We are imperfect people, and an imperfect couple trying to be kind, to be honest, and to love each other. Jordan looks for dinosaur bones and fossils, I am an art teacher and entrepreneur. Jordan loves to restore anything that is old and well crafted...belts, cast iron, etc... I love to create and to learn. I would stay in school forever if I could. Most of all we love our little Jonah. He came into our family after 4 years of marriage, and he quickly stole the show. We knew instantly he would change our lives and hearts. He was born with Treacher-Collins Syndrome. He was so smart, so quick, and so handsome. His intelligence and development were normal, but he had underdeveloped cheek bones, outer ears and palate. He was making amazing progress. He wore a bone conduction hearing aid (the headband he wears in most pictures), and was learning sign language. His difference quickly melted away and we could only see how exceptional he was!
At 14 months old he passed away, the result of a tragic accident. He simply choked on a fruit snack, and suddenly we were left alone. One moment I was chasing a beautiful, healthy, vibrant boy, and the next moment we became grieving heartbroken parents.
Despite our heartache we do believe that we will be with him again. We believe that our family is eternal. Some days we feel more confident than others in our faith and our knowledge that we will see him again, some days all we have is hope. But it is that hope that sustains us. I know that the joy I felt the day Jordan and I became a family, and when Jonah joined our family, will pale in comparison to the joy I will feel when our family is reunited for eternity.
