A Personal Life Update

Summary

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The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast

Episode: A Personal Life Update
Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: Jinger Vuolo, Jeremy Vuolo

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast provides listeners with an intimate life update from the Vuolos amidst a turbulent time involving family challenges, home maintenance woes, and the ever-evolving adventures of parenting. The tone is candid and warm, blending moments of vulnerability, humor, and thankfulness. Jinger and Jeremy reflect on recent headlines affecting the Duggar family, renovations and unexpected setbacks in their Los Angeles home, parenting three young children (including celebrating their son’s first birthday), and the grounding presence of faith and community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Family Crisis and Its Emotional Impact

• Opening Reflection (00:30–01:22):
  Jeremy references “devastation” and “recent events with family,” discussing the ripple effect of pain caused by a relative’s actions.
  • Quote: “The devastation of Joe’s behavior isn’t just the effects on Joe. It’s the effect on all those who he’s damaged…It makes me hug my kids tighter and say, well, I want to be the best father I can be for them.” – Jeremy (00:52)
• Jinger describes how family crises re-open old wounds but highlights the comfort of faith:
  • Quote: “Even in the darkness, you see that God is carrying you through…God is trustworthy and you know his Word is trustworthy.” – Jinger (01:10)
• Deeper Conversation Promised:
  Jeremy teases future episodes for a more theological analysis of the underlying beliefs and systems that contribute to ongoing family difficulties.
  • Quote: “Ideas have consequences...there are realities behind the Bill Gothard system that I think contribute to some of what we’re seeing in headlines.” – Jeremy (02:00)

2. Everyday Life & Lighthearted Updates

Mini Book Shout-Out (03:41–04:39)

• Jeremy shows off mini versions of Jinger's book, created by an Etsy artist, and gives Mikayla from @thestickershop20 a plug.
  • Quote: “Look what I have in my hands. These are mini Jinger Vuolo books...They’re the coolest little things.” – Jeremy (03:41)

Home Projects & Decor (04:56–06:56)

• Jinger shares her efforts redecorating their guest bathroom, turning to Facebook Marketplace and Amazon for the perfect vintage mirror.
• Joy and Austin (family) helped paint the bathroom “hunter green”—family togetherness and small joys are spotlighted.

The Mold Disaster & Unexpected Hotel Stay (05:54–11:17, 12:32–17:36)

• The Vuolos recount a major home crisis: a persistent leak revealed mold, causing a weeklong evacuation to a hotel with their three kids.
• Humorous Parenting Chaos:
  • Bedtime routines in one hotel room, “whack-a-mole” sleep struggles, and snack/playtime resets.
    • Notable exchange:
      • Jeremy: “It was just like this whack-a-mole of kids.” (13:13)
      • Jinger: “That literally happened a couple nights...” (13:26)
  • Reflections on minimalism (how little you really need for comfort) versus the reality of packing for kids.
  • Social media reciprocity: the community’s practical tips for handling mold are genuinely helpful.
• Dealing with the costs and anxieties of ongoing repairs. Jeremy reflects on how such moments clarify what’s essential:
  • Quote: “One thing I do like about moments like that is it reminds you how little you need to live.” – Jeremy (18:00)

3. Parenting: Triumphs, Challenges & Milestones (19:49–29:49)

Celebrating Finnegan’s First Birthday (20:06–22:13)

• Finn turned one; they reminisce about his birth and rapid milestones—walking at 9 months, backpedaling at 12 months.
  • Quote: “He started walking at nine months… He’s running now and climbing like crazy…backpedaling quickly.” – Jeremy (21:52)

Toddlerhood Trials

• Safety challenges in their multi-level, vintage home: should they use dozens of baby gates or teach Finn to master stairs?
  • Quote: “Do we baby-proof everything...or do we just live with it? And for me, I think I would get frustrated with opening baby gates every time I turn around.” – Jinger (23:28)
• Finn is a climber—unlike his sisters. He finds every hazard, requiring “constant attention.”
  • Memorable moment: Jeremy describes the uncanny toddler ability to find microscopic hazards even in a clean house. (25:21–25:59)

Parenting Joys & Cuddles

• Finn’s affectionate personality (“cuddly,” “da-da-da”) and emotional warmth of being greeted by speeding children.
  • Quote: “They get excited to see you and just run into you full speed.” – Jeremy (27:34)

4. Cherishing the Moment: Reflections on Family & Faith (29:49–41:04)

• Jeremy meditates on the value of fatherhood in light of others’ loss:
  • Quote: “It reminds you, when you see someone who’s lost the greatest treasures in their lives, it reminds you of what the greatest treasures are in yours.” (32:00)
• Sweet interaction: a “fill-in-the-blank” bedtime game with Felicity highlights the heartwarming everyday moments.
  • Quote: “I love you with all my...heart.” – Jeremy & Felicity (30:22)
• Balancing ambition (work, ministry, projects) against caution not to “obfuscate”—muddy or distract from—what’s truly valuable: family, marriage, daily joys.
  • Quote: “I don’t want them to fly by me, look back and go, man, my head was embroiled in my phone because I had these emails to send and these projects to work on…and I didn’t stop to appreciate what is really valuable…” – Jeremy (35:41)
• Family walks in their unique LA neighborhood: encounters with coyotes, horses, and owls—a portrait of their current lifestyle.

