Can we talk about "camp dads"?

Which ones are daughters and which ones are dads? Hard to tell with the hats and dresses but I'm pretty sure the facial hair gives it away! This is the second year that some of these guys have dressed up for the talent show because their girls asked them. Talk about a dedicated group of men.

Guess who? I'd hate to give it away BUT I will tell you there's yellow tape over his nipple because Luca promptly came down the stairs and said "I see your nipple"... nipple covered= problem solved!

Who's this stud? None other than my handsome husband! I about died when I saw him! I came down the stairs to ask him to go with me to take a family picture on the beach... needless to say that didn't happen. He also said he was glad he's not a woman because the dress is itchy. Too bad that's the least of my worries as a woman! Let's give him some boobs, some stretch marks, 9 months pregnant, and some heels and see how he does :) I'm kidding... kind of!

Can we talk about these lovely parents of TRIPLETS? Dad is a military cop. Mom is a badass, homeschooling, military wife with triplets with all different needs. He put the boobs in his dress on his own. I bet Erin is glad he belongs to her :) 

In all seriousness, I meet with these dad's in the parents group. They share intimate details of their lives and challenges they face, fears they face and the way they handle situations that challenge them with their kids. These dads are incredible. I wish I had a picture of ALL of the amazing dads at camp. Idaho camp has some killer dads that are super involved with their children. Another dad comes to mind that has a teen, he's a strong guy who is attempting to instill a strong dose of confidence in his kid. 

These guys are completely incredible. They share moments at camp with each other and the other families. Watching their bonds form stronger each day and each year continues to make me proud to know them all. 

At the end of camp, I'm reminded how blessed I am to have this man by my side. Thirteen years ago, our journey together started, in a car across the country. Thirteen years ago, I had no idea that we would be here today sharing this life together. After less than a year of dating, I knew that I wanted him to be my husband. Today and every day for the rest of my life, I will love this man to the depths of my heart and soul. I'm glad he's on my team to parent our babies. I'm glad I get to share Camp No Limits with him. Here's the thing, some times I take for granted that we have each other. In the last year especially, I'm reminded why we picked each other. Together we can work through anything and come out stronger together. I'm beyond lucky to have such a strong man by my side! 

Day one CNL Idaho!

When Mel said “it’s so rustric” she was SO right! Which is part of what draws us to this location. The little cabins, the rocky beach, the staff at the location, the boat rides, tubing, learning to swim, kayaking, hiking, the deck at Wells, the docks, the arch area… the snakes. Yep, I said it, this year I saw TWO snakes and thought that we might never come back to Camp Cross. I’m kidding, kind of. Snakes are NOT my friends.

You fly into Spokane and then make the trek over to Camp Cross, which is a little over an hour away. We rent a car. It would be a long Uber ride and honestly it just doesn’t seem realistic with the 5 of us and all of our luggage. It's really a pretty drive, so much lush green, mountains, sunshine. I was really soaking it up this time. 

This year we stopped at this little hole in the wall cheesesteak place that we found on my phone. It got great reviews so we opted to give it a shot. It was the best cheesesteak I've ever eaten and this girl loves her cheesesteak! Though with recent changes to my diet, I haven't had one in SO long. Maybe that's another reason I really loved it. Ryan and I both got different ones and loved them. The kids got cold cut sandwiches, lame! However after a long travel day, we started at 330 am, we opted to just let it be. Boy did they miss out! 

The first afternoon at camp is a lot of reuniting with old friends and making new friends. There’s no quicker place to make friends than right at camp! I can’t even explain how quickly friendships are formed or how they build over the years and through miles across the country. This picture is of "old friends" reuniting, or more like, the little girls sucked Keegan into kayaking the minute the waterfront was open!

These strangers become family by the end of the 3 ½ days. You come to know information that may not be shared with others. You hear about their story, the way their child’s limb difference occurred, their feelings behind finding out, the difficult experiences they’ve been through, the accomplishments, the fears, the way others react, how they advocate for their child…. The list goes on. I told my nursing students that I wish they could learn from the way these parents advocate for their children. I'm almost amazed when I leave camp at how sad I am to say good-bye. The photo below is new friends that were made instantly!

Due to our travel, we arrived right before waterfront activities. Lots of bonding occurs on that rocky shore, among kids, among adults, among volunteers and families... it's endless, honestly. Watching the kids go from barely knowing some of the campers to swimming together, jumping in the water holding hands, kayaking, canoeing, building rock forms and this year painting rocks!

