For the Love of Ivey

"Sometimes being a BROTHER is better than being a SUPERHERO ." This summer our rep for Ivey's IVig infusions called to ask permission to nominate Ivey and her brothers with an organization called " TinySuperHeroes ".  The children nominated for this organization all have special needs and the organization makes and sends superhero capes to the children. In this case, Britni asked to nominate Ivey and the boys because Ivey is our superhero and the boys are her superheros .   The boys were so excited to get a cape too. They are getting older but there are somethings that can never be outgrown. Sometimes it is the simple things that mean the most and say the most to the boys. Simply, it is the same thing we seek for Ivey, inclusion .  Someone thought of them, someone realized their value and most importantly someone saw the magnitude of living this special life as well.   They are the unsung heroes.  They are easily overlooked in the presence of Ivey....

Top Sail, North Carolina (Camp Lejeune) with Taylor and Craig.   Frightening amount of huge shark teeth on that beach. St. Simons with the Griffeths'.   This is a handy-dandy gift from Santa.  She fits weight wise but she is so long.  But, good workout for the daddy.  I apologized to her in advance for the crazy hair.  I put sunscreen everywhere, so those curls get a little messy.  Snuggling with the brother.  (She is almost as long as he is.)  Standing in the stander with her new back brace.  Loves it!  Birthday party for our Ava. (Ava is the one in the construction gear.  All girl, but note she is the only girl besides Ivey, so she's just one of the guys. )  Again, St. Simons with the Griffeths'.  Godparents are the bestests!  (I know that's grammatically incorrect.)  Griffeths' amazing dog.  Would not leave her side the entire time.  And lots and lots and...

A view from Matt's rearview mirror as he is taking Ivey to school.  Obviously, she's more than figured out this peek-a-boo thing.  Love me some Ivey-lou-who. If it weren't for her shoes, she might have pulled this off.

I'm not sure where to even start.  Summer is winding up, a great summer that is, and a first in many years that has been low-key yet busy all at the same time.  This summer only one trip was made to a Atlanta for a doc visit, one trip to Scottish Rite's ER and one trip to Ivey's local pediatrician.  If you know Ivey, normally all that can happen in one week, one day even.  But this post isn't about Ivey.   It really is funny how paths cross.  Several years ago this sweet girl attending Berry College came into our lives just to observe "life" with a special needs child and somehow we wound up here with her permanently part of our lives .  We have received a piece of life from her that, I must admit, will not come in the same form with Ivey.  From watching her graduate college, live a summer with us, travel to Utah for grad school and become a wife all the way to the basic daily routines of life, she has become a vital piece of our family. ...