I’ve seen a lot of posts today and yesterday that have said that sending thoughts and prayers is not useful. And while I agree that prayers alone aren’t solving the issues in our very broken country, I just have to say, as a parent who has a small idea of what those 17 sets of… Continue reading Praying Because It Works

Lately, the weather has been beyond cold. When you start getting excited about it finally being 20 degrees, you know it’s been just too dang cold. Of course, with the cold has come little bursts of snow. Nothing major, but still. Seeing that layer of white cover the ground. Feeling that cold air freeze my… Continue reading With the Cold Comes Memories

Our little showstopper has her second dance recital this weekend. She even got to do a dance with daddy. She did so amazingly (Patrick did too). As I watched her dance, I filled with pride. She smiled, she knew all the steps, and she was a joy to watch. My usually overly shy child shone… Continue reading Dance, Baby, Dance

Our family always does holidays big. Patrick and I are continually trying to make sure that Madeline can look back on her childhood and see the magic. We want her to have memories of all of the special traditions that we have started with her and will continue for years to come. Halloween is no… Continue reading The Missing Trick-or-Treater

Madeline is convinced she is a superhero. So much so that she is going as Supergirl for Halloween this year. I’m hoping that her superhero skills serve her well. She is brave. She is strong. She is always trying to do the right thing. It is no mystery that kids, especially girls, can be cruel… Continue reading Superhero Skills

A seventeen-year-old girl in a neighboring suburb took a gun into a school bathroom on Friday and ended her life. I have so many thoughts rolling through my mind about this right now, and I’m not sure any of them are going to be all that coherent, but please try and hear me out, I… Continue reading You Matter

Friday night we went to the Kansas City Royals game. Something we have done so many times before, both as a couple and as a family of three. But this time felt different. This time felt nostalgic. This time felt like something was ending. There was no playoff chase. There was no hunt for a… Continue reading Forever Royal