Happy Anniversary!

8 years ago today I took this man's name because he captured my heart.

7.7.7

We thought love was a feeling but... 

God showed us it is a daily decision to show up and do the hard work.

We thought we'd have a 2 or 3 kiddos..... 

God gave us determination to fight like hell for one perfect little girl with designer genes!

We thought our highest goal was to be happy.....

God is teaching us how to chase true joy.

I'm so grateful that I said," I do" to you.

Pre-school Graduate

Yesterday, Sara graduated from pre-school!  She has worked hard the last two years and has learned so much!

As her parents, we felt so lost and alone when we first walked into those school doors.  But, slowly, over time, we came to realize that we weren't alone.  Sara has a whole tiny village in this school community that cared for her, supported her, and helped her learn and grow in just the ways she needed it.

Below is the note I wrote to her beloved teacher, Ms. Mair.

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Dear Ms. Mairi,

Two years ago, Brian and I were terrified. We were clinging to the hope that  our beautiful, brilliant, complex girl surely wasn't autistic.  Even though deep down, we knew!   From the minute we first stepped into your classroom, we knew.  We knew it was the right place for Sara to learn and grown, and for us to learn and grow, as her parents, along with her.

Today, she completes her preschool career and moves onto Kindergarten. We'd be lying if we said we had no fear.  But, it’s different now. Because of you.

Those first days were filled with so many tears.  But, slowly, you taught our girl, and us, not just that people believed in her, but how to believe in ourselves. 

You taught us so much more than what you were tasked with teaching, you taught her that she could learn and you showed us ways in which to help her.

You taught her how to play, how to begin to invite others into a world in which she so desperately wants company but didn’t know how to find it.

You celebrated, with us, not just her accomplishments, but her. 

You showed her that she belonged and thru your monthly parent meetings, you showed us that we belonged.

You sought not just to teach her but to learn from her.

You gave her respect, and it is that for which we are most grateful. 

In the end, you gave our girl so much more than your job required. You gave her the tools to build a foundation upon which she will expand for the rest of her life. 

We will never have words big enough. 

Thank you.

Brian and Jenn Kenny
Sara's parents

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1st  Day of  School 2013

Last Day of School 2014

1st Day of School 2014

Last Day of School 2015

Rare Disease Day 2015

As you may know, Sara has 2 rare conditions:  15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome (which is on the RARE List) and 16p13.11 microduplication.  

Basically, Sara is missing a piece of chromosome 15 and has an extra piece of chromosome 16.  Here is a quick genetics lesson:

Each chromosome is numbered (except the X and Y). Each chromosome has a p-arm (short arm) and q-arm (long arm). And those arms are segmented into bands. 

So for Sara, she has a deletion (missing piece)

• of chromosome 15

• on the q-arm

• at band 13.3

She also has a duplication (extra piece)

• of Chromosome 16 

•  on the p-arm  

•  at band 13.11

 Our neurologist order the Chromosomal Microarray after Sara showed little improvement with Speech Therapy and widening developmental gaps.  When the test results came back, they were a huge surprise to us.  However, they didn't surprise our Heavenly Father.  Just as He knows the number of hairs on our heads, he knows the number of chromosomes in Sara's body.

After Sara's diagnosis, I did a lot of soul searching.  I turned to His word..a place that has always brought me comfort and clarity.  After struggling and grieving, I'm now in a place to know that this is part of His perfect plan for our lives. 

Psalms 139:13-4 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." 

Sara is wonderfully made by our Father, who does not make mistakes. Brian and I were chosen, specially, to be Sara's  mommy and daddy.  What an incredible honor for us to be chosen to love and care for our sweet Sara Bug.

Below is a great video explaining chromosome disorders.  It's worth the 8 minutes to watch. 

Hiking at Briones

Brian is working 6 days a week thru the remainder of this project he is on. So, Sara and I have lots of time to ourselves on Saturday. The weather is beautiful here today, so we spent a couple of hours hiking at Briones. It's a great open space not too far from us. I love being able to spend time outside and getting some exercise.

Sara is a great hiker and had fun doing lots of exploring. There are also some great climbing trees, so she got to do some climbing. Everytime we saw a cow grazing, she would say "hi cow!". I love that we have access to open space. We are surrounded by such beauty!



























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Sonoma Train town

One of my goals for 2015 is to explore more locally. We have so many fun things to do within 45-60 minutes of us. We decided to head to Sonoma for lunch at Hopmonk Tavern and then head to Traintown. Sara had fun. While she liked the train, I think she liked the dragon roller coaster the most. It was the only ride she asked to go on again!

She was worn out after all the fun. So, we stopped at Dutch Bros. For a coffee treat and Sara was asleep before we made it out of Napa.





















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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents.....

Family picture before all the craziness set in!

Time for presents.....my uncle Tom and aunt Thoma joined us!

 We have a very low key and quiet Christmas morning at home.  Sara has grasped the concept of Santa and presents yet.  But, she was very excited to see her new Plasma car.  She loves sitting on it and pretending to honk the horn.  She's pretty good scooting it with her feet.

Brian was giving Sara a lesson in how it works....Belle was not impressed!

Sara is a cookie monster.  She was excited to be able to open the container by herself and peel off the foil from the Hershey kisses....good fine motor practice, right?!?!

We headed to Dave and Dani's for Christmas dinner.  It was nice to get everyone together.  Sara really enjoys spending time with her cousins.

Local Exploring

We headed out this afternoon for some fun family time exploring some local spots we have been wanting to check out for a while.

First stop,  the newly reopened George Miller Trail along the bluffs of the Carquinez Straight in Martinez.  It was beautiful, although super misty/foggy.  I'm looking forward to going back and doing the full 1.7 mile trek to Port Costa on a sunnier day.  The views must be spectacular!  We heard sea lions, trains, and lots of birds along our walk.  Sara had a blast chasing mommy and relaxing in the stroller when she needed a rest.

Then, we headed to Point Richmond to check out the Golden State Model Railroad Museum.  I don't think I've ever been out to Pt. Richmond.  But, I can't wait to go back.  It's so cute!