Jinger’s Reflections on Support & Perspective

• Parenting three young kids is exhausting; handling daily frustrations with grace, helped by friends and community.
  • Quote: “Really grateful for friends. Really grateful for community…when I’m having hard days…having people who really care genuinely about you…means the world.” – Jinger (38:13)
• Recent hardships have “reopened wounds from the past,” but faith and friendship provide steadiness.
  • Quote: “When trials come up, you see that God is carrying you through and you are relying on Him…There’s a deep conviction and strength that you know that God is trustworthy…” – Jinger (41:00)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Pain and Healing:

• “The pain…reopens wounds from the past…Even in the darkness, you see that God is carrying you through and…God is trustworthy.” – Jinger (00:40, 01:10)

On Parenting Hotel Chaos:

• “It was just like this whack-a-mole of kids.” – Jeremy (13:13)
• “So I turned on a couple lights and I said, everybody, you can get up. Everybody can get up. This is like what you don’t do in parenting, like give in to the kid.” – Jinger (14:10)

On Fatherhood and Simple Joys:

• “I love you with all my…heart.” – Jeremy & Felicity (30:22)
• “It reminds you…what the greatest treasures are in yours.” – Jeremy (32:00)

On the Kindness of Community:

• “When I’m having hard days…having people who really care genuinely about you…means the world.” – Jinger (38:13)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Discussing recent family pain & future topics: 00:30–03:30
• Mini-book Etsy shoutout: 03:41–04:39
• Bathroom renovation update: 04:56–05:54
• The mold disaster story & hotel stay: 05:54–09:22, 12:32–17:36
• Parenting chaos and sleep struggles: 12:47–16:31
• Celebrating Finn’s first birthday & developmental milestones: 20:06–24:00
• Challenges of toddlerhood, baby-proofing, and Finn’s antics: 24:00–27:11
• Fatherhood reflections & bedtime game with Felicity: 29:49–30:35
• Jeremy on balancing ambition and appreciating daily joys: 31:24–35:41
• Jinger on friends, faith, and perspective: 36:14–41:04

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Concluding Theme

Gratitude, Faith, and Savoring the “Sweetness of These Days”

Despite recent heartaches, home headaches, and daily parenting hurdles, the Vuolos repeatedly circle back to gratitude: for each other, for their children’s unique personalities, for kind friends and neighbors, and for the comfort of their faith. The honesty and warmth of this update offer an encouraging portrait of finding light, laughter, and community support even when life feels out of control.

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Transcript

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[Jeremy Volo]

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[Jeremy Volo]

I think even in light of recent events with family and all that, I was talking to Austin Forsyth about this. You cherish aspects of your life that you often take for granted.

[Ginger Volo]

You know, Yeah, I think it's been a hard season, and the pain that those open wounds, I think it reopens wounds from the past, and that's hard.

[Jeremy Volo]

You know, the devastation of Joe's behavior isn't just the effects on Joe. It's the effect on all those who he's damaged. But it's also his children have just lost their father. And so what does that do for me? It makes me hug my kids tighter and say, well, I want to be the best father I can be for them.

[Ginger Volo]

Even in the darkness, you see that God is carrying you through and you are relying on him. There's a deep conviction and strength that you know that God is trustworthy and you know his Word is trustworthy.

[Jeremy Volo]

We are going to take this week to give a little bit of a life update. What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Ginger and Jeremy podcast. And we are going to take this week to give a little bit of a life update. Obviously, the last couple weeks recent events have been topsy turvy, but as we're just getting it back into the pace of life just here around the Volo house, we thought we'd give you guys a little insight into where we're at today and a couple things. Okay, Ginge. First, I think in coming days there will be time for us to process some of the recent events surrounding your family, our family, from maybe like a more of a theological lens. And what I mean by that is like not just trying to be a seminary guy, but there are realities behind the Bill Gothard system that I think contribute to some of what we're seeing in headlines. Ideas have consequences. And when people believe, teach and believe certain ideas about who they are, who God is, what sin is, it has consequences. And if those ideas are false, they have dangerous consequences. So I think there's going to be in coming weeks. We're going to have that discussion or those discussions, but they're not new discussions. Sorry I'm dominating this intro, Ginge, but you've written about this in your book Becoming Free. Indeed.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. I think that that's something that keeps coming to mind a lot of the similarities of what we've walked through before, but then also what I've talked about before. And I definitely do want to touch on that. I think maybe not this week and we'll definitely circle back and have that conversation soon.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's good. So be on the lookout for that listeners. Okay, here's the other thing I wanted to mention. You ready for this, Ginge?

[Ginger Volo]

I don't know if I'm ready for this.

[Jeremy Volo]

Hey, guys, look what I have in my hands. These are mini Ginger Volo books. Look at this. I'm gonna come up with this camera. Look at these books. Do you see? They are so tiny. We gotta find the girl's name on Etsy real quick. All right, these are little books, mini books that Mikayla from the sticker shop. You can find her on the sticker shop Etsy, or I think her Instagram is thestickershop20. Check her out. She has these little books and she has little earrings. And you can see behind me framed here are some of these. I found these on the Internet and I ordered some. And then she reached out and was like, hey, noticed your last name. Are you Ginger's husband? And they're the coolest little things.

