hey mommas,

I didn’t forget about y’all. Last week was just one of those weeks. I had four PowerPoints due, Keagan had ball twice, and life was coming at me from every direction. But I wanted to get back to this, because this space really matters to me.

Today I want to talk about our firstborns.

I’ve mentioned before that I became a mom young. Like… we had just stepped into adulthood, literally. So in a lot of ways, I feel like I’ve grown up right alongside Keagan. I’m still learning just as much as she is, and this past week really reminded me of that.

We had a parent teacher conference on Tuesday, and it hit me hard. There’s a chance she might not move up to first grade.

And that hurt.

But then I had to take a step back and look at how far she’s come. When we first switched tutors, she could barely read three words a minute. Now she’s reading sixteen. Is that where she needs to be? No, not yet. But that kind of growth matters. My baby can spell most of her red words now, when before she couldn’t at all.

We’re not quite there yet, and yes, that part is hard. But she is growing. And so am I.

Parenting doesn’t come with a guide. There’s no step by step plan you can follow. Nobody hands you a manual and tells you how to do it right. You just figure it out as you go.

I’ll never forget being discharged from the hospital at the beginning of covid with a four pound preemie, and Bobby asked the nurse, “what are we supposed to do now?” And she said, “you go home and figure it out.”

And honestly, that’s exactly what this has been. A scary, beautiful, messy adventure of figuring it out as we go.

I don’t think I give Keagan as much grace as I should sometimes. Because the truth is, we’ve been learning this world together since the moment we met.

She has been my saving grace in so many moments. She’s an amazing big sister. Some mornings she even wakes up and makes waffles for both of them. Because of her, I’ve learned to slow down and see the world differently. I find excitement in the small things again.

She’s growing up in a world that can be so harsh, and yet she loves so big and so freely.

So maybe… I am doing something right.

And then there’s my second born.

Ridley came into this world her way, not mine. From day one, everything has been on her terms. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I had much patience before her, but she has definitely taught me.

She is strong willed in every sense of the word. And for a long time, I thought that was a bad thing. Until someone told me, “she’s not a follower, she’s a leader.”

And that changed everything.

Because this world needs leaders.

Life wasn’t the easiest for her at first. She had GI issues, struggled with weight, and had trouble passing her hearing test. But none of that stopped her. She is resilient, loving, and just as big hearted as her sister.

Last night she told me, “you’re the best ever.”

And she has no idea how much that meant to me.

I needed that more than she’ll ever know.

And just because I chose to get married young and have my babies young does not make me a bad mom. It doesn’t make me less than.

If anything, these girls remind me every single day that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

So what if Keagan repeats kindergarten? That doesn’t mean she failed. And it doesn’t mean I failed either.

So what if Ridley is a force of nature? She’s still going to love hard at the end of the day.

Those Edwards girls are strong. They always have been.

They’ve got a little Henderson in them after all… and if you know, you know.

Those are my babies. And I’m proud of them no matter what.

And I thank God for them every single day.

 

 

April 18th 2026