My Little Hero A Walkin

Some people go their whole lives without meeting their heroes. But I gave birth to mine and get to hug and kiss her everyday. I feel so blessed that The Lord granted me such an incredible privilege!

Yesterday I helped Riley walk into school as I dragged her wheelchair behind. That is when her teacher Miss McGown happened to mention that maybe she didn't need the wheelchair at all for school! I thought about it all day yesterday and realized she's in a safe place where she doesn't have to quickly walk long distances and in case of an emergency they would just pick her up anyway. So I was excited to give it a shot.

It really is quite remarkable that in just a few short months Riley has gone from doing almost no walking at all, to being the cutest half waddler, half stomper you ever did see. She still needs the chair in many situations and she needs help with transitions getting up from the floor. But I think she is officially a walker! Since two doctors said that would never happen, it is truly amazing and today was the most remarkable part of her story so far!

Today I was overcome with emotion to witness a miracle. I got Riley out of the car, put her backpack on and she walked by herself into school leaving her wheelchair behind! I was so ecstatic and in awe that I didn't even get a picture! But it is a moment I will never forget! I just had to press my face up against the window to watch her walk all the way into her class as tears rolled down my face. Those were the tears of pure joy representing all the therapy hours, all the practice at home, all the thousands of prayers said on her behalf and all the determination and drive in that little 28 pound body!

I'm so thankful that Riley is such a fighter and that she works so hard with a smile on her face! I'm so thankful for all the many people on her team who have played a roll in getting us to this point! And I'm so thankful that God is so good and that He continues to pour out His blessings upon us! The best part is I know this is just the beginning!

At least a got a good video of her walking after school...

And then we had a good little Fro-Yo celebration at Tutti Frutti after school! How cute is my little hero?!

Keagan's First Day

Miss Keagan has been waiting for her first day of school for weeks! She had such a hard time falling asleep last night, woke up early this morning and could barely eat her breakfast! She couldnt stop dancing and jumping around enough to get dressed on her own but I did negotiate mismatched socks instead of mismatched shoes as is "her style."

Once we were at school and to her dinosaur class, I had to call her back to give me a hug and a kiss. She was just so excited!

When I picked her up she had so much to tell me about her fantastic day! That was new and so fun for me as last year I had to dig info out of her. My favorite was when she told me about circle time. She couldn't remember what all they talked about so I asked "the weather?" The response from my big girl "mooooom. We don't talk about the weather anymore! That was last year!"

She was all smiles and looked so big and so old to me! Growing in so many ways right before my eyes!

Rockin It

This morning when Keagan woke up, a smile spread over her face and she asked "Do I have school today?" She didn't. But she had the next best thing, meet the teacher. It was great! She befriended a cute set of shy b/g twins and was excited to see old friends. She had to be pulled away from the sand table and loved checkin out the whole new playground put in over the summer. We love John Wesley Child Development so much and she is gonna rock her year as a Dinosaur with Miss Reeves and Miss Harding!








When I picked up her sister from school, Riley walked all the way outside while rockin her backpack! That must really make her feel like a big girl and like the other kids, cause she was giddy! She was upset to take it off to get in her car seat, and wanted it on immediately after getting out of the car. She proceeded to walk around the house for 30 mins with it on, just giggling the whole way! She then refused to take it off to get in her high chair for her snack!











Tonight we had a fantastic time eating dinner at our darling new friends house, the Ellsworth's. Keagan and Kennedy are such cute friends at church and Kennedy's older sisters Gabby and Jenna were beyond fun and darling with Riley. At one point Keags ran down stairs to tell me "mom we are having SO much fun up there!" Love it!

I'm just hoping everybody has that much fun tomorrow on Keagans first day of school. I will be home by myself in the silence for three whole hours! That means I can guarantee at least one of us will be happy! But I'm planning on all three of us coming home and rockin some smiles!

Labor Day

Our Labor Day consisted of...

Keagan being my big helper by "laboring" today. That cute 4 year old loaded the dishwasher, got a new roll of toilet paper on the roll and organized underneath the powder room sink all without being asked. I know this seems insignificant to some, but it's down right awesome to me and totally blog worthy! Unfortunately Im thinkin I'll see more of this at 4 then at 14.

