Updated pictures

Hey Everyone!  Thank you so much for reading and spreading the word about Sergei!  I was thinking, and realized that most people have about 100 'friends' on Facebo*k.  If each of those people donated only $5 then Sergei would have $500 just from ONE person's contacts and friends!  That is amazing!  We can do this, people!  We can raise a substantial amount of money so that somebody on the fence about adopting Sergei might be nudged forward once the $$ hurdle is reduced.

Imagine if you all had a part in helping Sergei find a family!!!!  I already feel so honored that so many of you are reading and that Sergei already has...

 $365

raised in

1 week!!!!!

That's $170 on with my Chip-in and $195 given directly through the Angel Tree page here! (Sergei is in the 4th row down). 

Thank you so much to those who have donated!!!!!!!   Thank you so much to those who are spreading the word!  Thank you so much to those who are PRAYING for Sergei to find a family and to be cared for by somebody this day over in his country. 

Friends, please keep helping me help Sergei.  I can't do this alone and so appreciate everyone's help and concern!  Keep it coming!!!!!

Here are some updated pictures of the knitted items that my very talented sister-in-law has JUST finished knitting this week!  They look amazing!!!!!

She'll be working on the super cute boy's hat soon, so stay tuned for those pictures. 
Don't forget about the Keurig Coffee Brewer and the $100 Amazon gift card, too! 
See previous post for fundraiser details!
Thanks so much!!


P.S. To donate, Click on the "Chip In" button on the side of my blog.  It goes right to PayPal.

Sweet Sergei G.'s Fundraiser

When the twins were babies I started searching online for organizations that were somehow involved with Down syndrome since Noah, one of our twins, has Down syndrome while the other twin does not.  Down syndrome and special needs were a whole new world for me and I wanted to see pictures of other babies and kids with Ds so I could just stare at them.  Stare at them and think.  Stare at them and cry.  Stare at them and smile.  I wanted to stare, because for most of my life I was afraid to even really look at people with Down syndrome.  I didn't know how to talk to them or how to act around them.  I didn't know how they would act or what to expect....
Through my online searching I soon came across an organization called Reece's Rainbow and was captivated by all I saw and read at their site.  Reece's Rainbow promotes the international adoption of children with Down syndrome in a way that seemed very unique to me.  They create accounts for each of the children on their 'Waiting Children' pages and people can donate to a specific child.  When a family comes forth to adopt a child, the money in that child's account is used for the adoption fees.  If the adoption falls through for some reason, the money stays in the child's account so that another family can make use of the money! 

Let me give you some info that will SHOCK you!  In Eastern European countries, right now, babies that are born with Ds are immediately put into orphanages.  Their parents are told that their babies aren't capable of learning, loving or living a life and that they should be cordoned off from the rest of society.  There are not options for Early Intervention therapy, doctor intervention or even schooling.  Oftentimes the families of people with Down syndrome are shunned and find it difficult to find work and other necessities of life.  Therefore these sweet sweet babies are abandoned to orphanages FILLED with all the other children that don't look 'perfect', that have some extra special chromosomes, or had a difficult start to life because their mama drank and drank throughout the pregnancy. 

When these babies become grown and old, no wait, when they turn 3-5 YEARS old (!!!) they are transferred to adult mental institutions.  Insane asylums.  Locked up.  Left in their cribs.  Thrown a bottle of food and possibly given a diaper change.  Most of these medically fragile darlings die within the first year due to neglect and horrible living conditions.

....At the time, I looked down and stared at my own sweet Noah, who had just received open heart surgery at one of the best Children's hospitals in the country, and wept.  He was alive and with me.  He had had a team of strangers work hard to save his life by fixing his heart.  He had a large family that prayed for him and loved him while he was in my womb.  He had a church family providing us with meals upon meals so that we didn't have to cook.  People babysat, people cleaned our home, people gave and gave and gave.  Noah had a community just waiting until his birth so they could jump in and start physical therapy, oral therapy, occupational therapy so that he could become as strong and able as his twin and other typical children.  All for one boy.  All for my baby.  Amazing love!  While other 5 year-olds with Ds in international orphanages are still unable to walk, or hold their own bottle of slurry or grow to more than 18 lbs, Noah at two years old and 28 lbs,  is climbing up into his high chair to gobble down my homemade chicken soup or pizza. 

