Category: Uncategorized
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When Trauma Whispers Instead of Shouts
Trauma has a way of sneaking up on you. One minute you’re driving home from soccer practice, singing along to the radio, and the next you’re blindsided by a memory from a previous life—one that brings you to tears without warning. If you have any understanding of adoption through the…
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Keeping the Magic (and Meaning) in Christmas
If you know, you know. Anyone else’s photo reel look like this? When we first started this tradition, it felt like one more way to bring a little extra magic into the holidays for our boys—boys who hadn’t always experienced very magical holidays. In fact, when Boy2 was just five…
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It Takes a Village
According to Google AI, the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” is widely believed to originate from African proverbs. Its exact source may be unknown, but the sentiment reflects a beautiful, long-standing truth — raising children has always been a collective effort. When we adopted the boys,…
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Embracing the “Firsts” We Do Get
I was scrolling through old photos of the boys the other day. We’re coming up on our three-year anniversary as a family—a day we celebrate as “Family Day.” (Adoption day is in August.) It’s one more reason to be thankful in November. Looking at those pictures, I couldn’t help but…
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Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone: How I’m Doing with Homeschooling
“But how are you?” I get asked this almost as often as I’m asked how Boy1 is doing with homeschool. And it’s a fair question — how am I doing? I thought about homeschooling Boy1 for a long time before actually making the leap. The biggest obstacle for me was…
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Learning What Works: Homeschool Adjustments with Boy1
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about homeschooling Boy1 is the flexibility. I talked about this in a previous post — Teaching the Way He Learns — and believe it or not, we’ve already made some adjustments! In just a few short weeks, I’ve learned so much about what…
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When Your Brain Goes “Hoo-Hoo”
Lately, Boy1 has been raising a finger to the side of his head, twirling it around, and saying, “hoo-hoo” — that familiar gesture for “crazy.” It makes me giggle every time, but it also tugs at my heart a little. I can’t help but wonder if he’s more aware than…
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Teaching the Way He Learns
It’s happening — we’ve officially made the call to homeschool Boy1. It’s a mix of emotions right now: grief over saying goodbye to the wonderful elementary school experiences we’ve had, excitement about the new opportunities ahead, and a fair amount of anxiety about figuring out this new path. Boy1 is…
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When the School You Love Isn’t the Right Fit
When we bought our home, one of my biggest requirements was that we stay in the area of our current elementary school. That choice also kept us zoned for the nearby middle and high schools, both with solid reputations. Our family has truly been fortunate to be part of such…
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Balancing the Needs of All Our Children
Something we don’t always talk about—whether we’re living as special needs parents ourselves or supporting friends who are—is that many of us are also raising kids with typical needs. Our identity isn’t only “special needs parent”; it’s one of many hats we wear. And with that comes the responsibility of…
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