I'll never forget when I finally realized we were going to have Emily, and that I would have to make sacrifices as a parent. Billy Joel was coming in concert. Darren and I are huge Billy Joel fans. We had put away our pennies and nickels for our entire marriage, hoping that the day would sometime come when we could see The Piano Man in concert. That time finally came. Billy Joel was coming to Kansas City!  We had $100, enough for nosebleed seats! But then we got to thinking. We had trouble making bills. We were working crazy hours. Would the money be better suited in bringing our new child home, or in jamming it out at a Billy Joel concert?  Of course we chose our daughter! And we have never regretted a second of that decision.

We've made tons of sacrifices for our children since then. Waiting to buy clothes so they would have nice clothes that fit. Eating hot dogs for birthdays because a child ended up in the ER with a boo boo. Driving a mini van instead of a car. Bringing my career to a halt so I could stay home and raise them. You know what? It's all worth it!

This week, our children are 13, 10 and 8.  They are really decent, well behaved, trustworthy, God loving children. They are amazing. They have brought us joy indescribable. On Thursday night, we have FREE tickets to the Chiefs preseason game. Now, Darren and I are huge sports fans, so imagine the excitement.  But...Emily's school's Back to School night is Thursday night, and without a moment's hesitation, we refused the tickets so we could go to her event. We don't regret it for a moment.