Over the 2 years since finding Reece's Rainbow I have stared at theses orphans, prayed for them and watched them grow.  Some have been adopted (!), like Nadia at http://www.seeingtheupsideofdown.blogspot.com/

some have been transferred to an institution like Ruslan who is 8:

and others have died, like Anne Marie. 

(click here)

I have stared and stared and stared.  I have stared and cried.  I have stared and smiled.  I have stared and prayed.  Amazingly, with all this unabashed staring at the orphans and at my own son, God helped me to stare inwardly at my own prejudices, my own fears and at my own heart bursting open with a passionate love for people with disabilities.  I no longer stare at them in fear of how I will be affected.  I stare and wrack my brain of ways that I can help them.  Ways that I can love them.  Ways that I can help other families that are going over there to take them from the orphanages and institutions to bring them to a home of life and love.

Hence the purpose for this long long post.  While we hope to adopt one of these angels in the future, this year, I am a Reece's Rainbow Christmas Warrior for a little boy called

Sergei G. 

(The original picture- not sure of his age here)

 (This is a current picture from Reece's Rainbow received on 11/23/10)

Sergei is turning 5 this month!  An actual date is not listed for his birth because it probably wasn't important enough for someone to remember.  I imagine that his mama tries hard to forget him left in that orphanage and soon-to-be institution.  This picture of Sergei isn't just his baby picture.  This is how he looks, like a 2 year old.  He is 5!

The goal of a Christmas Warrior is to commit to raising $1000 for a child on RR's Christmas Angel Tree.  However, it costs $25,000 to adopt a child with Ds from an orphanage/institution so I set a higher goal for myself and for you all to see if we can raise $10,000 so that a family will be more willing to adopt Sergei without having to raise the full $25,000.  I have seen God provide full funding (ie $20,000+) for several children in a matter of days.  Maybe you can be a part of such a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click here to read the official details about Reece's Rainbow's Christmas Angel Tree .  In addition to my fundraiser, any person donating $35 (before 12/15/2010) will get an ornament from Reece's Rainbow with a picture of Sergei on it.

As for information on my fundraising for Sergei, all the money donated through Chip-In (Online Paypal) goes directly to Sergei's adoption fund.  I can see who donates, but I never come in contact with the money.  If you'd prefer to donate by writing a check, please make it out to Reece's Rainbow, put a notation that it's for Sergei G. on the Angel Tree, and mail it to:
Reece’s Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Now for all those people out there who like the idea of 'winning' a sweet Christmas present to either keep or give away, there's an added incentive in giving to sweet Sergei. 

You could win a brand new Keurig Special Edition Brewer ($139.95 value) PLUS 4 boxes of K-cups (coffee, tea, cocoa etc., a $55 value)!!!!!!!!!!!!

all generously donated by Keurig themselves!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Also, a $100 gift card to Amazon.com!!!!!!!  Wouldn't that make for some sweet Christmas shopping?!!! 

$100

Other prizes in this drawing are hand-knit (by my super-talented sister-in-law!!) accessories for women and children!!

A woman's light blue matching knit hat and scarf. 

Five of these stripey knit hats.  2 with purple, yellow & brown.  3 more with blue, yellow & brown (infant, child and adult sizes)

2 of these cutie-patootie girl's strawberry hats!  These are SO cute!!

And a matching Christmas scarf and hat!

 

With so many gift items available, there are many opportunities to score one!!!

Every donation of $5 gets you one entry into the drawing. 

A $40 donation gets you 10 entries! 

Donate through the ChipIn button or directly through Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree here.  If you donate through RR leave a note to them saying you've donated through my blog and want to be entered into the drawing.

Wait!!!  There's More!!!  Hahahah

You get 1 entry for posting on Facebook about my fundraiser and including a link to my site.  

1 entry for posting on your own blog and including a link to my site. 

And 1 entry for Tweeting about my fundraiser.

That's 3 'free' entries into this awesome drawing.  That's 3 additional sources of promotion for sweet Sergei's adoption fund!!!