[Ginger Volo]

That is super cool.

[Jeremy Volo]

They're so tiny. Okay, just giving Mikayla a little shout out.

[Ginger Volo]

I like it.

[Jeremy Volo]

So, Ginge, how are you doing? I've got some life update questions to ask you for our people. Obviously I know the life updates because I'm living this life with you. I always think that's funny when people are like, why'd you ask her that? You know, you're her husband. I'm like, for you guys. But how are you doing?

[Ginger Volo]

I am hanging in there. Yeah, it's been. It was a long week and. And also it's good just to have normal life routines happening and so very thankful for that. I've been out trying to get our bathroom, our guest bathroom sorted. So we've had like ideas for how to decorate it for a while and I'm trying to execute all of that. So that's what I've been doing is like looking up on Amazon, looking on Facebook, Marketplace, trying to see if there's any online old mirror that would go in that Bathroom and then getting all the other accessories to complement it. So that's what I've been up to in the past 24 hours.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, it's going to look good in there.

[Ginger Volo]

I hope so.

[Jeremy Volo]

Joy and Austin, when they came out and visited, helped paint the whole thing like a hunter green.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

So it looks good. Maybe we can throw some pics up of that little Renault project. Or you put some on your.

[Ginger Volo]

I'm going to put some on Instagram, too. Yeah, I put some on there.

[Jeremy Volo]

Okay. We had. This is a big update. We got a mold issue and we were out of our house for almost six days. Went to a local hotel, and that was crazy. That was crazy.

[Ginger Volo]

Really, really crazy.

[Jeremy Volo]

When you buy an old home, there's so many upsides to a home like this. It's got character, it's got good bones, it's unique. It's that old English tutor, or maybe it's a French tutorial style. And so we love those things about an older home, but then it comes with some downsides, like maintenance.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, maintenance. Yeah. So that's part of the challenge of this home. We're very thankful for it. We're so blessed. Very thankful. And at the same time, there are these things that keep popping up. So this time it was a leak in the roof, and it came kind of through, like, what looked like it was coming through the window. This really old, beautiful stained glass window. It's like a circle one.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. Right above our front door.

[Ginger Volo]

Right above our front door. We have this really old front door that's super cool. It's, like arched, which I never want

[Jeremy Volo]

to fix, by the way. It creaks.

[Ginger Volo]

Yes.

[Jeremy Volo]

And I love that it creaks.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. Cause we're in an older style house, and so it's kind of interesting. But with that, the water leak happened, and it was basically, I think the Eve of the house is where it was coming in. So there's like a little overhang by the door. And the water came down. What? We thought it was coming from, like, midway, I guess. And so we had guys come rip that out. And they remediated the section that had water damage in the mold that was there previously. And then they put the whole thing back together and we had a very bad rainstorm.

[Jeremy Volo]

Well, thankfully we had a bad rainstorm because it revealed the leak was higher. And so we tested. I think there was two leaks is what happened. But there's so many layers to the roof there that it rains. And it's like a heavy rain.

[Ginger Volo]

Thankfully, it was one of those Rains that was blowing sideways, which is rare for LA because it's more like a drizzle or we'll have, like, a downpour, but it doesn't last that long. And this one was. It was blowing sideways, so it was able to come inside. And you could see how under that eave, it was dripping down from, like, 20ft up in our entryway.

[Jeremy Volo]

And there is nothing. If you're a fellow homeowner, you can relate to this. There is nothing worse than doing a remodel or a repair and then realizing it needs to all be taken out and redone. The worst feeling, that first day of rain. Exactly. Where the new drywall, new insulation, new everything was put in. And it's, like, leaking worse than before.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

And so we realized. Oh, man. So then we open up. Well, when we open up for the leak, you just keep opening up. And they're seeing there's more mold because of that other. That second leak. Are you kidding me?

[Ginger Volo]

And it was next to the bedrooms. And so unfortunately, when one section got pulled out, it wasn't properly sealed off, so they had to get us out of the house. So we were out of the house for. What was it, a week?

[Jeremy Volo]

It was almost about six days.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, six days. It was almost a week. And it was interesting. Like, at first, we were like, okay, we can make the most of this. We'll stay in hotel and get a decent hotel, because we don't do that all the time and make a little getaway out of it, which the kids love. It was. Yeah, it was.

[Jeremy Volo]

I mean. Or regardless that they've gone from having their own bedroom and a playroom and space in a house to one room.

[Ginger Volo]

They didn't love that part.

[Jeremy Volo]

Well, I was gonna say, as a kid at that age, you don't care. You're in a hotel. It's like an adventure.

[Ginger Volo]

They just didn't slee very well.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's the problem.

[Ginger Volo]

We were frustrated the first night because it was. Everybody was adjusting to a new, new normal. We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about COVID

[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

Oh, yeah. I remember once being at home and our neighbor's house got broken into next door, and it freaked me out. And after that, we got a home security system immediately because it matters.

