I’ve always wanted to be the kind of mom who lets my kids explore and learn through creativity and imagination.  My ideal day is a day filled with running and playing outside, finding and studying bugs and other creatures, climbing a tree and finding the perfect spot to relax and read a book.  I seem […]

Sometimes someone is put in your path at just the right time, in just the right place, and they do and say the very things that you need right when you need them.  It’s in those moments that you take a step back and realize that hope and goodness are real. They’re tangible.  And then […]

Just days before we moved from California, I remember coming home and seeing a gift next to our door.  It was a little board book called, “Good Night, San Francisco”.  Kari Shirley had given that book to us from her family as a going away gift.  She could not have given us a more perfect […]

I could use some lessons from the Berger family.  They have so much going on with 3 littles close together, but each time I’ve been with them, they’ve been so genuinely calm, happy, patient, and kind.  It’s pretty impressive to me.  I have felt so honored each time I’ve been able to take pictures of […]

I had just started dating my future husband and came out to visit him in Washington D.C. Meeting Rick’s friends was something I was a little nervous about.  They were all really smart, just finished their MBAs at George Washington University, had great jobs, were making a difference in this world, and seemed to have […]

“I see trees of green, red roses too  I see them bloom, for me and you  And I think to myself, what a wonderful world…”  Every time I hear that song, I think of Celine Dion’s lullaby version playing softly while I cuddled with my baby niece in the rocking chair. I was in heaven. […]

He was probably about 10 or 11 months old, grinning from ear to ear… so proud and so excited to be crawling up the stairs in our home. I was the lucky 11 year old aunt who got to play with this adorable little boy.  I was also lucky to have my own camera and […]

We were new to the state, our 3 year old had just suffered from a minor concussion, and the doctor informed us that we needed to stay in the hospital overnight. I felt a brief wave of panic as I wondered what we’d do with our 3 other kids… then I thought of the Bottger […]

Up for a challenge could be Trevor’s middle name.  Since he was little,Trevor has always had an amazing amount of energy, and, from my observation, has always used that energy to challenge himself and help others.  Yes, this good looking young man is my nephew, and I’m so happy to take the opportunity to brag […]

DECA, FBLA, Cross Country, Track, work, climbing mountains… what does this guy not do?  And how did he have time to finish all his classes so he could graduate high school when he was involved in so many other activities?  I asked myself these questions as we were walking around Weber High School and Wadman […]