While you can continue to give to Sergei until 12/31/2010, my drawing will end and winners will be picked on 12/15/2010.  That will get the prizes/presents to you in plenty of time for Christmas!!

Leave me a comment in the comment section or send me an email (email address listed over on the side)  telling me you've posted on Facebook, Twitter or your blog along with a link to such postings. 

Even if you don't want to spend anything, or don't want to write me a note, please please please pass this on and tell your friends about it so that Sergei has a great chance of increasing his adoption $$. 

Thank you so much for reading and mostly for helping Sweet Sergei!!!!!!!

Love,

Debby

While You Wait....

Please feel free to start donating now for sweet Sergei.  While you're waiting for the fundraiser to be posted here are some pictures from Trick or Treating!

To Be Continued...

I am working on a post that will introduce you to Sergei G. and other Reece's Rainbow children with Down Syndrome in desperate need of a family!  I am Sergei's Christmas Warrior which means for the months of November and December I will be raising awareness and funds for Sergei G.  Stay tuned for an exciting give-away and all the details. 

What Is Truth?

A Conversation with Zeze

Me: Zee did you put my phone in my coffee?

Z: No.

Me: Do you know who did it?

Z: It was Kai.

Kai: I didn't do it! Zeze is lying!

Z: I didn't do it. Kai is lying!

Me: Zeze, did you see Kai do it?

Z: Yes. ........No, wait. Daddy and Noah did it.

Me: Okay, did you see Daddy and Noah do it?

Z: Yes, I did! (With triumph in his voice and acting as though Mama was going to give a serious time-out to Daddy and Noah)

Me: Zeze that is a lie. Daddy wasn't home and Noah was sleeping. That isn't what really happened and it's not the truth.

Z: Oh.

Me: You need to tell me the truth all the time.

Z: But, Mama, it's just so hard! (Said with as much passion and conviction as though I had asked him to carry me upstairs.)

Me: (holding back a giggle) It's hard to tell the truth?

Z: Yes! I can't do it. Can you help me?

Me: Sure! When it's hard, you pray to God and ask him to help you tell the truth. Say, "Dear God, please help me tell the truth." Then when you're done you say the truth. Get it?

Z: Yes! (With a confident smile)

Me: How about you try.

Z: Dear God, the truth. Amen!!! ..........Oh Mama, look there's a bug on the window! He's climbing up the window!!!

I knew my point was lost, he said, "The truth." and the conversation was over, his attention span was thoroughly used up and he still might not have any idea what the words 'truth' and 'lie' mean even though he can convincingly shout, "Kai is lying!" with a tone of incredulous outrage.

I still have no idea which one put my phone in the coffee!

Copy Cat

Noah has an amazing ability to mimic people, their actions, their tone of voice (he can't say the words they are saying, but the intonation is spot on), etc.

The other morning I got him out of bed and he ran into the bathroom climbed up on the stool (a new skill learned this week which takes some quad strength to push up with one leg!), grabbed one of my barrettes from the counter and pretended to start shaving.

He watched Chad shaving one time last week and tried to copy him then, but this was a week later and Chad was not even home! Noah 'shaved' while acting as though he was looking in the mirror, doing a few strokes, rinsing the 'razor' in the sink, stretching his lip down to shave under his nose, pausing to look for more stubble, tilting his head to see the side of his cheek and then shaving a little more. I mean, it went on and on. I could have believed he was really shaving!! He was so accurately pretending to shave while using my barrette as the razor! He did all that from watching Chad ONCE a week ago! Amazing!

I think this kid is actually freaky smart, but he's trapped in a body with weak muscles with low muscle tone that won't let his face muscles form the words he wants to say nor let his body climb up onto the counter to get the real razor!

Gosh is happy?