I didn't get many pictures of "Rubber Pig Baseball" but I did happen to grab a couple. I'm not sure why it's called rubber pig baseball considering I only ever saw a rubber chicken! Either way, it was a blast.Fun was had by all! 

 We finished the night with S'mores by the campfire. The fire happens RIGHT on the rocky shore overlooking the water. It's so relaxing and refreshing.

I think everyone really likes the S'Mores considering my kids
kept asking if they could have more! The great thing is that we all come together again and teamwork makes the dream work. The volunteers, teens and adults just  all pitch in to help with all of the kids. It literally is a village of people that cares about you and your family. There's not a better reminder than the first day back at Camp No Limits!

Our people

How do you sum up a life-changing four-day event? I’m not sure there are even words that can fully describe the emotions that I feel. Every year we leave Camp No Limits with new friends and closer bonds to our old friends. Who knew it was possible to love people after only knowing them for four short days?  I can tell you that I know, I’ve experienced it, year after year when we attend CNL. It’s life-changing each and every time.

This was our second year at Camp No Limits Idaho. The location is breath taking. Those of you who have read about it before on the blog already know. Those of you who haven’t, let me share again. You arrive to a dock on the lake. You unload your stuff onto a boat and then take a short boat ride across the lake where you stay for the next four days. It’s rustic and perfect.

To be honest, I could spend anywhere with these people. We’ve been to Florida Camp No Limits, Maine Camp No Limits and Idaho Camp No Limits… there’s many other locations that we haven’t even explored. It’s not about the location. It’s about the people.  These people are unlike any others that you’ll meet. You go from complete strangers to know some very intimate details of their lives in such a short time. Dawson (one of the teen campers) hit the nail on the head when he said “these are my people”.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to share some highlights of our trip and OUR PEOPLE!

CAMP NO LIMITS all booked!

This picture was taken just last weekend while we were camping. Bella and I were walking around the camp ground just the girls. Dirty from camping all weekend, hiking, biking and exploring... BUT living our best life, in nature, with the ones we love.

Camping is one of our favorite things to do in the spring, summer and fall. It means disconnecting from life, phones, electronics. It means building bonds and making memories. That's what summer vacation is all about in my eyes.

Summer last year meant exploring Camp No Limits Idaho for the first time. We've explored others but we fell deeply in love with Idaho, the people, the location, the rustic cabins. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE Camp No Limits and every single location we've attended. Idaho camp just felt like we had found our home. While I totally realize that it's NOT a location for everyone, it was the prime location for us. It's rustic, like really rustic. We were "warned" if you will by other families and staff and I swore it was right up our alley. We got some side eyes and some laughs. Really though, it was. I barely got cell service, yay me! I was able to really focus on connecting with my kids, the other families there. One of my favorite pictures is a picture of a sibling at camp that's slathered in sunscreen that's not fully rubbed in. It was the first camp that we left that Bella cried, like body shaking cries.

We saw old friends and we made plenty of new friends. We literally can't wait to go back. We are counting down! Tickets were purchased, application was accepted... now to book a car rental and we are good to go! A little over a month to go, but who's counting? Oh that's right WE ARE!!

Birthday Girl

Am I still a girl if I'm pushing 40? I'm going with yes!

I'm determined to make this year my best year yet. Not that I've had bad years in the past... it's just that I haven't made me a priority since giving birth to those three little loves you see in this picture. I'm determined to figure out a way to continue to find balance and peace within myself. I'm getting control of my diet. What goes in must come out... it comes out for me in the form of emotions, sluggishness, crabby attitude, exhaustion, tears... If I fuel my body with good food, it comes out in a more desirable way. So that's what I'm doing. 

I've been working out and I love feeling strong. I'm continuing to work out, lift heavier weights, really push my cardio. Yes there's the benefit of looking good, but there's the bigger benefit of feeling good. Feeling good in my own skin, feeling comfortable and confident. It's about getting control of me and what makes me feel good. Pushing my body just past my comfort zone feels great. I feel proud and accomplished. 

I'm finding grace, not perfection. Thanks to a great friend for sending me the book in the mail and supporting me in the journey to find me, embrace my life as it is and the journey that we are on. I'm learning to say no when I need to. I'm learning that saying yes can mean I compromise me and my happiness, which in turn effects those around me. 