[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Cure.

[Jeremy Volo]

Ginger has been drinking Cure every single day.

[Ginger Volo]

Every single day. So I am all about hydration and I typically only drink water or coffee. Like, that's it. And primarily I try to drink a lot of water. Like.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. Because it's the cleanest way.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. And especially in this season, I feel like. I keep feeling like I was feeling dehydrated for a while, so I wanted to add in electrolytes, but then I wanted something that was a little bit healthier.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. And Cure is made with clean ingredients, zero added sugar, giving you pure hydration without any of the junk, which is everywhere today. Right. So only 25 calories per serving. No added sugars or artificial sweeteners, just clean, natural hydration that keeps you feeling energized without a crash.

[Ginger Volo]

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[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

Now back to the episode. We were in a new place and it was so exciting. And so we, you know, we had kids bouncing off the beds. They were having so much fun. And then we're like, it's time for bed.

[Jeremy Volo]

The problem is they're not so Felicity's seven, Evie's five. Finn has been 11 months. Was at that time around 11 months. And they don't all go to bed at the same time.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

I mean, if you don't have kids, you'd think, oh, it's time for bed. Put the kids down and they all fall asleep. Not how kids work.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

And so One would fall asleep, the other would be half asleep, the other would be wired. So then you get the one who's wired calm while the other one's up now. And it was just like this whack. A mole of kids, you know, you're

[Ginger Volo]

just like, yeah, it was.

[Jeremy Volo]

They could not all just fall asleep.

[Ginger Volo]

It was so crazy.

[Jeremy Volo]

So you start this bedtime process at 7:30. It's 9:15, and you're going, no one's asleep.

[Ginger Volo]

They're all waking each other up. Yeah, that literally happened a couple nights. There was a friend of yours in town, and so he was actually staying at the same hotel. So you went downstairs to have, you know, a little chat with him and catch up. And I was like, go down, hang out with him. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. So you go down and I kid you not, I had all the lights off. The kids were in their pajamas in beds. The beds. All the beds in the room. And one of them just got wired.

[Jeremy Volo]

I know who it is.

[Ginger Volo]

They would not go to sleep. Would not go to sleep. So I finally, after an hour, I thought, what should I do? So I turned on a couple lights and I said, everybody, you can get up. Everybody can get up. This is like what you don't do in parenting, like, give in to the kid. But I was like, everybody, get up.

[Jeremy Volo]

Play, playtime.

[Ginger Volo]

Play for a minute. Get a snack. So they all got a snack and they played and they. And it was just.

[Jeremy Volo]

It was just a false start.

[Ginger Volo]

It was chaos.

[Jeremy Volo]

Like, the first attempt at bedtime was like, false start. Okay, we're gonna go. We're gonna. Everybody get back. We'll try bedtime again in a minute.

[Ginger Volo]

So then after that, like, I put them all back in the bed. Probably 30, 40 minutes later, they got in and they were exhausted, so they just had more energy. And I think it's part of that excitement. I know how it is. You know, you're going on a trip or something the next day, and you're just thinking about all the things you need to do, and it's hard to fall asleep. And they're in that boat because they're excited to be in a new place.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's great. And it is. I mean, Evie, especially Evie, loves bed. It's so funny to see the different personalities of the kids. But Evie loves to sleep. She gets that from me, I think. I mean, I see myself in different ways in each of the kids, but Evie loves to sleep. So when it's bedtime, she's like, yeah, done.

[Ginger Volo]

I'LL go to bed.

[Jeremy Volo]

Let's go.

[Ginger Volo]

Sure.

[Jeremy Volo]

But there are certain nights where if she's wired, we're cooked. Like, she's just gonna be bouncing off the walls.

[Ginger Volo]

Yep. Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

So it doesn't happen often. Felicity is more consistently like, I don't wanna go to sleep.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. She always has so much energy.

[Jeremy Volo]

She'll say stuff like, you know, she'll come out of bed and go, daddy, you know, I don't wanna go to bed. And you go, felicity, you gotta go to bed. And she'll go, dad, I don't know how to sleep. And you go, felicity, this is the only constant you've had in your life from the first moment you were born is you know how to sleep.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

And she'll go, I don't know how to sleep. I don't. How do I fall asleep? And she just resists sleep.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. Or she'll get up and want to help out with things around the house. She'll be like, mom, yeah. She becomes very helpful. Anything I can do. Just anything. And I'm like, well, how about you go to sleep? She's like, no, I mean, like, clean. Like, help you, you know, pick out the clothes for tomorrow.

[Jeremy Volo]

It's incredible how a child's appetite grows when they don't want to go to bed. All of a sudden they're hungry even though they didn't want to eat dinner. They become very helpful. They all of a sudden want to do things that an hour before did not tempt them at all.

[Ginger Volo]

Yep.

[Jeremy Volo]

Like sit still and read a book. They're going, dad, read me another book. You know, but those are special. Those are sweet days.

[Ginger Volo]

They are.