This morning Zeze was informing me of some rules that the boys are learning. He said that we don't say, "Oh my G*d" like his friends, but we can say, "Oh my gosh." I told him he was doing a good job remembering and decided to jump on this teaching moment by adding that it makes God very sad when we say His name in an angry way. Zeze said, "I know...and it makes Gosh very happy when we say 'oh my gosh'. *sigh*

Maybe I should just teach him a cuss phrase that isn't confusing, like 'oh bloody h*ll'. It's not taking the Lord's name in vain and it's not creating another god named Gosh. :)

A Child Died Yesterday

As you all know, I follow and support Reece's Rainbow (an agency that facilitates the adoption of children from Easter Europe and other countries with Down Syndrome). I daily look at their "Waiting Children" page to see who is new, who found a family, who has a new picture, who was transferred to a mental institution and sadly, who has died. There was a little girl on RR named AnneMarie (though her real name was recently published as Anya). I've seen pictures of this little girl with beautiful eyes since she was a baby and have longed to go save her, but knowing Chad and I cannot. Well, she died yesterday. Not sure from what. Adoptive parents were there a few months ago to get their own new babies and met her and she seemed 'healthy' despite a heart condition, dehydration, malnourishment and neglect. I don't often cry, but I sobbed about AnneMarie's death. She was 5 days younger than Kai. She had an extra chromosome like Noah. That was her 'crime' and why she was abandoned to the orphanage and not given heart surgery and basic nutrition.

I'm sorry to be a downer, but these kids weigh on my heart so heavily and I can't shake the fact that this will happen again and again to little kids I 'know' and pray for. PLEASE consider donating money to some of these kids' adoption funds so that a family can come forward to adopt without the burden of raising the full $25,000 or even better, commit to one of these angels today so they can know the love of a family. Thanks for reading and listening to my heart.

Here is the info Reece's Rainbow had on her and you can go to this link: http://www.reecesrainbow.com/inmemoriam.html


(they shave their heads to avoid lice and because it's easier than lovingly brushing it out.)

Anne Marie
Girl,
Born November 25, 2005
Died October 13, 2010

Look at this beautiful princess!! She is blowing you KISSES! Anne Marie has been waiting far too long for a loving family of her own. So many of her friends from this orphanage have already been adopted, and she continues to watch each of them leave with their new "forever family". Hope someone will consider Anne Marie!

Miss Anne Marie does have a heart murmur that should be checked once home.

From an adoptive family who visited with her in June 2010: "Anne Marie is a happy child, she is aware, interactive, and very sweet! She will do so well in a family. She has the most striking blue eyes!"

All, it is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of our sweetest little Anne Marie :(( Jesus will be her Christmas Warrior this year.

Her grant of $1105 of has been shared now with ALEXANDER in the same orphanage. 4 of the older children with DS have already been transferred to the institution now. I know we can't save them all, but this loss really comes as a blow for me. We have been advocating for Anne Marie for SO long.... ;((((((( Your prayers for ALL of the children as they wait and wait and wait.....

For those of you who have signed up to be Christmas Warriors for these kids....the fundraising goal is only $1000, but we all know it costs a LOT more than that to adopt, and that the more grant money a child has, the greater their chances of being chosen. So although your set goal is only $1000, shoot for the moon. Each child deserves nothing less than your absolute best. We have seen MIRACLES in fundraising these last many months, and this year's Angel Tree will be our biggest and most successful EVER with your help.

God bless each of you, and God bless and hold our baby Anne Marie.
Andrea

Wonder Twin Powers, Activate! Form of.....

Zeze was watching me put on my make up and said that he wanted to grow up to be a girl so that he could put on make up and paint his toe nails. Not even a breath later he said, "Then I want to be an octopus and then a spider." He will be using his Wonder Twin Powers to transform into many fun things!

More Alike Than Different, Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Fall Cooking

The drastic change in weather from high 80s to 50/60s has inspired me to cook lots of yummy Fall things! I went crazy this weekend and cooked so many meals. Usually I cook 3 times in a week and make enough for left overs, but this Fall weather helped me jump into gear. I made a GF/DF/SF Maple Apple Raisin Crisp that 4 of the 5 of us loved! Kai actually started to gag and salivate and spit it all out. Little bugger!

Here's my list of things I made:

Baked fish

Brown Sugared Acorn Squash

Cranberry rice

Apple Sauce

Apple Crisp

Pancakes and bacon

Raisin bread French toast

Pumpkin Chili

Corn Bread

loaf of regular bread

cleaned and dried squash seeds for roasting.

My family will all be shocked that I cooked that much voluntarily!! I know Chad was!

