A few months ago, we shared the goals we set for 2026 as a family. Some felt ambitious, some felt overdue—but all of them mattered. Now it’s time for an honest check-in. Not everything has gone perfectly. Some areas are ahead of schedule, others… not so much. But overall, we’re making real progress—and that’s the point. Let’s dive in.
Finances
This continues to be our top priority for 2026—and we’ve hit a major milestone. We are officially debt-free (outside of our future home). Since our last update, we paid off our final car loan, which means all consumer debt is gone. That’s a huge win for our family and something we don’t take lightly.
With that behind us, we’ve shifted focus toward the next big step: building our home. We’ve hired an architect and officially started the process of bringing that vision to life—something Emily has been especially excited about.
House
The home-building process is officially underway—and as expected, it’s been both exciting and time-consuming. Emily has taken the lead here, coordinating Zoom calls with our architect to make sure every detail aligns with our vision. We recently received our first set of renderings and spent time reviewing what we love and what we want to tweak. She has a follow-up call scheduled this week to refine those changes.
On the day-to-day side, we’ve been battling a different kind of challenge: toy overload. Seriously—where do they all come from? We’ve made it a habit to sort through toys every couple of weeks to keep things under control. The boys only have two hands, after all… there’s a limit to how much chaos we can justify.
Travel
We’ve got our first trip of the year coming up, and I’m counting down the days. Over Memorial Day weekend, we’re heading to Colorado. The highlight will be visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park, which will be Macklin’s first National Park—matching MJ’s first visit, just like we hoped.
Before that, we’re planning a stop at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri, and we’ve also got a Kansas City Zoo trip lined up for June. It feels good to finally see this category coming to life.
Family
This area has been a mix of progress and setbacks. We’ve done a great job staying consistent with reading the Bible chronologically, though we hit a pause this past week due to a family situation. Now that things have settled, we’re ready to get back on track. MJ has made noticeable progress in reading and writing, which has been fun to watch.
Where we’ve struggled: Healthier food choices (picky eaters don’t make it easy) and consistency in nightly prayer. Full transparency—I haven’t used our prayer wall in months. That comes down to simple habits (or lack of them), not lack of intention. If there’s one area I want to improve in the next stretch, it’s this.
Content Creation
This has been one of the most exciting areas of growth. We’ve made major progress on the content space in Emily’s office—painting, adding lighting, bringing in a clothes rack, a mirror, and decor. It’s starting to feel like a real, functional space. We’re not 100% finished yet, but we’re close—and that momentum has made a big difference
Michael: Personal & Professional
I’ve made solid progress—but not as balanced as I’d like. Running has been a big win. I’m currently at 179 miles for the year, working toward my goal of 600. That puts me slightly behind pace, but still about 100 miles ahead of where I was this time last year, which is a big improvement.
Where I need to step it up: reading. I haven’t been consistent, and without a clear plan, it’s easy to let it slide. That’s something I need to fix if I want to hit both personal and professional goals.
Emily: Personal & Professional
Emily has been all-in on improving her workspace. She’s cleaned out and repurposed multiple rooms, including transforming the old X-ray room into her content space. Now she’s working on organizing additional storage as we prepare for future home purchases.
She’s also made great progress with her health by consistently prioritizing daily steps—and it’s paying off. In the last year, Emily has lost about 50 pounds. This is a huge win for her!
Looking Ahead
At this point in the year, we’ve seen both meaningful wins and clear areas for growth. It would be easy to celebrate the progress and take our foot off the gas—but that’s not how big goals are achieved. They require consistency. Repetition. Discipline—especially when it’s not convenient. We’re committed to staying focused, pushing through setbacks, and continuing to move forward. We’ll check back in again at the halfway point of the year.
If you're interested in reading more about our goals, click HERE to read how far we've come since January!
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