Gratitude

Summer is Wrapping Up!

July 19, 2015

What a wild couple weeks it’s been.  Summer is flying by and we’re trying to keep up.  Though it’s been busy, we’ve had so much fun the past few weeks.  With only two weeks left before Elena’s fall schedule begins, we’re going to enjoy a little bit of free time after this wild summer!

We celebrated Elena’s birthday last weekend.  She had a “splash bash”, where we invited her family and buddies to the park close to our house that has a splash park.  One of Elena’s wheelchairs is perfect for pushing her through the fountains and she loves it.  We all had so much fun watching the kids run wild!  The party was a success and we all came home exhausted!

Elena’s last week of camp at the Jackson Center was Thursday.  She had SO much fun this summer.  I’m so glad she was able to manage the full day schedule without being to exhausted.  Every day when I would pick her up, her aide would tell me how much fun she had and how chatty she was.  Elena totally loves being social.  They had three different field trips over the last few weeks.  The last one was to Bradford Woods, a great camp in southern Indiana.  The kids went hiking, canoeing and fishing.  Some got to go down an adapted zip line, shoot slingshots and a few did archery.  We were so glad for the this experience for Elena.  It gives her a little more independence and freedom to do all these fun activities on her own with her friends without Mom hanging around.  She’s had such a fun summer!

The next two weeks we hope to enjoy some pool time, if the weather cooperates at all, maybe a trip to the Children’s Museum and the zoo if we’re lucky.  Our days get long if we don’t keep busy.  Once school starts and Elena is back at the Jackson Center, we’ll be lucky ever to have a “free” day so we’d better pack it in now!

Elena on the bus headed to her field trip

1st fish!

Elena at the Splash Park

Cal liked his sister’s cupcakes!

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This is Elena. Our Light. You can see all the goodness and joy that shines from those deep blue eyes. She loves sneezes, yawns, industrial toilet flushes, automatic paper towel dispensers and The Star Spangled Banner. Music is her everything, specifically Moana, Frozen (really all Disney), Queen & Taylor Swift. Nothing makes her squeal quite like swimming, fast boat rides and her two brothers in trouble. In addition to her megawatt smile, Elena reminds us to cherish the smallest of victories, to live in the present, and to daily dwell in a posture of gratitude for every breath and every blessing.  

More About Our Story

I’m Emmalee, an ordinary gal born and raised in the Heartland. Wife to Chad, and Mom to Elena, Calvin & Turner, I spend most my days ridin’ dirty (literally so much trash) in my minivan carting kids to and fro. When I’m not being a Momager, I excel at self-care, cooking gourmet meals my kids won’t eat and deep-diving all the feelings. Most days, my attitude is gratitude, just taking life one step at a time.

Emmalee & Elena

Meet The Gals