As for the squash seeds, I did an experiment. I was thinking that they could be roasted like pumpkin seeds even though I have never heard of anyone doing that with squash seeds. So today, after they were dry, I coated them with oil, sugar, cinnamon and a little salt and spread the on a cookie sheet. I couldn't remember the temp I roasted my pumpkin seeds last year and didn't feel like searching online for a recipe. So I just figured that 'roasting' is usually a high temp and set the oven to 400 and the timer for 10 mins. I remembered that the pumpkin seeds took a super long time last year and figured that I'd have to come and stir them multiple times over the next hour. I hoped that they wouldn't turn out gross (is there a reason why nobody ever does squash seeds?).

I left the kitchen and went upstairs with the boys and came downstairs when the timer read 6 mins left and it sounded like popcorn was exploding in my oven...Ping! pang! ding!!!! I then remembered that I TOASTED pumpkin seeds last year and did not ROAST them. Very different!!

I was scared to open the oven door due to flying shrapnel, but I squinted my eyes (always a good substitute for safety goggles), ducked low and peeked in. Sure enough my seeds were popping and zig zagging all through the oven. I shut the oven off and waited. Nope, they were still popping. I knew I had to get them out or all my seeds would explode and I'd never get to taste if they are better or worse than pumpkin seeds.

By now the kids are all chattering questions a mile a minute and pushing their way in toward the stove...oh wait, it was just Zeze chattering at a safe distance away (What are you doing? What's that sound? What are you cooking? Can I have some? I WANT SOME mama!! Why do I have to get out? Why do I have to stop talking? Why are you yelling at me? Why are you pushing Noah away with your foot? etc. etc.) while Noah squealed and did everything in his power to get to the stove.

Once the coast was clear I squinted my eyes, grabbed a dish towel shield and yanked the pan out of the oven while being ready to throw the towel on on top of them in case some stray poppers let loose!

In the end my oven has lots of seed shrapnel all over it and the seeds that were left on the pan tasted AMAZING! They actually were really good! Kai didn't like them, of course, but Zeze and Noah did! I had to force myself to stop eating them so I can save some for Chad.

Now I'm trying to decide when I do this again, if I should TOAST them at a low temp for a long long time while stirring every 10 minutes, or should I ROAST them at 400 for 5 minutes and just put an inverted cookie sheet on top to stop the seeds from flying about? :)

I think I like the fast and furious way best! :) :)

a Pink-eyed, Yellow-Nosed Seal

That's Noah right now. He has Pink-eye, yellow snotty nose and has a barking seal cough. The other two are just runny-nosed hot (fever) seals.

Here's a picture of the little sick ones.

I used my awesome rug cleaner again! I love that thing, but I hate it because I always get carried away and do too much. I did the whole upstairs, the stairs, the lr area rug and two sections of couch. It started b/c Kai has a sleep-walking issue when he's really tired and he got up and pee'd in the hallway last night. It's so funny and weird to see Kai peeing inside our home (not in the toilet) and seeing no expression of guilt or remorse on his face. Just relief and a little confusion when he finally focuses on me. But it's also wicked gross to have a full bladder emptied on the hallway rug. One other time he came downstairs, dropped trou (sp?) and relieved himself on Noah's booster seat!

My arms are shaky now from all the steaming, but our rugs look great!!!

random kid-isms

Kai and I were snuggling in bed for nap time and he was looking lovingly into my eyes and said, "Mama, do you know what color your eyes are?" I was pretty sure I knew, but told him he could tell me. He said, "They are brown, black, red and white. Why are there red things in your eyes?" How come those wonderful snuggly sweet moments only last for about 5 seconds once the kids learn to talk? Feeling old and even more tired I told him they were bloodshot and how about we close our eyes and go to sleep already!

*********
We've been working with Zeze on saying 'please' when he demands, I mean asks, for things. He'll often ask for something and when we don't respond he'll repeat it and then add a 'please' to the end. We are constantly reminding him that he needs to say 'please' the first time he asks for something. My literal little boy now says things like, "Can I watch Diego, please the first time?" or "I want some juice, please the first time." Think about how you would explain this to him. I've tried many different ways without success. So it remains, "please the first time." even if he doesn't remember to say it until the 2nd or third time. :)

photo catch up

I painted a big chalk board on one of our walls down in the play room. The official unveiling was this morning and the boys seemed to like it! That chalkboard paint is so cool! I was so tempted to paint a couple of treads of our unfinished stairs with it and other sections of wall. But I figured this would just encourage the boys to write on things they are not supposed to.

