This weekend, we’ll celebrate Dawn’s 17th birthday. Seems impossible that so many years have passed since we first held her, this adorable baby. So much has changed. Many of the big changes have occasioned deep grief and a long process of growth: moving houses, moving schools, moving states, getting confined to the house for theContinue reading “5 cities, 6 schools, 17 years”
Author Archives: Danelle and Stephanie
As The Kids Grow
Written by Danelle. Life goes by so quickly, doesn’t it? It feels like time flies by at the speed of light once you have children. They are visual proof of how fast time flies by. Darnell is growing so quickly, and since I was an only child who got a stepsister later in life andContinue reading “As The Kids Grow”
How to Succeed in 3 Steps
Written by Stephanie As you may know, I’ve been working for a leadership development and executive coaching company for several years now, which means I’ve had the opportunity and the tools to study what it takes to succeed, particularly in talent-based situations. I’ve been motivated not only by the desire to help my kids asContinue reading “How to Succeed in 3 Steps”
Sorry for the Wait
Written by Danelle I apologize for being away for such a long time. Life has paralyzed me in a way from my decision making. But I want to share a piece of my life with y’all, so here I am. I assist other birthmoms, just having open communications with them, and I was discussing theContinue reading “Sorry for the Wait”
Something about time flying…
Yes, it’s been a minute–a whole schoolyear, to be exact. Not sure how that happened. Dawn continued in her alternative program and, while the high school schedule and content have been demanding, the school continues to be a great fit for her. The twins started middle school, and we were all pleasantly surprised to findContinue reading “Something about time flying…”
Back to school so soon?
For many years, my favorite book was Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, and its opening line–though now cliche–definitely describes our summer: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We kicked off the summer with a three-generation family trip to France, where my dad performed with the Choral ArtsContinue reading “Back to school so soon?”
An amazing Mother’s Day
Written by Stephanie. I know I’m a couple weeks late with this, but I wanted to share the really sweet cards we received for Mother’s Day. This isn’t a holiday that we usually spend together, and we were right in the middle of celebrating two birthdays (May is a big birthday month around here). SoContinue reading “An amazing Mother’s Day”
Communicating
Written by Stephanie. Danelle wasn’t the first person to say something about it–I honestly can’t remember who was. But “you and Ron need to get better at communicating” has been a fairly consistent observation (or criticism, ahem) over the past two decades, uttered by friends and family alike. Fortunately, Danelle is both keenly observant andContinue reading “Communicating”
When Change Feels Like God Forgot You
Written by Danelle. In the words of the great Langston Hughes, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” I’ve always been a spiritual person. However, I thought God forgot about me at times. Being able to go see the twins every week or so was the thing I always thought of when I wasContinue reading “When Change Feels Like God Forgot You”
And also resisting change
Written by Stephanie Dawn hates change. This has been a feature of her personality from the time she was little. Like on her 6th birthday, when she had a complete meltdown beecause we got her a bunkbed. It was all well and good–we had achieved buy-in, you might say–until we pulled her and Dani’s bedsContinue reading “And also resisting change”
Our Amazing Forever Family 