Here's to New Friendships

Nearly every morning I wake up with a song in my head.  Sometimes it is a random song that I wonder how in the heck it got in there.  You know like a song from the '80s or some Miley Cyrus song.  Lately, the song "One Thing Remains" has been in my head a lot.  Here's the link if you want to listen to it.  It may just be stuck in your head all day too but, what a great song to sing.  One Thing Remains  I think this is God's gentle reminder in my ear that He is always with me, even in the lowest of lows. 

We are coming off a successful pajama weekend.  I love pajama weekends and we haven't had one in a very long time.  We stayed in our pajamas, did lots of crafts, played games, watched movies, watched football and basketball, ate some yummy food and snuggled.  That my friends, is a perfect weekend to me.  Only thing that would have made it more perfect is if Matt would have been home to join us.

The girls had their fall dance recital last Sunday.  It was held at the Urbandale High School Performing Arts Center on a big stage.  It was a great day and the girls did awesome!  There were five different classes there performing and they all came together at the end for a tap finale.  There is never a dry eye in the place when recital time comes around.  What a blessing it is to be a part of a program that reaches out to kids who normally would not have the chance to take dance class.  Some kiddos are in wheelchairs and need full assistance and others are out there performing on their own.  Everyone performing has a huge smile on their face and the hearts of those of us watching are blessed beyond measure.  We are thankful for Ballet Des Moines: Dance Without Limits and the awesome volunteers who have made a difference in the lives of our family and many others.   Below is a picture of the finale rehearsal.  L&L are in the blue and purple tutus (on the left side) that were graciously made by a volunteer.

Last week I made a phone call that I probably should have made a couple of years ago to Childserve to see about getting the girls involved in a respite program.  They have different programs on weekends where kids can go and spend time with other kids with special health needs.  Come to find out, they have one called "Just for Girls" that sounds perfect.  It has become clear to us that the girls need some social interaction with others outside of school and our home.  Being the super overprotective mother that I am, this is a huge step for me. But, is one that definitely needs to be taken to allow the girls to experience time away from home and spent with others.  I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to my kids.  Surprise....surprise.  But in my defense, we have worked really hard to keep our girls safe and too many times to count over the last 12 years, we could have lost one or both of them to a seizure.  I know they will go there and have a great time and they will be well taken care of.  I am excited for them to hopefully form some new friendships and get to experience some new things in life.  A friend of mine said to me one day, "aren't you glad they have each other to go through this with?"  I can't imagine either of them going it alone.  At least they have one friend who is always by their side.  They do get on each others nerves sometimes. But, when they wake up in the morning the first thing they do is roll over to see if the other one is there and if she is not, the first question is "where is she?"  And when one is having a seizure, the other is right there by her side "helping" and the worried look is evident on her face.  It really stinks that they both have to endure the hardships that they do but, I am so thankful that they have each other. 

As the kids grow up, I am forced to loosen up the apron strings.... Time to get rid of the double knotted apron and enjoy watching them grow more independent before my eyes.  I am scared and excited all at the same time.