The Scary Parts of Honesty and Social Media

Sometimes social media makes me feel bad. Specifically Instagram. Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing adorable kids, beautiful homes, and flawless faces…but…sometimes I feel a little less than perfect. Just last night I searched the hashtag #19weekspregnant and was hoping to see baby bumps that looked like mine. I saw perfectly toned and tan women in crop tops with six packs. That’s not me. And as much as I want my 37 year old, mother of 3 body, to be perfect, right now it’s packing on weight like a…

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The Perfect Christmas Ornament

The most beautiful ornaments are the ones that were never meant to be an ornament. Looking back we always had big family Christmas celebrations with my husband’s family, celebrating what was and is really important…having a family that loves you for who you are. My husband’s family have always been our biggest supporters, our voice when we were unable to speak, and our spine when we felt like falling. They never saw us as the family with the broken kids but as the family who was theirs and kept doing…

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Christmas is Changing

When I dreamt of Christmas with my daughter, I pictured so many things. Simple things really. Christmas movies, Christmas shopping, hot chocolate after ice skating. Sure, we can do those things but gosh they are hard or there is almost always a fall out. The timing of the fallout has changed over the years. I would like to think it is learning to tolerate the outside world or maybe its age. Christmas isn’t typically a joyful time of year around here. Christmas in general is loud and busy. Two things…

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Learning, Growing and Embracing

Last weekend I was driving myself and my three sons home from my mom’s house in Wisconsin. We had just celebrated Christmas and my SUV was packed to the brim with toys, leftovers, and love. The sky was dark as I navigated the backroads I’ve driven home for 30-some years. I remember being a little girl and dozing as my parent’s car bounced over the same bumpy roads. Only this time I was the parent, and I had two sleeping boys in the seat behind me, and one more awake…

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Brotherly Love

Last night, Sawyer had a tough time. He was overtired and overstimulated and the day just got too long for him. Christmas can be hard for little ones. When he gets like that, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. Instead of going to bed, he sat angrily in his room and yelled at anyone who dared to enter. It’s best to just let him cool off. Cooper was so confused as to why his brother wasn’t coming to bed with him though. He doesn’t understand Sawyer’s complicated emotions…

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We are the Lucky Ones

This morning, after all the presents were opened, and the egg bake was in the oven, I sat down to drink my luke warm coffee and peek at social media. I came across a message from a women I didn’t know. She sent me a poem by Erma Bombeck. One I had read many times before. But I found myself blubbering into my coffee anyways. Huge crocodile tears running down my face. Her words came to me exactly when I needed them. And they went straight to my heart. My…

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Christmas Day 2020

I have really great kids. I’m not sure if I say that enough. But this morning reminded me how lovely these three boys truly are. We had the best morning. Cooper starting asking me three months ago for 4 movies about Toy Trains. A series. They are the preview on all of his current train movies. And how does a nonverbal kiddo ask specifically for four movies? Well, he uses his iPad to take photos of the advertisement. His iPad is linked to my iPhone. Every day I have to…

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Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve from our family to yours. Took 50 outtakes to get a good one! You can’t tell but this was a high stress moment for Coops. We are all counting down the minutes until bedtime and SANTA! Also, check out Jamie’s jammies. I ordered them for Cooper for his birthday and must have clicked the wrong size. No worries though. They fit dad! He was thrilled I promise. Although he did say let’s never speak of these again. Time to wrap presents! Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe,…

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A Christmas Gift

Our Christmas in photos…For as long as I’ve known my son, trying anything new or different has been a no. I have pictures to prove that at one time he tried foods sorta willingly. An adorable blonde haired baby covered head to toe in spaghetti sauce, the high chair tray speckled with some green vegetable. But one day that all stopped. Almost seemingly overnight. He would scream and cry at the sight of an apple or an egg. All but 5 foods were pushed away in anger. Substitutions were not…

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Waiting for the Magic

Our Christmas in photos… Cooper is a concrete thinker. He sees, therefore it is. Abstract thoughts are harder for him to grasp and understand. Like time. Danger. Things you can’t see or feel. Magic. He’s also a yes man. So anything you ask him…he will ultimately say yes. And while many times the correct answer is yes…often it’s not. Like when I ask him and his younger brothers incriminating questions. ‘Did you make this mess Cooper?’ The answer is always yes. Even when I know for a certain that his…

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