So as I turn 38 today, do me a favor. Take care of YOU. Do what makes YOU feel good. If you feel like you want to do something for me, I'm asking that you donate to our goal of heading to Camp No Limits this summer. There's a paypal link on the right. Camp makes me happy and camp makes the people that I love happy too. Here's to my best year yet and to you living your best life too! 

"That's why I love camp!"

After our incident at school this week, we had a little chat about kids and perceptions. We also talked about how younger kids are really curious and just trying to learn and figure things out. Bigger kids might not be used to someone with a limb difference.

 Bella talked about how there's a little kindergarten friend at school that always shows everyone her hand. She said "Mom he has hearing aids and doesn't realize that he has something different about him too. I told him Henry* my hand is different, just like your hearing aids are different. That's what makes us special, that we all have differences. Mom he still shows everyone about my hand but I just laugh."

"That's why I love camp! Everyone there has a limb difference or has a kid or a brother or sister with a limb difference so it's like no big deal. No one cares that you have a limb difference, you are just accepted exactly the way that you. I love it!"

"Yeah that is the great thing about camp, everyone is there to love you and teach you things and no one cares at all that we are all different."

"I know that's why it's so great, I'll always go to camp, no matter what!"

This is exactly why we go to Camp No Limits! While we work hard to get scholarships and raise funds to go to camp, we also spend a fair amount of money of our own on airfare and transportation. Her comments alone are worth every single penny that we spend. Camp is an investment for ALL of us! If you or someone you know would like to help us get to camp, you can donate here. We appreciate any all donations, no matter if it's 50 cents or 50 dollars, we appreciate everything that helps us attend camp!

Through CNL I've met friends that will be lifelong friends, I've met advocates, I've met therapists and other kids, siblings and parents that have changed my life in a variety of ways. I agree with Bella. Camp is great. No one cares about your limb difference, no one cares that you are different, they love and embrace you just the same. They also love and embrace us ALL!


*name changed for privacy

Nub tips

These little "cord keepers" are a life saver. I had posted on my Facebook page several years ago about needing something for Bella. Another mama offered to send me something to help with cheerleading. These little things are a lifesaver. We've used them for a number of things. Initially it was for cheerleading, putting one around the pom pom and one around her wrist and having them looped through each other. (Was that super confusing?!)

We've always kept some at the house for just in case. We take them camping and have used them for jump roping too. It's always best to be prepared and have some ideas just in case.

Recently, based on our 504 plan, the PE teacher reached out about hockey being their next section. Through this section, Bella would need to be able to put both hands on the hockey stick in order to have the most control. She had Bella ask for more "velcro things" and we had a meeting scheduled.

When I met with her we talked about her idea of Bella using her prosthetic and using the velcro cord keepers to wrap around her prosthetic as well. This worked super well for hockey AND for jump roping! These things are a must if you have a prosthetic or if you don't. Talk about multitasking!

Here's an amazon link with them, I purchased them at Walmart in the sewing section (who would've thought!)

Would you do it?

Today, Luca and I went to the Barnes and Nobles story time. There were a bunch of littles there with their parents or caregivers, most were much younger than Luca. I noticed a little guy that was born with no legs and shortened arms, no elbows. I glanced their way and smiled several times.

Instead of focusing on story time, my brain was racing a million miles a minute. It's always do you approach and say something or not... if you DO approach WHAT do you say? "so cool, my daughter was born with a missing hand?" Um no... "Hi I'm Sarah and I'm super passionate about limb differences" Um hello creep! "You were born like my daughter Bella" Nope not true, they are different... ugh. I struggled. Do I say something and what do I say? Will I seem like a creep? Or will the person with this little guy find it helpful? I spent almost 45 minutes debating what to do.

Then I reminded myself, I was once in the shoes of this little guys parents. Though different, very similar. There was a time when I had NO resources, when I knew NO other families of children with limb differences, when I didn't know how to teach my daughter to crawl, tie her shoes or even where she would wear her wedding ring... There was once a time I felt alone in my feelings, that I felt that I had something to do with her difference. I'm sure this kiddos parents wondered many things too. If they are like me, there are still things they wonder.

I grabbed my business card and wrote down a few things on the back: Camp No Limits, Lucky Fin Project, Joshua K_____. On the front, I added my cell phone. I held it close and still thought, how?