[Jeremy Volo]

You know, and it's. It's. It's. So we're in this hotel anyway, back to our. And one of the problems was we were trying to figure out the remediation. So, okay, they have to come back and remediate the mold. But then, because some of it was opened and they didn't know there was gonna be mold, you now have spores throughout the house. And now there's other testing that needs to be done, and then more remediation that has to happen, make sure it

[Ginger Volo]

was safe to come back to the house.

[Jeremy Volo]

So there's like three or four components to this thing where we're in contact with different mold specialists. We're in contact with our general contractor who's going to be redoing the work and all this stuff. And so we're going to the hotel, for instance. We'd go, yeah, we're going to Stay another night. And then the next day you go, ah, we're going to stay another two nights. And you go back, okay, we're going to stay another. It was one of those. So that makes it more tough because you don't know how long you're going to be there. And then you start getting those anxious thoughts of, are we ever going to go home? You know, is our home condemned?

[Ginger Volo]

Let's get rid of the house.

[Jeremy Volo]

Do we braise it to the ground? Is that the right word? Braze? Probably not. Graze, Burn it to the ground. Do you like how do you. And obviously everything's been cared for and taken care of, so it's been great. But in the midst of that, you start thinking, my goodness. And then you start looking at the hotel bill and go, goodness, every night is costing us this much money. So that was. But however, you know, one thing I do like about moments like that is it reminds you how little you need to live.

[Ginger Volo]

Yes. Or how much you need to bring to the hotel. Because yeah, we did take very little with us.

[Jeremy Volo]

I mean, we did. I'm thinking from my self centered viewpoint. I had like a pair of shoes and a shirt. You are thinking as a selfless pair

[Ginger Volo]

of pairs of shoes and a shirt. Not kidding.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, maybe in my truck. I gotta go. But you're thinking, you know what, you're right, Ginge. You had this massive suitcase of all the children's things.

[Ginger Volo]

And then how many times did I have to get clothes over and over again from the house?

[Jeremy Volo]

That's true.

[Ginger Volo]

I would go because I was trying not to do things that were in line of the. In line of the, the like situation. So I went to the dryer and I was like digging through the dryer trying to find something that would have been sealed off in there.

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, that's right. Yeah.

[Ginger Volo]

Because yeah, they sprayed and everything. Yeah. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

[Jeremy Volo]

I wonder, you know, didn't some people on the, on the GR give us some helpful tips? What's interesting about this social media world? Like obviously the people listening, we don't have the privilege of knowing everybody. Right. And so, you know, we're sitting here talking to each other in our studio and looking at a lens. But then when we post something like that on social media, people send us messages and they are so helpful, like insightful suggestions, stuff like that. So it's funny, like sharing your life on social media is this reciprocal relationship where people go, oh, you're having a mold issue. Have you thought about this or have you contacted this company or whatever and it actually turns out to be really helpful.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, for sure. I was happy for all the advice that we got. We got a ton of advice, which is really great.

[Jeremy Volo]

Sometimes you put out a life update to be like, hey, anybody dealt with this before? Yeah. So there's that. Okay. Here's a huge milestone for us in our life that we need to make everyone aware of, and that is our son Finnegan is one year old.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

It's hard to believe a year ginge has passed.

[Ginger Volo]

A year. I remember sitting in the hospital waiting to get induced thinking, when is this baby going to come?

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, yeah.

[Ginger Volo]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Function Health.

[Jeremy Volo]

As parents with young kids, sleep is a huge part of our day or a lack of sleep. And one of the very cool things about Function Health is it will tell you if you're getting enough rest by the levels of inflammation. When you take your lab tests and send them to Function Health, the report will actually show you if you're getting the rest you need, which is wild. I didn't think blood tests would tell me if I'm sleep deprived or not.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. It gives you all those results to know like, exactly what's happening in your body so you can pinpoint what you need to work on and you can boost the things that are missing. And it's just a great way to be proactive about your health.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. And through Function Health, you can really start to understand what is happening in your body. It's a comprehensive look at your health. So here's our call to action. Start by understanding what's happening beneath the surface. Own your health. For get this, it's only $365 a year, which is a dollar a day for you to understand your health. That's very cheap. Over the last few years, function started in like $600 and they've been dropping the price, making it more accessible for so many more people. That's a dollar a day. Learn more. Join Function using our link. Visit functionhealth.com ginger and use code ginger25for25credit toward your membership.

[Ginger Volo]

Now back to the episode. How has it been a year since that moment?

[Jeremy Volo]

I know, it does feel like yesterday.

[Ginger Volo]

It's insane.

[Jeremy Volo]

And what's crazy is Finn is growing so quickly. So quickly. He started walking at nine months.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

He's running now and climbing like crazy. And now he's like backpedaling quickly.

[Ginger Volo]

Yes, he backpedal.

[Jeremy Volo]

I don't know if that's a metric of child's growth. Like, when did they backpedal quickly.

[Ginger Volo]

I mean, like, he's gonna be a great.

[Jeremy Volo]

He walked at 9. He backpedaled quickly at 12 months. But the homie is agile.

[Ginger Volo]

He does. Yeah. He'll, like, back up, like, five steps. He'll just go and shuffle back. Like, it's incredible. Really fast.

