She then gave the boy a hug and kiss.
Viral: Bride Starts Reciting Vows at Ceremony. But Then Marine’s 4-Year-Old Son Breaks Down Sobbing
When Emily Leehan got married to Josh Newville, she already knew his 4-year-old son was part of the deal. In her time dating Josh, she had stepped into the role of a “bonus parent” for his son.
It made sense, then, that she delivered her wedding vows specifically to the boy that would be a huge part of her life. Her words left everyone in tears. A few sentences in, Josh’s son started sobbing. His emotions overwhelmed him as Emily spoke words of truth and love. In the midst of his tears, he reached out to hug her. The guests let out a loud audible “aww!”
Josh tried to get his son to calm down, but hugging Emily turned into hugging dad. This caused Emily and Josh to chuckle. The little boy’s tears were out of joy for the new additional member to the family. He simply couldn’t stop crying the entire time.
“I may not have given you the gift of life, but life surely gave me the gift of you,” Emily finished her vows. She then gave the boy a hug and kiss. His tears continued to flow even when his dad prompted him to go to his uncle. He was an adorable waterfall of emotion!
The video is going viral for its touching message. Step-parents can have a profound and positive impact on young children. John is a staff sergeant for the U.S. Marines and Emily is in the Air Force. This little boy has some excellent heroes to look up to.
Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and now this video serves as a reminder of the love of their new family. We hereby wish the newlyweds all the best!
…made a quick-thinking decision.
Viral: Car Plows Through Stop Sign Toward 2-Year-Old, Nanny Knows It’s Either Her or Toddler
The fierce protectiveness a parent feels over their own child is instinctual and tenacious. When 2-year-old Fox was in the line of great danger, he didn’t have his parents there to protect him.
He did have his nanny, Caroline Maurer, with him, however. Though nobody can replicate the exact bond between parents and their children, Maurer and Fox shared an incredibly strong bond that grew even stronger after the dangerous incident.
Before Fox was introduced to solid food, he was introduced to Maurer as his nanny. Courtney Davis was a first-time mother to Fox and found Maurer’s presence in their lives to be exactly what they needed.
On March 28, that only became more evident. Maurer strapped Fox into the stroller and took him for a morning walk in the neighborhood.
They began crossing the street that had four-way stop signs. No cars were at the stops, so it appeared safe to cross.
Suddenly, a car plowed through the stop sign without any warning. Unfortunately, the car made a left turn, meaning it was heading toward the nanny and 2-year-old child.
Maurer knew it would either be Fox or herself that was going to get hit. The stroller with Fox sitting inside was in the direct line of impact, so Maurer made a quick-thinking decision.
She pushed the stroller as hard as she could away from herself and the oncoming car. Maurer yelled at the driver to stop as she defensively held up her hands to protect herself.
The car hit Maurer, resulting in fractures of arm, hand, and wrists. She also experienced the trauma of hearing the toddler’s innocent cries, but wasn’t able to comfort him; he was strapped into his stroller while she was stuck injured on the ground.
She told KCBS, “He was screaming Nanny Caroline I love you which was breaking my heart because I couldn’t hold him.” Of course, Fox’s parents love their Nanny Caroline, too.
Bill Wolkoff, Fox’s dad, told KTLA, “I think my first reaction was: She’s family for the rest of our lives.” A YouCaring page designed to raise money for Maurer’s medical expenses was opened by Wolkoff and Davis.
Maurer wrote on Facebook in response to the YouCaring page, “Publicly reliving this leaves me grateful, tearful, loved, and anxious regarding my own worthiness in this crazy world brimming with need. I am happiest to see Fox, still whole – still perfect.”
Fox amazingly left the scene with minor scrapes, but Maurer’s life has been permanently changed; she doesn’t know if she will ever regain full use of her hands. Though she isn’t Fox’s mother, she showed the fierce protectiveness of one as she chose to place the toddler’s life before her own.