Special needs parenting changed how our family could adventure. Until now. ❤️ These adaptive bikes aren’t just giving Hazel and Russell more freedom—they’re giving our whole family the chance to adventure together again. A huge thank you to Scenic City Tykes and Athens Kiwanis for making this

For most kids, riding a bike is just part of childhood. But when you have a disability, something as simple as going for a bike ride with your family can feel out of reach. These bikes change that. ❤️ They give Hazel and Russell the chance to experience something every child deserves—the w

I love being Hazel and Russell’s mom. But somewhere along the way, motherhood and caregiving became so consuming that I stopped asking who I was. Not just Mom. Not just caregiver. Not just advocate. Julia. The woman who loves to create. Who has big ideas. Who wants to write books, speak,

9 years ago, when everything felt scary and uncertain, our NICU nurse did something so small but so unforgettable. She probably thought it was just part of her day… but for us, it became one of those memories we still carry. NICU nurses are truly a different kind of special. 🤍 #NICUstory #NIC

Sometimes we grieve a future that hasn’t even happened yet. Years ago, I used to say things like: “She’ll never walk.” “She’ll never talk.” “She’ll definitely never go to school.” I couldn’t imagine a future where Hazel lived long enough for school to even be part of the conversation.

Sometimes I catch myself trying to memorize her. The sound of her laugh. The way her whole face lights up. The little things she does that are so completely Hazel. She has NKH, a rare and life-limiting genetic disorder, and from the beginning, we were given a prognosis no parent is ever prepa

Sometimes the biggest lessons about inclusion come from the smallest moments. ❤️ I watched my kids sit on the sidelines at a birthday party, and then one little girl made a choice that changed everything. She didn’t need special training. She didn’t need the perfect words. She simply saw two

Some of the things people have said to me over the years have stung. Sometimes deeply. I used to replay the words, wonder what I should have said back, or let someone else’s opinion take up way too much space in my mind. But I’ve learned something: I don’t have to carry every word someone han

There are some moments you never forget. Walking out of the hospital after giving birth… carrying your bags, your paperwork, your sore body—and leaving your baby behind. Then you see the empty car seat. You came to the hospital expecting to leave with your baby. Instead, you’re driving hom

Hazel was never supposed to live long enough to go to school. And now she’s in third grade. I think that’s why back-to-school always feels a little different for me. There’s the excitement and the new backpacks and meeting the teachers—but underneath it all is this quiet awareness that we wer

I shared about the NICU nurse I still think about nine years later, and so many of you connected with that story. Maybe because most of us have had a person like this. Someone who walked into a season they couldn’t fix and chose to stay anyway. When Hazel was in the NICU, we were terrified

Back-to-school has always been bittersweet for our family. Russell starts first grade. Hazel starts third. As we walked the halls during Meet the Teacher night, I found myself celebrating another year we weren’t promised… while quietly grieving the reality that the developmental gap continues

I thought I was just picking up our weekly market order. Instead, God reminded me of something I didn’t know I needed to hear. A simple lunch. A family hymn. One sentence that has been replaying in my mind all week: “We have a lot of things to do today… but we don’t have anything else we

As classrooms fill back up this year, here’s one reminder I hope every educator carries with them: Before you teach the lesson, learn the child. Yes, standards matter. Test scores matter. But every student who walks through your classroom door wants the same two things: to be known and to bel

Nine years ago, we were sitting in the NICU wondering if we would ever bring Hazel home. There was one night-shift nurse named Maya who saw our daughter the way we did—not as a diagnosis, but as a little girl worthy of love and hope. I don’t know where she is today, but I think about her ever

“How have you published 18 books?” I get asked that question all the time. The answer isn’t that I’m the best writer or that I have everything figured out. It’s that I refuse to let perfection stop me. I know God called me to tell our family’s story. Both of our children live with NKH,

Nine years ago, we were sitting in the NICU wondering if we would ever bring Hazel home. There was one night-shift nurse named Maya who saw our daughter the way we did—not as a diagnosis, but as a little girl worthy of love and hope. I don’t know where she is today, but I think about her ever

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