We had a great time grillin at Kirk and Kari's house. Lots of good food, good conversation and cousin fun! Oh and me, my sister Sa and nephew Bubba each ate I dried CRICKET!! We are hard core people! Hey it's a good story to tell! Especially that the crunch little legs took a while to wash down!

On the way home we had a random stop on the side of the road for pony rides! Each girl road the darling Honey Bun and loved it!











And we ended or Labor Day really the best way possible. We had dinner, baths, Family Home Evening which led into a pillow fight. Then we read our nightly scriptures plus several books and everyone was in bed by 7!

My kind of day off!

Day of Rest

Had a fantastic morning with my babies. Lots of cuddles with momma! Pretty much my all time favorite past time. How many kisses are too many? Cause my poor girls just get coated in them.





And then when I was cleaning up the kitchen I lost my Riley bug for a minute. My heart started to quicken when Keags found her! She's so smart!


But when we left church, my heart broke a little. Keagan started to cry and said "all the mommies and daddies only talk to Riley." That made me SO sad! I understand that a smiley little girl in a hot pink wheelchair just demands some attention. But usually her twin sister is standing right next to her and thats got to be hard for a four year old!

And as they get older I'm just going to have the reverse problem. Keagan will get much more attention from friends and boys (terrifying thought) and Riley may be left behind. I dread those days!!

I just so wish I could shield both of them from any hurt at any age. But I know that's not possible, not whats best for them and not what The Lord intended for us all. But I don't have to like it! Cause when my babies hearts hurt, my heart hurts even worse! My solution is more cuddles and kisses! It will help us all feel better!

Silence is Golden!

This week has been brutal!

Sure both girls kicked the stubbornness up a notch, but its been a tough one for no particular reason at all. It's just that my tank was supper low. I was burnt out! I was in a frighteningly desperate need of a break! I rarely get one and sometimes us mommies just need some time all by ourselves, to hear our own thoughts in our heads and not answer anyone else's questions or demands.

I adore my sweet angels! I really do. They are my princesses. See here's proof...we picked up their Halloween costumes this week...


But they both can be winey, stubborn, demanding, sassy and fight with one another. Not to mention the constant need for me. And when it's been months since I've had a break, then I can hit a wall. This week I definitely hit that rock solid, tough brick wall.

I hate admitting it because I so wish I was a supper mom, but Im not. They were basically sucking me dry people! Such a nice and loving thing to say about my children that I adore, isn't it? But I'm just tellin it like it is and like every other mother has felt at some point. So I had two solutions. First was a new behavior chart. We are renewing our efforts to get this crap together!


And my second solution was courtesy of amazing women whom I can't thank enough for their help! Nana watched Keags yesterday while Riley was at school so I could take my car to the mechanic all by myself. I think she was a little alarmed at my harsh and exasperated response to a tantrum throwing Keagan that spurred her babysitting offer. All though I'm not proud of myself, I'm so thankful for her help! And then Taryn watched the girls today for a whole five hours!! It was absolutely amazing! I had a fantastic lunch and long chat with Kelly and then was able to just relax for a while.

In the silence.

All by myself!

It! Was! Amazing!

There are no words for how thankful I am for all the people who love and support me and the girls! I'm so blessed and it was a huge blessing the past two days to have a little bit of a break to recharge, fill my tank.

Being a mom, a single one with a special needs child, is so stinkin tough! Every last tiny second is a thousand times worth it. But it can be so hard! But then I get a break and I'm renewed on my quest and can come back a better momma then before! I'm actually thankful that I hit that wall this week and that I have wonderful people to pick me up, dust me off and steer me back on my course. That is until I hit that wall again. Lets hope next time it's a little softer.

My Little Komedian

What 4 year old takes hilarious selfies? Mine does!














A couple of Sundays ago we were having the standard "what did you learn at church today" discussion. Keagan tells me they talked about the story of Ammon in the Book of Mormon. Ammon was a great missionary who at one point was given the strength from God to cut off the arms of thieves. But when Keagan told the story she said "he cut off all the ALIENS arms mom! It was awesome!" When I questioned her about the alien part, seeing as there are definitely no aliens talked about in the Book of Mormon, she was resolute in her version of the story! Hilarious and stubborn. Just how I like em!

She's got a personality bigger then the great state of Texas. Life is never gonna be boring with her! And I love it that way!