Leading the Blind

I have been a mother for almost 6 years now, and one thing motherhood has taught me is that raising kids is full of highs so high you think it can't get any better, and lows that make you feel like you're scrapping the bottom. And sometimes all those highs and lows can come at once.  One of the hardest things so far about raising Christian has been the fact that he is beginning to desire independ ence from me, but independence doesn't come so easy with a child who is blind. Don't get me wrong, that's part of it. If we raise kids well, then they won't need us one day, right? As hard as that is, it's just part of it. And as mothers, our hearts break and rejoice all at once as our children gain independence and come into their own. But with Christian it's different. He is at the normal stage in his development where he desires independence. He asks to do things himself with his sweet little words, "Want Christian to do it." He lets go of my hand a...

Hey guys! My book, Through the Eyes of Hope , releases on January 10th and I am so excited! This book is our story of faith, struggle, doubt, and hope. I am honored to be able to continue to share our family’s story in this way. It is a dream come true to watch this all unfold! Launching this book is going to take a group effort, and I would love your help! We’re putting together a launch team and I want you to be a part of it! What is a Launch Team? A launch team is a group of devoted readers and supporters from ten to 500 in number–who are assembled online. They are the ambassadors for the book and given specific tasks that set them up as on-the-ground marketers to help spread the word about the book. What is Your Role We would love your help promoting the book through the following channels: Sharing about the book on your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat). Sharing about the book on your blog (but having a blog isn’t a requi...

Christian & Chris Ulmer My family was honored with a special opportunity this past weekend. We got to meet Christopher Ulmer with Special Books by Special Kids   and be interviewed by him! Christian did a great job being interviewed and Chris really captured Christian's joyful spirit and laughter! (You can watch that interview here .) The video got over a million views in less than two days, which is awesome! But lots of exposure also always seems to bring out those who are jerks  not so supportive. *sigh* It always depends on the situation how I respond to these things. Sometimes I just don't at all, for the sake of our safety or if something just seems really off. However, when appropriate, I have decided that I won't sit by and stay silent. Maybe it's the lawyer in me, but I don't feel like change will ever happen if no one speaks up. It's bigger than Christian. Christian isn't the only person who has been targeted and run down based on their...

We were getting dressed for a fancy, red carpet event. We had been invited to a benefit concert where Christian would go on stage, adorning bow tie and all, and play piano for the crowd. The show was a fancy ordeal, and it was important that we dress well and look put together. My friend was hosting the concert and it was an honor to be invited. At the very least, I had to make sure that we looked the part because we were representing her and her tremendous efforts to put this event together. We HAD to represent her well. The boys were dressed in black pants, button up shirts, and bow ties adorned with music notes. I wore a dress that I can't wear too many places because it's a touch to "fancy" if you will, but it was gorgeous. My hair and makeup were done up and I felt, well, you know how you feel when you dress up and your hair does good and your makeup goes on well, and you just feel like walking a red carpet?! Yep! I felt ready to walk down that red carpet, get ...