Then I said, whatever, I'm going for it. So I approached the person with the little guy and said something like "Hi I'm Sarah, my daughter was born without her left hand and I wanted to give you some resources that might help." She smiled and thanked me saying "I'm not his mom so I'll pass it along." She explained that she was a friend helping. She also said "Most people don't even smile at us". I bent down and said "Hi I'm Sarah, my daughter was born without her hand and I was giving your friend some stuff to share with your parents that you might like. How old are you?" I reached out my hand to shake his hand and he reached out one of his arms and I shook his nub. The little boy said he was 4. I said "My son, I'm here with is 4 too! Do you start kindergarten in the fall?" He was quiet and a little shy. I spoke with them a few minutes and I explained to the friend what each resource was and said to please feel free to have his parents call me if they have any questions or I can help in any way. She thanked me...

It wasn't awkward at all after the interaction started. Maybe they'll never call. Maybe they have all of these resources... but what if, what if they don't. What if ONE of those things can be helpful to them? I'll tell you what if... if it is, I've done my job as a mama and an advocate.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday kicks off the season after Thanksgiving. According to the Giving Tuesday website, it kicks off the "charitable season of giving". This giving tuesday, I'm asking you to really think about the organization that you pick to donate... that is if you do. I'm asking you to give mindfully not mindlessly. Many organizations take our money and very little goes to the actual cause. It bothers me to think that money I have given in years passed does not 100% go to the cause I am supporting. 

The organization that means the most to our family today and every day is Camp No Limits. As many of you know, we attend camp every year. If we could attend every location, we would! But alas, work, school, life and finances for travel get in our way. Camp truly makes our year brighter. While we only attend once a year, the friendships that we make through camp last a lifetime. The support and love carry us through to the next time we attend camp. It's like having a family that supports you and lifts you up when you meet struggles. The kids and families that we meet through camp change our lives. 

I'm asking you to consider giving to Camp No Limits or give to our fund for travels to get to camp. Last year, it cost us over $3200 to get to camp, between airfare and rental car amongst other things. That said, it was worth every penny. I will continue to work my tail off every year to make camp a possibility for our family. Without the help of you and others like you, we would not have been able to attend camp. Last year, we received a scholarship to pay for camp and we only had to pay the $3200 to get there! That's a HUGE blessing! 

If Giving Tuesday is not your thing, no worries, I'll simply ask that you spread awareness. Spread awareness about Camp No Limits, spread awareness about limb differences, share our names with others so that I may help another family that is in our shoes, so that I can help them advocate for their child, so that I can be the support that they need, so that camp can be the family that they need, so that they can be aware of the many people that are in their shoes! 

Thank you for considering. Thank you for following our blog, for listening to our stories. 

504 complete!

Just like that our 504 is complete! It was way more painless than it was initially made out to be. I think because I reminded the school that I have the ability to be at school for 3 days a week until the 504 took effect. That might have helped... maybe not... but it sure seemed like it was quick.

Our 504 is very basic at this point. My goals were to keep her safe and to keep her RIGHT hand protected. It is the hand that she will use for 100% of things throughout life, so minimizing discomfort or distress on her right hand is essential. So here are some of the keys of our "accommodations" so far:

• Consultation between the PE teacher, the district PT and myself quarterly (this allows us all to think of body mechanics, safety and ideas to help her)
• Allow an opportunity of pre-teaching of PE if she were to need something different (meaning she could try the adaptations without the stress of her peers observing for the first time)
• Close proximity to PE teacher during activities that require strength and balance of upper extremities (this helps keep her safe and helps the teacher be more aware of her)
• Option of technology (there are tons of options for voice to text, word prediction, see saw, etc that will help her when it comes to writing for lengths of time)
• Copies of board work (so when a teacher writes a math problem on the board, instead of Bella having to write it then do the problem, she will be given a photo copy of the board work, so less writing for her)
• Allow more time for activities of daily living (buttoning, zippering, changing to outdoor gear in the winter) 

Understand that a 504 is protected through FERPA so her school can't go talking to anyone about this. Why am I sharing it here? Because when I was trying to find out info as a mom of a child with a limb difference, my search came up pretty empty. It was frustrating. I want other parents to not have the frustrations that I felt.

