Family Values
Our family values are love, patience, kind words, positivity, playfulness, and allowing our children to actually be children. We are focused on meeting them where they are today developmentally, instead of comparing them to others’ paths. We have a sign in our playroom that reads "The world needs who you were made to be". We are consistently present for each other, which is seen in our schedule and behavior. We strive to be reachable; we want our children to be comfortable coming to us in any situation because they know that they will be met with acceptance and love.
God is the center of our family
God is the center of our life, and the love of God has been our guide. Our goal as parents is to nurture that spirituality in our children and show them through example how to live a Godly life. For us this is not just going to church every Sunday but being that friendly face to someone who is down, providing a meal to someone who does not have one, stopping to help someone who is hurt, and never passing judgment on others. Worshiping by example is so important to us, just like Jesus taught us.
Always practice kindness
In college, I had surgery on my neck that left a big scar. I received a letter from Joshua along with a beaded necklace he had made to cover my scar. The letter listed all the ways I was beautiful to him and how my scar was just a new item on the list he saw as beautiful. Joshua helped me gain the confidence to not have to cover my scar, but also the security to cover my scar if I felt like I wanted to. My scar has since faded, but I still have my necklace hanging in my room.
Togetherness
It is a night like every other night, when the rest of the world fades away and it's just the three of us snuggled up in bed. Maegan reads Elias' favorite adventure stories and Elias turns each page after careful examination. As the stories end, Joshua gathers up the countless stuffed animals in our bed and we walk Elias to his own room. We tuck him into his firetruck bed with a kiss and Joshua lays down on the floor beside his bed. He will remain by his side until he is sound asleep as he has done every night.