Encouraging thoughts for Moms

    My daughter will be five in July and she can light up a room just by walking into it! She is a performer, she is funny, and she is just fun to be around. Many of her qualities I wish I had in my own life. She loves with her whole heart, and that girl loves Jesus! Deep down to her core, she lives for Jesus! But she also struggles...greatly. We are coming up on the one year mark to her diagnosis and I sit here still in disbelief but also humbled that we are walking this road. Last year, I started to notice things in her that I did not think were normal. In my momma's mind, I did not want to think there was something wrong with my child but the outcome was getting more painfully obvious by the day. I can remember one day we were doing dance class via Zoom (Thanks, Covid), and I was right next to her doing it with her. One second she was laughing and having fun, the next second - she was gone. Her eyes glazed over, she was unresponsive, and just in outer space. I yelled her na...

    My son is now two and a half and is brilliant, athletic, caring, and funny. He's a perfect fit in our family. However he has struggled with speech since he was about 18 months old. It started with unbearable ear infections, one every two to three weeks to be exact. It was a rough winter - full of all-nighters, antibiotics, and fear of when the next one would hit. Luckily we were able to have tubes put in just before the pandemic started. While the tubes have helped tremendously, his speech took a significant hit. Up until he was two years old, everything was just pointing and grunting. The tool man grunt was cute for a while...until it became a concern. He's currently in virtual speech therapy and has come a long way, but is still delayed compared to other kids his age. It's still hard to understand him and my heart goes out for him. He gets frustrated, angry, and melts down when nobody gets what he's trying to say. A few days ago, our Amazon Echo was playing music ...

    If you're a toddler mom, like myself, you've probably seen both Frozen movies at least a dozen times. You can easily recite lines and sing along to every word of every song. My daughter owns at least three themed dresses and on occasion, gives us an entire recap of each movie in song and dance form. One of her favorite songs, and mine as well, is the song "Into the Unknown". There's some sort of magical spirit that calls Elsa to seek out more adventures and her heritage. Right before we belt out the chorus, we sing the words "I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you." Last summer, I took my kids to the little amusement park in Fond Du Lac. My daughter, who is completely fearless by the way, insisted on going on the little mini roller coaster. I hesitantly agreed knowing it might be too scary for her. She got right on, buckled up, and gripped the handles for dear life. The ride started and fear was written all over her face. While I was ...