A Perfectly Imperfect Life

“It is what you do in the darkness that makes you shine in the light.” I heard this quote on a commercial for the Summer Olympics the other night and it really got me thinking. I think quite a bit… one of my strengths but also one of my weaknesses. The Summer Olympics are just around the corner. I am an Olympic junkie… well… Summer Olympics… I can take or leave the Winter Olympics. Anyway, I absolutely love everything about it. I love watching the competitors and hearing all about their incredible journey. Their price is great; their cost is great. Their physical, emotional, and financial boundaries are pushed to the limit in order for them to reach their full potential. They literally give all they have every single day with ONE HUGE goal as their primary focus. They are completely driven. They are completely sold out. They are completely dedicated to getting the job done. They desire one thing; to proudly represent their country and to WIN at all costs. The

My sweet little Addison has found herself smack dap in the middle of a very clumsy stage of life. She literally gets hurt 6 times a day… Maybe even more. Most of her accidental injuries come with nice bumps and bruises on her head and face. The other day she was playing tag with Braden. She thought (in her 22 month old mind) that she would be faster running backwards I guess… So she decided to run as fast as her little legs could go backwards. Now… Obviously this was a terrible decision and would not end well no matter what. Nonetheless, she was determined. She was pretty persistent for a while and then she started tripping over her own feet. The same feet that she relies on (without thinking) to stand, walk, and run. The same feet that usually never fail, tripped her up so bad that she slammed into our glass end table. She slammed into it so hard that the entire table moved several inches. You could see the indentations from where the glass table used to be. Her response surprised

My children are superior to many things when it comes to stripping any amount of pride I may have lingering in my parenting skills. They surpass all the failed speeches I ever gave, all the embarrassing falls, all the horribly missed basketball shots, all the uncomfortable doctor appointments, and all the awkward moments I have found myself in. Their innate ability to turn into Jekyll and Hide at any given moment makes them top dog when it comes to bringing me (as their mom) to my knees. Braden has always been scared to death of the doctor’s office, shots, or anything that makes him in any way feel uncomfortable. He literally turns into the Hulk and it usually takes the nurse and I to restrain him for his shots. I knew this at an early age so I thought we should wait to take him to the dentist’s office until he was older. Although my intentions were good… This was definitely a huge mistake. Anyway, Braden’s first dentist appointment was a total train wreck. In all honesty, at on