We are a family of six (now 12 including spouses and grandkids) who lives each day here on lemonade lane taking the lemons thrown at us, adding some sugar and sweetening things up.   We are shaped not only by our circumstances but also by the sweetness each member brings to the mix.

A little about us…..my name is Kim, and my husband and I have been married for over twenty nine adventurous years.  Travis brings the humor and lightheartedness to our marriage, and I often tell him, “you can’t be serious for five minutes!” but I love how he makes me laugh.  I am the text-book description of a strong-willed, independent woman, am as transparent as can be, and love to bake.  Together, we have four children.  I often miss the days when the oldest three were all home being loud with friends, making messes in the basement, leaving their shoes by the front door, and eating all the food in the house.  Each of the kids has a compassion and empathy for others because of the influence their little brother has on their lives.

The baby of the family, Ryan, has had many lemons thrown at him over the years. He has been diagnosed with Lennox Gastaut (intractable epilepsy) and cerebral degeneration.  Ryan is 20 years old but about one year old developmentally, is nonverbal, and has a host of other medical issues. Our goal has always been to increase his quality of life, and we are committed to doing everything we can for him to reach that goal. The older he gets, the more Ryan’s body weakens; he cannot walk up and down the stairs now, uses his worn out wheelchair more, requires so many medications, and has an overall need for more supervision.  As we tell others, his brain is broken, but he is exactly as God intended him to be.  He loves long car rides, turning lights on and off, throwing anything and everything within reach, playing with door stoppers, opening and slamming doors and drawers, and giving nosey kisses to anyone who will accept them.  I cannot begin to tell you how loved this little boy is.  Ryan never lacks for attention!

We have had many ups and downs, fears and trials on our journey.  And through it all God continues to meet our every need, holds us in our darkest moments, cries with us as we grieve, rejoices with us in every blessing, walks with us wherever the road leads. And while we do not understand His will and purpose, we keep trusting Him as we carry on.  We are learning, every single day, to take the good with the bad, the joy with the sorrow, the tears with the laughter….to mix the lemons and the sugar and make something very sweet.

Isaiah 41:13 ~ For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you’.

Matthew 6:24 (The Message) ~ Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.