[Jeremy Volo]

Okay, I have a couple questions for you.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

Toughest part about raising Finn the last year. And then most rewarding. Let's begin with the toughest walking.

[Ginger Volo]

When he started walking, chasing him everywhere. So part of the challenge is we with our house. It doesn't always go back to the house, but we love our house. Let me just tell you. And then we don't love it at times, but it has different levels to it. So we have three sets of stairs that are in the main area. Really? Four sets, but three sets, because there's, like, little step down, like.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, the older style. Yeah. So, like, you step down into the.

[Ginger Volo]

You step down into the front room. You step down into the bonus room, and then you go up the stairs into, you know, the studio where we are, or the stairs up in the other side of the house. So it's kind of separate. That's the challenge. There are four sets of stairs in our house that you have to go up and down. So we've thought about, like, do we do baby gates?

[Jeremy Volo]

And we would need to get so many babies.

[Ginger Volo]

Do we baby proof everything, like, so seriously, or do we just live with it? And for me, I think I would get frustrated with opening baby gates every time I turn around. Cause literally every entrance to every room would have the baby gate because of all the extra stairs. So we determined early on we were gonna just teach him how to go on the stairs. And that was more you, actually, because I was frustrated with him, like, constantly being on the stairs. And you said, just let him learn. And I'm glad that we did, because now, y', all, he can't go on the big stairs, but he will hold onto the rail and walk down those three steps.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. That is interesting. So typically, you teach a toddler to go down backwards, like, on their belly.

[Ginger Volo]

We tried.

[Jeremy Volo]

We've tried that. He has not adopted that. What he does is he grabs the rail and then walks down the stairs like an adult.

[Ginger Volo]

That's crazy. He is next level. So the girls did not walk until 14 months. Both of them. That's when they walked. And Finn is literally running, like you said, climbing everything. So it's just a challenge to chase him, make sure he's not putting things in his mouth. I will clean up the floor. It'll be perfectly clean. And then I'll come over and Finn has something in his mouth, like all the time.

[Jeremy Volo]

Okay, that's something we gotta talk about.

[Ginger Volo]

Like, you'll. You'll find like something that somebody dropped. If it's like a piece of food that one of the girls had just walked through the room, there's like a little piece of food. I'm like, what are you chewing on, boy?

[Jeremy Volo]

Yep.

[Ginger Volo]

And I'll open his mouth. He actually, you. You say, finn, what do you have? And he goes, he, like, opens his mouth and gives it to me. Earlier, I walked up to him and he had like this marker lid. It was like one of those tall marker lids.

[Jeremy Volo]

Saw some marker on his lips.

[Ginger Volo]

I was like, how did you get that? It was inside his toy.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. So that's the. That's the reality. Okay. If you don't have a toddler, you could look around your house floors right now, and there is nothing dangerous. No, no, I'm saying if you don't, there's nothing dangerous. But the moment you put a toddler into the space, you will all of a sudden find little plastic jagged etches that are like razor sharp sitting around.

[Ginger Volo]

Microscopic. And you go sizes.

[Jeremy Volo]

How did this get here? Why is this here? And then your toddler somehow finds it. Like the amount of times he's picked something up, I'm going, what? How did that get on the floor?

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, it's like right after the floors were vacuumed, right after they're clean. And you look down and you're like, how?

[Jeremy Volo]

I know. I think, in all seriousness, I think those things are just on our floor. We don't notice them. But then if you imagine yourself as a little toddler. No, I know, but I'm just saying it's lived in. But you imagine being a little toddler, you're down on the floor level. You're seeing everything. Like when you and I get down

[Ginger Volo]

on the floor and reach under the

[Jeremy Volo]

couch and you find stuff, and I'm just like, dude, how do you find these things? I am looking forward to when he's not going to just put everything.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

Try to taste everything. Okay. So that's the challenge is increase mobility and danger. Oh, speaking of that as well. He climbs everything.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

Our girls were not Felicity. A little more than Evie, but we're not big climbers.

[Ginger Volo]

No, she was. She was more timid and afraid.

[Jeremy Volo]

He is climbing everything. I mean, he. He will get on a chair, go on a.

[Ginger Volo]

There's like a chair in the dining room. And he climbs up on it. There's a bench. He climbs up on it. And he's. He's like average height, you know, and it's like, how do you make it up there? I don't know.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. But then he doesn't know how to get down.

[Ginger Volo]

Nope.

[Jeremy Volo]

So then you hear him go, you know.

[Ginger Volo]

Well, we're watching him at that point.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. Okay. So that takes a lot of care. Okay. What was the other question I had the most difficult, but then most cherished?

[Ginger Volo]

Oh, yeah. Just how he's so cuddly. It's funny because he's on the move and he doesn't sit very long, but when he does, he'll, like, run up to us and he'll lay his head down. He'll lay it on your knee. Or he'll just run up and, like, he'll say, da, da, da, da. And then he just runs up and he just lays his head on your shoulder. It's the cutest thing ever.

[Jeremy Volo]

I think one of the best stages of parenting, which is where he's at right now, is when they get excited to see you and they just run into you full speed.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

Like, no slowing down. They just run into you.

[Ginger Volo]

He runs into you full speed. He runs into the cabinet full speed.