Don't these seem basic? To me, yes, but to others, not so much. All of these things come back to safety and limiting fatigue on her right hand. After talking to our friends at Camp No Limits this passed summer, we realized that we could do more to help Bella be successful in school and not have struggles. I'm thankful for a certain mama for encouraging me and almost pushing me to help my child! It takes an army to raise kids and I'm happy to have so many friends helping!

I actually have a meeting with her PE teachers tomorrow morning to discuss football. Her PE teacher requested that I meet with them so we could do some brainstorming together. Love this collaboration! I think it helps us all be on board for getting Bella what she needs to be successful and not have struggles due to her limb difference.

Is this all inclusive? No. As the years progress, her needs will change. We'll meet yearly to discuss her previous 504 and make changes. I can also request to meet to make changes sooner if needed. Likewise, her school/teachers could ask to meet with me for changes. This helps to be sure we are all on the same page for Bella. We will all learn as we go!

Successful 504 meeting

Last week, we had the official 504 meeting. It happened at 7:30 am on a school day. This made it easier for all the parties involved to be there at the meeting. I sent over my schedule openings and then they worked with that. Thankfully my schedule was pretty flexible last week.

Here's who was involved:
Occupational Therapist from the school district (OT)
The school principal
Bella's classroom teacher
Me
The district nurse (there's ONE nurse for the entire district)
The school psychologist (apparently she's in charge of the 504's for our school)
Physical therapist from the school district (PT)
One of the physical education teacher's from her school (there's two)

Who knew so many people were involved? Not me. That said, it was a productive meeting and all parties were highly valuable for our situation. I'll give you the run down of the roles every one played so that if someone else is ever in our situation, hopefully they can understand it better.

The OT had called me earlier in the week to discuss my concerns. She also had observed Bella in the classroom prior to calling. I didn't know she was observing. Turns out Bella also didn't realize she was observing. She was pretty discrete about the whole thing it sounds like from Bella's standpoint and hers.

The school principal weighed in occasionally about what needed to be actually written in the plan and gave her thoughts on the plan as we went along.

Bella's classroom teacher explained what she had already seen and done as well as her plans for the year. You know those stubborn paper towel holders that need "two hands" to get the towel to come out. She put a stack of paper towels in a drawer below the sink for Bella. I love that she thought of that! She said other kids are welcome to use them too but it's there so she doesn't have to mess with it. What a thoughtful thing! She talked about technology moving forward. She discussed how the kids usually write the math problem that she writes then solve it. For Bella, she's going to photocopy the page (no copy right laws are effected) and then Bella can write the answer. For long writing, they can have her do talk to text... there were tons of plans she had! I was impressed with her forward thinking. Loved it!

The district nurse explained verbiage for the 504 to be effective. She helped to think of when to call me and how to notify me of problems as well.

The school psychologist read the words from the 504 legal page as well as noted our plans. She has to be sure Bella "qualifies"... to me that was a joke but whatever I get it. It's a process that must be followed to a T for it to be effective and be a proper legal document. She also helped keep us on track.

The physical therapist mostly just listened. He'll weigh in more when PE comes into play if we meet challenges. I'm happy he's involved so that he's aware of Bella and the fact that she may have some needs.

The PE teacher discussed the curriculum for the year. She talked about things that she's been thinking about, like hockey, pickle ball, gymnastics. She asked questions about her "sports arm" prosthetic and when and how to use it. I walked her through the process but Bella does most of it on her own. We talked about how once we meet some of those more challenging skills in PE that we as adults will come to a decision on having her utilize her prosthetic. Though I want her to be involved, there are some times adults just have to make the decision to keep her safe, physically, mentally and emotionally. We'll work with her too when it comes to that. Her PE teacher and the physical therapist talked about having her have the option to try some of those skills without her skills, like practicing holding a hockey stick before she's charged to do it in front of her class. I thought that was a great idea.

The meeting stayed on track and lasted 55 minutes. In my opinion, it was very effective. We are currently waiting to see the "finalized" 504 plan. I have no doubts that it will not be a problem.

Navigating the 504

Apparently creating a 504 is easy for some and more difficult for others.

We were initially told by our principal that a health plan would be a better option for Bella. I trusted her and agreed. Then, after doing my own research, and a lot of it, I disagreed. A 504 would legally protect her and give something in firm writing that would help us to help her.

We were told that "if she qualifies"... I'm not sure how she wouldn't "qualify". If you read the legal language, she "qualifies"... Here is what I sent over to her school: According to the Dept. of Education website, the exact wording is "cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal..."

