Those Darn Monkey Bars

Monkey bars are the enemy for a child with one hand and a short arm. It’s always been something Jordan and I mention in a joke when she introduces herself. I say, “Jordan can do everything… but sometimes she does it different.” Then she says, “Except monkey bars. I just can’t do monkey bars.” It…

Read More +

Friendship trumps logic

Third grade seems a little young… but friendships are a very important part of Jordan’s life and her self-confidence. I’ve tried to analyze her recent behavior challenges in school and I realize a lot of it leads to her hopes to be liked by everyone. It is fascinating to me because she’s spent more of…

Read More +

Even Jordan gets nervous in new situations

I had mentioned earlier this week that Jordan was jumping into cross country. She jumped into all kinds of running events in the last year and wants to join in on kid triathlons next year. I’m really excited for her because she’s turning into a great runner and cross country is a fun way to…

Read More +

A Community Comes Together for Aiden

Something pretty special is happening in my town these days. It starts with a no-so-great-reason. In January of this year, a second grader from Columbia, Missouri named Aiden, was diagnosed with a really crummy form of cancer. It’s called medulloblastoma. Surgeons were able to remove a tumor from his brain stem but they couldn’t get…

Read More +

Disney, American Girl, Legos, Oh My!

This past weekend was full of family, friends and many big brands. It’s kind of wacky how busy and fun filled we packed into less than 72 hours. The fun started when I got an email from Disney saying I moved into the second round in the search for members of the Disney Parks Moms…

Read More +

Summer Goals

It’s officially summer break for us and I’m hoping we can find ways to the kids to keep learning even if they aren’t in a classroom. Jordan has grown into a great reader in the last year but for some reason, it hasn’t translated into her becoming an excellent speller. For some reason, when she…

Read More +

Growing a friendship with pencil and paper

When Jordan came home from her week out of town, we had our hugs and our smiles and then Jordan went straight to the mailbox. She loves being the person who grabs the mail (who doesn’t, really). In a rare moment… She actually had a letter that was addressed to her! A penpal letter! This…

Read More +

Special friends

Our house is full of friends and happiness. It’s March Madness… For years, we’d go to my brother-in-law’s house in St. Louis to watch many screens, laugh and enjoy our awesome friends. He moved a while back and luckily, we’ve been able to remain connected to his (and now our) wonderful friends. In the last…

Read More +

Special connections

There’s something about being the parent of a child who has differences in any way that makes you feel connected to other parents. That’s why I want to share this special video about a little boy named Bennett. Bennett’s mom, Breck, went to school where I teach. We have mutual friends but I never really…

Read More +

An exciting visit

While we’re spending time with family, we had a chance to meet a friend who we know through this blog! K is a sweetheart and we’re so lucky Jordan and the rest of our family got to spend time with him and his mom. The best part, the two little ones treated each other like…

Read More +