[Jeremy Volo]

And you have to position your legs so that his nose doesn't hit your kneecap. Yes. You know, like. Cause he doesn't care. He's just going full speed.

[Ginger Volo]

It's so cute.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, he is a little cuddle. Right before this, right before we started recording, he just wanted to be held and sat there and I patted his back, and he puts his head on your shoulder.

[Ginger Volo]

He's so cute.

[Jeremy Volo]

Hangs out.

[Ginger Volo]

He's very smart. He's very, very smart. Very aware. Like, even when I walked up to him and he had that marker lid a few minutes ago, it was like he just. I said, finn, what do you have? And he just held it up and he walked to me and gave it to me, and he had two of them. Two of the marker he found in his toy.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. He knows he's smart.

[Ginger Volo]

Jeremy, life update. How are you doing, man?

[Jeremy Volo]

Well, I'm doing good. I. Life has been sweet. We're in a really sweet season. And I know we always say season. I don't know another adjective. We're in a really sweet period of life. I think even in light of recent events with family and all that. I was talking to Austin Forsyth about this. You cherish aspects of your life that you often take for granted. You know, So I was just talking to somebody about the kids, and it's one of our friends who just got engaged, and she said, man, I'd love to have, like, several boys. You know, like, love, love boys, would love girls, too. But she was just saying, like, would love to have baby boys. And I was sitting there thinking, like, we had two girls, and then the Lord gave us a boy. And I would have loved to just be a girl dad as well, you know, if we had another girl. I'm just thinking, how gracious and kind of the Lord to give me a son for us to experience the craziness, to experience him climbing everywhere and being nuts. I was literally thinking, we wouldn't have known what that's like if we only had girls.

[Ginger Volo]

We sit around in color all day

[Jeremy Volo]

and play with princesses. And so it's so sweet. Love, love, you know, all of it. But what a sweet gift that we wouldn't have necessarily even thought to ask for. Say, Lord, we really want two girls and a boy. Or. And so I've got my son, and I've got my two little girls. And the other night, I did this little game with Felicity where I had her fill in. And I didn't even tell her I was doing it. I just did it, and she filled it in naturally. I said, I love you with all my. And she said, heart. And then I said, and I am so proud of. She said, felicity,

[Ginger Volo]

that's so cute.

[Jeremy Volo]

And then I said, my favorite part of the day is. And she said, holding my hand in

[Ginger Volo]

the morning, that's so cute. Now you're called to.

[Jeremy Volo]

I've told her that, you know, like, this is my favorite part of the day. So sweet hearing her respond that way.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

You know, I value. I go, these are the things that I value. These are the treasures of life, you know? And it is. I'm in that stage of life where working, ambitious, you know, building, whether it's in the ministry at the university, whether it's something like this podcast, you're in that stage of life, of provision. You're thinking about things like, you got your tissues, you grabbed them with your feet.

[Ginger Volo]

Well, if I put my face in your shot.

[Jeremy Volo]

But you're at that stage of life where it's like, hey, this is the time to build. This is springtime for the Ant. You know, go to the Anto Sluggard. This is where you store up for winter in your 30s and trying to provide for the family. And that can become so consuming. You know, every night I've got phone calls and I've got text messages, I got emails, and I've got projects and I've got. And you can allow that to obfuscate.

[Ginger Volo]

What is that word? I don't know that word.

[Jeremy Volo]

To muddy, I guess.

[Ginger Volo]

Muddy the waters.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. To.

[Ginger Volo]

That's a good word.

[Jeremy Volo]

Distract. Get in the way of what the real treasures are. And not to say ambition and provision for your family isn't good. I mean, that is driven by a love for your family. Right. We were put on this earth to work. God made man and woman in his image and told them to be fruitful, multiply and keep the ground, to subdue the earth. So that's good. But I've just been thinking, you know, even in a moment, when you see children whose father is taken away from them, you know, the devastation of Joe's behavior isn't just the effects on Joe. It's the effect on all those who he's damaged and the victim. But it's also his children have just lost their father. And so what does that do for me? It makes me hug my kids tighter and say, well, I want to be the best father I can be for them, you know, and it reminds you, when you see someone who's lost the greatest treasures in their lives, it reminds you of what the greatest treasures are in yours. And so I've had a lot of those thoughts, you know, a lot of re. Evaluating what's valuable.

[Ginger Volo]

Reality checks of life. Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

And just enjoying this stage of parenthood. I mean, I do feel bad sometimes. I go off to work, and I know that you are constantly having to watch this little boy. I turned away last night for like 30 seconds, and he was halfway up the stairs. And we have these, like semicircle spiral staircases, which, you know, spiral staircases, they get real narrow on the inside track of the stairs, which when you fall, you fall, you know, and that's dangerous for him. And he's halfway up because I went to the trash can, you know, and then turned around, I'm going, man. He's taking constant attention. He's keeping you on your toes all day.

