This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to those who teach and specifically to the teachers who teach or who have taught Rachel. That includes the support personnel like paraprofessionals, speech, occupational […]
Continue reading »Rachel – The Pioneer
Honestly, last week was one of those where I was on a bit of an emotional roller coaster. On this journey with the precious girl who happens to have an extra chromosome, there are some hurts that I harness in […]
Continue reading »Rachel’s A-Plus Week
Sometimes the best way to tell the story is through pictures. I wish my photography were half as good as my friend Sherri Harnisch, but I think you’ll love the story anyhow. This week we headed to the NDSS Buddy […]
Continue reading »A Good IEP Meeting & She Does Love Her Life
Last week was Rachel’s IEP meeting. I lost count of how many IEP meetings she has had at about 40. We’ve had a wide range of meetings. Some have been contentious. Some have been very long. The IEP meeting to […]
Continue reading »Easter Insights from Rachel
Rachel often has interesting insights. Easter is a, if not the, most important holiday around our house. Not the Easter bunny but because as Christian, it is the day Christ arose and the basis for our faith. Rachel understands all […]
Continue reading »A Great Thing Happened on World Down Syndrome Day
It is a busy time of year at our house. If you are on social media, I hope you noticed that Monday was World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). On March 21st individuals around the world celebrate the lives of individuals […]
Continue reading »Will Baby Sally Go To Vanderbilt?
Earlier this week we visited the Next Steps Program at Vanderbilt University. Baby Rachel, as some of you know her, is “almost 17” and graduation is just two years away. She has been planning her college road trip for years. […]
Continue reading »Rachel’s Sweet Prayers, Joe & a Pink House
Rachel prays on the way to school every morning. We started this when she was in preschool. It was a 20 minute drive and she prayed for every single child in her class and all her teachers. We also used […]
Continue reading »Rachel a Constant Reminder of Courage for Me!
Just a little glimpse at Rachel’s last couple of weeks. A couple of days ago, my blog “Paralyzed By Fear” popped on my Facebook timeline. Last week during Rachel’s CYT show “Hairspray, Jr.” someone wanted to know how Rachel got […]
Continue reading »Plans for Rachel
Sunday, February 7 – I know what I was doing 17 years ago today. It wasn’t Super Bowl Sunday. It was Soup Sunday, the largest volunteer event for Memphis based non-profit Youth Villages. I was the volunteer manager for Youth […]
Continue reading »