The last few months have been… a lot. After Ava’s surgery, life didn’t slow down the way I imagined it might. There have been follow-up appointments, healing, and still a few unknowns surrounding her bone graft that we’re waiting to see play out. And while all of that was unfolding, life around us kept moving. Between our family and some close relatives, we found ourselves in the ER three different times in the span of three weeks. Homeschool keeps moving forward, the candle

We’re Home It’s strange how simple those words are, considering how much weight they carry. Ten years ago, this moment felt impossibly far away. I remember staring at the timeline, barely keeping my head above water, knowing I didn’t have the bandwidth to think about the next month, let alone the next decade. Back then, survival mode was the only mode. The Early Years of Our Cleft Journey The first few years were rough. Not gonna lie. Learning how to use the Haberman bottle,

This morning, the kids ran outside to soak up the cool front and sunshine. From the doorway, I heard: “Hey, it’s Finter!” (that magical mix of fall and winter 😄) “Thank You, God!” “Ahhhh, it feels so good!” And I just stood there smiling. In that moment, I realized - our kids aren’t thankful by accident. They’ve been watching. They’ve seen Matt and me whisper quiet prayers of gratitude when an order comes in, when traffic clears, or when an answer finally clicks. They’ve see