Who are we and why another blog?

Colin, 19 months and Liam, four years old, a patriotic picture for Daddy who is finishing up a deployment in Afghanistan, November 2013

We are your average American family and I'm fairly certain I am driving my Facebook friends insane with pictures, updates and advocacy. You see, I started a blog shortly after the birth of our first son. A short few hours after his birth was the infamous dual missed diagnosis speech of a major heart defect and Down Syndrome. Preparing for his open heart surgery also meant no visitors, no holidays, no travel. To the internet we went. And it became my safe place, a very raw, emotional and public diary to how we almost lost our son. The months he spent in an icu after a scary eight week doctor visit where he turned blue which led to a helicopter ride to one of the best hospitals in the country. That blog can be found here: liamkuhns.blogspot.com

Fast forward four years- the love of my life, my husband of five years, has spent 235 days from our home, which is now in NJ and not in DC, leaving me to be a single mom to two boys now and the four legged son. Husband is coming home in four days and I will finally get some time to think, process and hopefully create. Our marriage, heck, our total relationship has been whirlwind and an emotional roller coaster for the last seven years. Now in our third home, we suspect we will be sent overseas in six months and what better time to create a way for our family and friends to be a part of our adventures.

And hopefully they will be insanely jealous and come visit us in whatever strange land we end up in. (Most likely a base in Europe. Not so strange.)

That first blog brought many strangers into our lives and we connected on a personal level- whether it was another family trying to understanding the blessing in disguise diagnosis of Down Syndrome, or the quite serious heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot, we began to hear questions, support, advice and prayers for our new family. We'd like to continue to show the hope, love and faith our family has today in whatever we face. The internet comforted us when Liam couldn't have visitors and when we lost our faith. Now it's time to show the reality of living, not just surviving. So welcome aboard for as long as you want to visit. And as you may suspect, the Home General does have a few rules. Be kind, follow the golden rule, and we shall too.