She was born with a congenital limb difference, which is an anatomical loss affecting her musculoskeletal system. This is documented on my prenatal record, her health care record, as well as easily visible to all.

I'm thankful for the Lucky Fin Project, Born Just Right, and Camp No Limits. Those places are primary places of support for our family in times like this. The people that are part of those sites bend over backwards to help, give advice, give guidance and support. It's essential when navigating things like this. As an "experienced" mom of a child with a limb difference, I'm still learning.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because this is already a trying process. It's taken a lot of effort and energy on my part. I'm working hard to make this happen for Bella. We need to have some things in place to help her continue to be successful in school, without injury and without overusing her right hand. Remember, that if your child has ONE hand, that hand does 100% of the work, 100% of the time.

I'm not saying your child needs a 504 just because they have a limb difference. I'm saying that my child does. She had a neck injury last year at school that could have been prevented. She also has complained over some soreness in her right hand, palm and fingers. I want to be sure I'm doing what's best for you. She's almost in third grade and so far, we've made no adaptations in school for her. This year, there will be some changes. This year, we have thought about some adaptations that will keep her safer and also keep her right hand in good order so that she doesn't cause injury at a young age. Any pressure we can take off of her right hand, we will. Talk to text is something our school utilizes currently so I'm hoping that she will be using it more so save her hand. That's something that can be "built" into our 504.

I want to do anything I can to help our community as well. Our official referral was sent over and now we are waiting once again. I'll keep you posted on the process as I find things out. If you have any questions, comments or advice, feel free to share! I've had a hard time finding 504 information for kids with limb differences. Most of the information that I search is popping up with kids that have ADHD.

Camp No Limits- The last full day

The morning ran the same, breakfast, energizers, OT/PT, life skills and sibling groups, lunch then peer support groups. During OT Bella got to try some other prosthetics, which was really fun AND she got to test out the i-limb. Can I mention that the i-limb costs $90,000?! Holy batman. It was really interesting to watch all of the upper limb difference kids try it. Bella was able to trigger it perfectly to get the hand to open and close... to which her response was "This will be my next hand!". Lord help me! I know there are grants and other programs that make this sort of thing possible. If she continues to use her sports arm, then we may pursue something more.

(Hungry hungry hippos, human style!)

Next up, slip and slide. This was insanely fun! Who knew?! We watched campers, staff, volunteers and parents go down. The facial expressions while watching at the bottom were hilarious! I know you are dying to know if I went down it... you bet! I mean it's not every day that theres a slip and slide that's big enough for an adult. Ryan didn't go down it. Loser :) I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid for my life while I went down. I did slide off the end and into the grass. It was quite fun and the kids are sure to agree.

Water front activities were next. We found out that Camp Cross doesn't have a provision in their contract for stand up paddle boards which meant that an adult had to be on the paddle boards when someone that was under 18 was using one. Bummer for the kids because they really enjoyed it. Next year, Mel talked about building this into our Camp No Limits programming. However, if you know someone in the Idaho/Wisconsin area that would come to Camp Cross and do adaptive sports, we could have a whole day of adaptive water front activities! Please connect them with me if you do! Email me

The last night is always a slide show, talent show, and dance. Honestly, I want to cry every time I see the slide show. There are so many moments that other people capture of my kids or other kids that make my heart melt. Watching ALL of the kids at camp grow in just a few short days is worth every penny. They make tremendous growth in activities of daily living, being more effective with or without prosthetics, running, walking, buttoning, pony tails, shoe tying... most of all, the amount of confidence they gain in this time is worth a million dollars.

The talent show... oh dear Lord where do I begin... with this I will share one photo before I tell more.

Please tell me that you didn't laugh? I about died a million deaths! What good sports these guys were! 

Shine's hair shop was a big success. The "customers" left with lip STAIN, moles, mascara and who knows what else. The best part of the talent show is seeing the kids have SO much confidence to present something that they are proud of or be creative. I love it! Not to mention, I loved that Ryan was willing to put on a dress, witches hat, wig and feather boa all for his daughter. I got a good one!

They finish the night up with a dance. By this point, Bella was exhausted. She's our girl that has no problem saying when she's ready for bed. About 45 minutes into the dance, she asked to go to bed! It was fun seeing all the kids just let loose and dance around. Even parents and volunteers got in on the action. Truly no judgement, which is the best part of the whole thing!