Raised as a military child, Michelle has a special fondness for her childhood memories, sharing accounts of attending high school in Germany and making friends around the country. Now she and her husband, who is serving in the United States Air Force, are raising two beautiful children together hoping to give them the childhood memories each of them remember so fondly.

Michelle’s blog Big Blueberry Eyes is titled after her daughter Kayla’s striking big blue eyes. Kayla (8) has Down syndrome and Celiac Disease and participated in a photo shoot for the National Military Family Association toolkit; her younger brother Lucas is a fun- loving, independent four year old whose charm warms everyone he encounters. Michelle shared how Lucas earned special points at school for good behavior and as a result got to pick out a special prize. What was his treat of choice—a beautiful headband for his sister Kayla. So, what is Michelle’s magic for raising a loving family? First, she is quick to clarify that their family is pretty much like every other family, but she did share a couple of great tips she uses to try to keep her family connected to each other, even through deployments, as well as to the communities in which they live.