Defining Moments in Parenting.

Becoming a parent isn’t always the smoothest ride. Yes, it’s often filled with wonderful experiences that are capable of putting an endless smile on your face, however, there are also moments that can eat away at your confidence and ultimately challenge your resolve.

When we decided to try and conceive baby #3, we had several friends who didn’t understand our desire to have a larger family… “Why tempt fate? You already have two healthy kids.” Although we never believe that your odds get worse of having a child with complications, we knew we had been blessed and with each pregnancy we’ve counted our lucky stars as the organs developed and things were checked off the healthy list.

When my wife was in her third trimester, we had one of those ultrasounds you never want. “He has a large tumor on his left kidney.”

These words left us stunned and, as it was nearing 5 pm and the fetal medicine facility they referred us to was already closed for the day, left us scrambling via Dr. Google for answers.

Thankfully, those concerns were relatively short-lived as, after our follow-up appointment the next morning, we were told that there was no tumor, rather that our unborn son likely had “three kidneys” otherwise known as one healthy kidney on one side and a dual collection system on the right.

When we told the news to our family we were really surprised to hear about the number of people in Jen’s side of the family who have struggled with this very issue. The upside was there was no tumor, but the downside was that it likely meant a daily low-dose of antibiotics for the first couple years of life.

So for three years, the one constant was that Mason took Bactrim (an antibiotic used to stave off possible kidney infections)…every single day. And at the point in which we were ready to stop, he had one final procedure.

Just like most of you, I love hanging photos (especially Fracture!) around the house that remind us of memorable trips that we took together. I enjoy seeing a daily reminder of the laughter and love that we’ve shared, but I feel like only showing one side of the journey isn’t fair.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the hard times – the obstacle overcome – to keep us in check, to know just how blessed we are.

Getting through those challenges together is what a family is all about. Managing the hand that you’re dealt and coming out victorious is worth a daily reminder. It encourages us to stay strong and embrace the times ahead.

It makes that next excursion together so much sweeter. To celebrate that next ‘memory in the making’, this Father’s Day, I’ve partnered up with my friends at Fracture to spread the word about an amazing vacation giveaway.

Simply visit the link above, enter a few pieces of key information in the short form and then post one of your favorite family moments together on Instagram using the #FocusOnMoments hashtag and consider yourself in the running for a $2500 SouthWest airlines credit and $1,500 Hotels.com voucher that will certainly allow you get you one step closer to crossing an item off of your bucket list.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the amazing dads out there, count your blessings and live each day as if it were your last.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was a sponsored post on behalf of Fracture and their #FocusOnMoments campaign, however the moments they’ve immortalized on glass are all ours. For more on Fracture, check them out HERE, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. AND DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!