[Ginger Volo]

I sleep really good at night.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yes, you do. And you're doing such an incredible job. But in the midst of that, it's like, man, you. You and I have these little kids that we get to invest in once, you know, and it's making an impact on the rest of their life. So, yeah, just valuing, just, I guess, a bit of contemplation, you know, but enjoyment, really enjoying the sweetness of where we're at, you know? Our marriage, I think I could always be a better husband, but I think we're doing well. And our kids. I've wanted to be more consistent. You know, we pray every night, but reading the Word, singing together each night, enjoying them going on family walks. It's kind of cool. Like, where we live, we get to go on a family walk and last night, again, go on a family walk. And, you know, 30 yards down the street, a coyote's walking in the street. He starts coming toward us, and then he sees us and he runs the other way. And then we've got horses. You know, our neighbors have horses. And so you got horses. Horses in the pasture. And then you. You look up and there's an owl, a great horned owl is sitting on a telephone pole, and we're hoping he's

[Ginger Volo]

not going to swoop down and kill us.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. Speaking of that, do you know what an educated owl says? Whom? Anyway. Yeah. So it's just like, man, these are. These are special days.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

And they're days that I don't want to take for granted. I don't want to. They're going to fly by, but I don't want them to fly by me, look back and go, man, my head was embroiled in my phone because I had these emails to send and I had these projects to work on, and I. I didn't, you know, stop to appreciate what is really valuable about these days, you know, so. Because these days are. These days are sweet.

[Ginger Volo]

They really are sweet.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. Are you encouraged overall, like, in your own soul, in your own heart? Where are you at?

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, I think I'm. I'm doing good. I'm just plugging along in regular life. And I think having a good community is so helpful. So even in those very hard days that we are walking through and have walked through recently, I just look at it and say, man, it's been so difficult. And also I see, like you said, the things you value, so our family and how God's been so kind to us, and even bringing me out of a lot of those theological differences that have given me a perspective on everything in a different way that I wouldn't have had walking through that trial before. And. And friends, true friends. And I, like, that's something that you can't put a price tag on. And so when I'm having hard days, even, you know, in, like, the long days with littles who are needy, it's challenging. Like, going to the store can be really hard. You just want to, like, browse the aisle of Target and Look at items for the bathroom remodel, and the kids melt down. And that literally happened to me today, and I was starting to get a little frustrated. And then I was like, no, it's fine. Like, I don't have to do this now. It's fine. I can just come back another time. And just. I think it does put things into perspective. When you walk through hardships and. And trials and you do remember what actually matters. It's not getting that bathroom decorated. And, you know, like, you have your kids along with you and they're cranky. It's like, well, no, I can just. I can have a little extra grace. Like, it's fine. It doesn't matter. That can wait. And, yeah, it. I think I'm really grateful for friends.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah.

[Ginger Volo]

Really grateful for community. Especially in seasons like this where it's. It's been hard with all that we've had to walk through again, having people who really care genuinely about you and reach out and drop off homemade muffins at your door, do park dates, coffee run, whatever it is, those little things. And then just texting and saying, I'm praying for you, and I'm here if you need anything that means the world. And so, yeah, I think it's. It's been a hard season in the pain that those open wounds. I think it reopens wounds from the past, and that's hard. But then also, like, looking on the other side of it now, moving forward, having, you know, joy in the little things, if it's just a little thing that day that has gone well, or, you know, just watching your kid, like, watching Finn try to talk and explore new things is so fun. And I think that that is. That is such a gift. And so, yeah, there are seasons where spiritually, you'll be very encouraged and everything is, like, really deep and happy and joyful. But then in seasons of hardship and trial, I think it shows you. Even when you feel like, man, am I really living out the Christian life? Am I actually really trusting God? And sometimes it's hard to know when you're just in the thick of parenting. Cause it takes up so much of your time. You're waking moments, you're going to sleep. You're hoping you can get a hot shower at the end of the day, because there's little time, little time to focus on the Lord, on what matters. But then looking back over the scope of this time, and then when trials come up, you see that God is carrying you through and you are relying on Him. There's a deep conviction and strength that you know that God is trustworthy and you know his Word is trustworthy. And you just look at the good gifts of God even in the darkness, the little joys that he brings and gives us. And it really is encouraging to see how he's been there the whole time and he cares for his children and he draws near to us no matter what season we're in and the joys or the sorrows and parenting where it's hard and parenting when it's joyful, like he's there. And his. Yeah, the friendship with God, knowing that he's there is amazing, too. So, yeah, I don't know. That's a lot of rambling, but there's just been a lot that's happened.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, that's good. Well, yeah, God has been good. I think that's the resounding note of this little update from us. We're so grateful for all of you. The overwhelming support we've received from you guys, our listeners, has been just that overwhelming. Thousands of messages and we read them. We don't read. We can't read every single one. But it has been so encouraging. So thank you for your kindness, for your prayers. Please be praying, obviously, for those who are more even immediately affected in this situation. The children, the family. Yeah. Be praying. Grateful for you guys. Thanks for coming along with us every week and just tuning in to see. Yeah. What. What's happening in our lives and to enjoy the conversations we're having with guests and those sort of things. Super grateful for you guys and we'll look forward to seeing you next week. Just a quick break. Here's a tip. Planning your next fishing trip on TikTok, you'll find gear reviews, lake tips and local tricks. Short videos straight to the point. Download TikTok now.