I’m grateful as ever for this opportunity to be my kids mom AND their teacher.
|| ICYMI: JULY ON THE BLOG ||
LIFE & REFLECTIONS
Just Asking “From the types of questions that we ask, to our motivations for asking them, to the way that questions are posed, a seemingly simple question can say a lot about the question asker, the one being questioned, the situation at hand, and—most importantly—the state of the questioner’s heart.“
How Have You Changed in the Last 10 Years? “Nobody is making me think about—let alone write about—how I have changed in the last ten years. It was meant to be a fun little prompt, not an existential crisis. But it was a prompt I really did want to write about, even if it might not be easy. The fact that I was experiencing SO MUCH resistance was a sign that it would probably be an especially healthy exercise for me to push through.”
How I Have Changed in the Last Ten Years “The challenges are greater, but everything about my attitude and my approach to those challenges has changed, and that has made ALL the difference. Parenthood doesn’t feel light or easy, but it is certainly lighter and easier than ten-years-ago-Kendra would have imagined it could be.“
Nickelson Ryan || Eleven Months Old “The conference was not the “mini parent vacation” that it has been in past years. But being there with you—the baby who felt like an impossible dream two short years ago—was nothing short of surreal, and worth every minute of distraction.“
What do “they” owe us? (A thoughtful approach to content creation and consumption.) “The world of 2025 is heavy on facts [knowledge] but light on discernment [understanding] and even lighter on wisdom [Christ-guided application]. We can easily top off our knowledge cups via a quick TikTok video or Substack binge, but only time spent with God and His Word can supply us with wisdom. “
Year Six of Homeschooling: Our Plans for 5th Grade and Kindergarten “I love the family time that it allows—that I get to spend my days with my children, and that they get so much time with each other—and the opportunities it provides for shaping my kids’ spiritual, academic, and social education. Homeschooling is challenging and imperfect and an ongoing exercise in trusting the Lord’s guidance AND I remain incredibly grateful that we have the privilege and ability to do school in our own unconventional way.”
BOOK CORNER
Bookish Considerations: A few thoughts on The StoryGraph. “You might be wondering: if Goodreads and The StoryGraph have so much overlap, and if I’m not using a number of The StoryGraph’s exclusive features, why have I continued to stick with both platforms? The answer has everything to with book data.“
|| A PROGRAMMING NOTE ||
We are heading into a very busy season for our family, with our return to school and various school activities, some new volunteer opportunities for me, and big birthdays for Nico and Kali and Sully. Looking ahead to all that is on my plate, I realize that something needs to give, and right now that means I need to take a small step back from blogging. I want to keep up with this space that is so meaningful for me (and I hope for many of you), but I want to be able to do so in a way that feels fun rather than fatiguing, and right now the twice-weekly posting schedule is getting to be a lot.
Moving forward, I will be posting just once each week. You can expect a regular post from me every Monday. I am dropping my regular Thursdays posts BUT I will continue to deliver a Quick Lit post to you on the second Thursday of each month. I will also be sharing these Lately posts on the first of every month, regardless of what day of the week the first happens to fall on.
Thank you so much for continuing to read and for sticking with me through all the changes over the years. Your readership means the world to me!
How close are you to the Guadalupe River? That’s so frightening! I don’t know where you live, but somehow I assumed that you must be on the outskirts of a big city, somewhere else in the state. Imagine, you were going to celebrate the 4th on the banks of the River!!!
I can’t wait to read your review of The Correspondent, I just read it also, as well as Broken Country! LOVED Correspondent, it’s my Best of 2025 so far.
We live in Liberty Hill, which is about 45 minutes North of Austin. We aren’t near the Guadalupe River, but the river a couple miles from our house flooded and there was significant damage and a few lives lost in our town. So sad.
I just loved The Correspondent! Totally get why everyone is saying it’s their favorite, I’m with the crowds on that one. What did you think of Broken Country?
I’m a little conflicted, because I feel like I have to give a book points for being compelling, I definitely wanted to keep reading this, I had to find out! I finished it within a day. The storyline was interesting, or at least Kept My Interest, but isn’t that what a soap opera does? This was set in farm country England, but still, it had all the drama of a soap. People are acting like it’s new and different, in terms of extreme anguish and loss, (a Love Triangle, oh the angst!) but it isn’t. The actual writing didn’t stand out to me, and I didn’t like the quick back and forth, “Before” and “1968”, it was confusing and disorienting.
And I was totally on Team Frank, I will go with the boy next door, who everyone KNOWS (in all the important ways) over the tall, dark, handsome, mysterious (rich) stranger any day! These mysterious strangers are unknowable and therefore suspect, or at least in terms of their past history, or lifestyle (see Max de Winter, in Rebecca). It was ALL sexual chemistry! What part could she have possibly played in Gabe’s world, it wouldn’t have worked out. But even Frank seemed almost too good to be true. Actually, a lot of the situations in the novel seemed all out—-Beth loved BOTH men to the extreme, they were BOTH desirable in every way. They both loved her like crazy, no matter what (and why?). Frank loved his brother Jimmy to the nth degree, no brother ever loved another more. And everybody loved Bobby like crazy, the child had no faults, and he changed everybody (charmed child of Gabriel’s, of course!) And then even NINA, the girlfriend of Jimmy, bartender that she was, was loved to an impossible degree by everybody. There were a lot of extremes in the novel.
But then, the real crux. Beth’s morals. I didn’t exactly hate her, but I sure did question her actions. Wow. “Oh, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t….Oh well, OK! Let’s do it! I can’t help myself! I love you both! After all, You’re my first love!” She kept saying later how much she was at fault, how terrible she felt, but I wasn’t ever seeing any real evidence of that. If she had it to do over again? Yeah, i think we know what she’d chose! I just couldn’t fathom her infidelity, and while still living with Frank! Even as he allowed it!!!??? Crazy. And knowing what was about to (probably) happen was like watching a trainwreck in slow motion……you just couldn’t believe she would sacrifice all she had achieved with Frank…..(spoilers ahead, if anybody else is reading this!) And honestly, he married her knowing she was pregnant with another man’s child and he dealt with Bobby as his own. THAT right there puts him on the plus side of GOOD, with BIG EXTRA POINTS. (actually this very thing happened to my grandmother in the 30s. She got pregnant from a man she thought was going to marry her, and she was in love with him, but when he found out, he dumped her. So she went to another past boyfriend who always liked her and told him her plight. He married her and took her home with the new baby, passing it off to his parents as his own. His parents considered her a slut, anyway. He never let on to that boy. My mother was born 3 years later, and never knew until her parents had both died.)
Also, it was Beth who should have volunteered to go to jail, not Frank. !!
So, anyway, I give points to the author for writing a book that people are going to eat up, but I can’t condone Beth’s behaviour, or even want to read about it. It was sleaze. It was shameful and yet put out there as a true conundrum (what should she do??), when in fact, it wasn’t. She said wedding vows with FRANK. She was a CHEATER and BETRAYER.
Also, I didn’t like the cover. That house represented neither the Meadowlands Estate OR Blakely Farm. What is this neglected looking property? Gloomy, too.
My thoughts!
Thanks so much for sharing, and I agree entirely. Definitely a page turner but not at all the masterpiece that everyone is saying it is, and I hate the celebration of infidelity (and that most readers seem to think this is a legitimate love story). I was also Team Frank, the only decent character. I hadn’t noticed the extremes but you’re right, how very “soap opera.”
Wow, that’s incredible about your grandmother!