Senior Photography - Zach Kordic

I just recently finished a Senior photoshoot with Zach Kordic.

What a great experience!  

Zach is so many things, but mostly he's kindhearted, thoughtful, and fun. :)

It's reassuring to know there are young people like Zach in the world these days.  

He's got a bright future ahead of him!  

I LOVE these images of him.  

I love that a single image can communicate so much about a person.  

The artist in me knows I've accomplished the task when you can view a photograph and feel like you know the person before meeting him.

Wouldn't you love to know this guy?

Thanks for the opportunity to take your senior pictures!  

I feel honored to have experienced capturing 'who Zach is'!!

Have you Noticed I've Been Acting Weird?

I love that I have friends that will tell me when I'm being weird.  

I got called out the other day and she was right. 

I have been acting weird lately. 

It all started in January (the perfect time to begin).

Something about the stillness of that month after the hurried, harried season of Christmas always lends itself to reflection.

But this January was especially rough.

2013 was the worst year of my life. 

I experienced more loss and grief in one year than all of my other 35 years combined. 

It was like I had an awakening.  

I realized there were some details to my life that needed tending to so I began seeing a counselor to help me sort through all the yucky parts of life.  

As I process everything, I have found myself craving solitude, which leads to the weirdness.  

I'm definitely not a solitude kind of gal, but this season of my life requires it.  

So, if I seem withdrawn or distant, feel free to call me out on how weird it is, because for me, it is.

But know that it's just a season.

I have been experiencing God's most tender, loving- kindness and I know I will look back and cherish this season of growth and awareness.

"Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind, the boughs drink in new beauty
And the trunk sends down deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul who knows the mighty grief can know the mighty rapture.
Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy."
--- Edwin Markham

Kiwi Crate Love

For Christmas we got Maddie a subscription to Kiwi Crate.  

It's a monthly kit that arrives at your door with a handful of activities, crafts, stories, and recipes following a theme.  

We received our first one in December, and Maddie has LOVED it.  

It came addressed to Maddie :)  

Everything you need was right there in the kit.

I found that some of the things were a little advanced for Maddie, but with some help we were able to finish each activity.

She loves the snowball toss game.  

We still play it every so often.

She's beginning to change her grip and really concentrate on controlling her coloring :)  

Right now through the end of February, Kiwi Crate has a special offer.  

If you sign up for a subscription, you get $10 credit.  

Here's the link:

http://www.kiwicrate.com/Refer?i=SamS1

What I love most about this is they have thought of every detail.  

After you've completed the activities, they even give instructions for using the box as a stage for puppets (also included in the kit)...so clever :)  

Our next kit has shipped and is all about colors!

It's hard to tell who loves them more...me or Maddie. 

It's Not About Fixing Her

This is always a hard time of year...pre-enrollment.

The time of year you have to assess what the past year's achievements have been and what she might be accomplishing in the next 6-8 months.  

This year is more difficult than past years because I'm seeing the developmental gap widen.  

I think it's inevitable as she gets older that it happens, but I remember a time when I really thought we were tightening up that gap.  

I don't remember where I read this, but a mother with special needs kids wrote,

"It's not about fixing them.  

We have to focus, rather, on what we can do to best equip them with what they need to cope."

In my mind I know it's common sense to know that we will never "cure" Down Syndrome or Sensory Processing Disorder.  

She will always have these diagnoses.

But sometimes, in my heart, I cling to the hope that we can fix her.

We can't, however, fix her.

We can only equip her to cope.

In practical terms, it means we can't fix her teeth grinding.

We can't fix her nonsensical vocalizations.

We can't fix her sleep cycles.

We can't fix the fact she is not ready to be potty trained.

We can't fix her low muscle tone.

We can't fix her inability to communicate reciprocally.

Whatever it is in her brain that causes these "symptoms" will continue to be there.  

The symptoms may change, but the problem remains. 

It's not that these things will not be improved and even conquered through therapy...

that is, after all, the goal.

It's the mindset that I must be careful to control.

If you go into therapy with the mindset of "fixing her" you lose sight of who she is.

She will always have Sensory Processing Disorder, it's part of who she is.

Therapy is just a tool to help her cope.

It's a way of getting around the problem.

Parenting a child with special needs is about creative problem-solving.

What can I give her that will help her cope?

What experiences will best help her succeed?

What does her 'best life' look like and how can we achieve that?

In answering these questions, it's always a tricky balance of pushing the limits and ensuring success.

That's why choosing the best environment for her education is such a daunting task. 

Lately I've been contemplating homeschooling...scary, uncharted territory but then again, so is life with special needs!  

 

Finding Beauty in the Everyday Mundane {4}

"Try it on for size"

This is Ainslee's hat and coat.  Maddie thought she would try it on :) 

"Hello"

Had a great day watching Ainslee...she's growing so fast!

Finding Beauty in the Everyday Mundane {3}

"God's Handiwork"

This is a pure, unedited photo.  

Nature has a way of getting it right.

Through the Eyes of a Child

Over Christmas we were able to see Kyle's brother and his family.  

We only get to see them once a year, maybe twice if we are lucky.  

Brielle is a recently-turned 7 year old and Emmelyn is two weeks younger than Maddie yet twice her size :)  

In past years, meeting up with her cousins and has been a bit of a shock to Maddie's system.  

She would often have her hands over her ears declaring, "it's too loud"  :)

This year was very different.  

Maddie was ready and excited to play.  

A day or two into our visit, Brielle pulled her Daddy aside for a serious conversation about Maddie.

Brielle: Daddy, am I like Maddie where some things are harder for me to do?

Brielle's Daddy:  No, Brielle, you and Maddie are a little different.

[With big tears in her eyes] Brielle:  But does that mean I can't love like Maddie because I want to love as much as she does.  

Her Daddy reassured her she can love just like Maddie does even though they may be a little different.

 

As Ryan was telling us all the story, it occurred to us that no one had ever told Brielle Maddie had Down Syndrome.  

This was her complete, unbiased perspective and observation.

 

If only we all had a heart like Brielle's!

 

Matthew 18:3

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

I'm pretty sure Jesus was talking about kids like Brielle.  :)