I’m a 20+10 year-old wife and stay-home mom to four knock-your-socks off kids. I grew up in a little spot called Paso Robles, California. As the oldest of three, I spent a lot of time torturing my two younger brothers in the most creative ways I could think of at the time, including forcing them to drink warm tap water in which I’d dilute about a ½ cup of salt. I know, pure genius right? Once they were big enough to fight back I vowed to change my evil ways and focused instead on passing notes in class my studies, and boys age-appropriate social interactions.

     Since then, I’ve experienced a number of defining moments that indeed helped shape my life. The first of those was when I became a mother at the ripe old age of sixteen. It was right around that time that the curse my mother put on me (you know, the whole “I hope you have a daughter who is just like you” thing) started running on a continuous audio loop through my head. I’ve prayed since the moment my daughter was born that she is wise enough to choose a path that doesn’t lead in that same direction.

     A brief but tumultuous five years later I welcomed my third daughter. I immediately noticed some differences in her appearance but it was still an unimaginable shock when an inexperienced student doctor dropped a huge bomb on me while I sat alone in my hospital room: my baby had Down syndrome. The grief, anger, denial, and eventual acceptance of her diagnosis proved to be quite a growing experience for me and though it lasted far longer than a moment, I view it as yet another of those defining instances in my life.

     We’re going to fast forward through lots of joy and tears, a broken marriage, a few cross-country moves and countless lessons learned until we reach present day. I am a married mother of four living a life that I give thanks for each day. In spite of daily complexities and struggles, I truly view these days as splendid beyond compare. I fully embrace the “everything can change in an instant” concept, but I also wholeheartedly believe that God used the many tribulations in my past to strengthen me and mold me into someone capable and brave enough to face the uncertainties of tomorrow. Though I’ve let Him down countless times in countless ways, I do try to live my days in a manner that will put a smile in His heart.