This was done with 'washable' whiteboard markers. They don't wash off of dry-wall.

Zeze checking out his new big boy bed, with Noah's help. No more crib for Zee!!

All snuggled in!

This was a huge smiley face frizbee type toy at the Joni and Friends Family camp we attended at the end of August. Noah loved carrying it around even though it was bigger than he is.

I thought this picture would have been hilarious if I could have gotten the picture right behind Noah rather than off to the side, no luck though. Get it? A little body with a huge smiley-face head! Hahaha! Makes me laugh! :)

Chad and Zeze walking up the road from our camp cabin to the dining hall.

Kai LOVED being on the top bunk at camp.
Of course, the other two had to try it up there!
That's about it for now!

Thankful or Not

Things I am thankful for:

1. That I only used ONE of my dish towels to clean a small spot of Noah's corn-filled spit up (he has reflux)....especially since I soon realized that it was not, in fact, normal spit up, but 'spit up' from the diaper end of things.

2. I am thankful that he only smeared it across 4 of the segments of my couch rather than all 6.

3. I am thankful that my 2 week old rug steamer with upholstery attachments was already filled up and ready to go from cleaning my couch 3 days ago. I would hate to think it could sit in the closet and only be used 2 or 3 times a year. I'd rather use it 3 times in 2 weeks.

4. I am thankful that the upholstery attachment has tiny little holes to suck up the soapy water so that pieces of corn can't be sucked up into it and possibly clog a tube. I'd much rather collect all the poop crumbs and corn in my hand so that I don't clog my new steamer.

5. I'm thankful for the two flies that came in earlier this morning and how they so helpfully land on the poop to show me where it is.

6. I'm thankful for my intelligent cat that sat looking under the stove all night (for the 3rd night) waiting for a different long-dead bug to come out. His dedication is admirable and I'm so thankful that he's napping all day rather than catching the two flies that I keep swatting away from the poop on the couch. I wouldn't want a crabby and tired cat to stress himself out by actually catching a REAL bug.

7. I am thankful that my oldest son has very healthy lungs so that, from upstairs, he can scream to me downstairs, at the top of his lungs, over the roar of the steamer and right beside his sleeping brothers, that he needs me to wipe his bum.

6. I am also thankful that my oldest son has good vision so, while in the bathroom, he could point out all the microns of poop that fell off Noah and onto the bathroom rugs when I dumped said brother into the tub after the poop explosion. Nothing brings on a thankful attitude more than someone pointing out just one more poop crumb..."oh, there's another one."...."wait, is that one too?"...."you missed one over there, Mom."
Where are those flies when I need them?

7. I am thankful that my shower drain has tiny little holes too. I would hate for all that corny poop to go down the drain and mess up my pipes or septic. I'd rather pick it out of the drain and put it in my hand and throw it in the trash. SO glad I don't have to buy DRAIN-O!

8. I am thankful for the fresh, sweet, summer corn we had with dinner last night and that Noah LOVES corn on the cob and totally gets how to strip every last kernel from the cob (one of the few things we haven't had to teach him how to do). Maybe he can teach his brothers how to eat it off the cob so they can join in with helping to make their mama a muttering swearing crazy lady that writes not-so-very-thankful lists on her blog.

Update:

The poop is cleaned, the couches are finally dry, the flies are dead (no thanks to the cats), the poop clothes and towels are waiting to go into the next load of laundry, the tub is scrubbed and the bathroom rugs are cleaned. Dinner is cooking, the boys are fighting (I mean playing) and Chad is on his way home. I will try to pull it together and not be so crabby. I think writing this post helped my mood a little. It'll help me more if people leave comments to let me know that someone is reading this and empathizing with! :) :)

olives and a ladies' man

I asked Kai if he wanted olives on his pizza and he said no because they're so black and yucky. I asked if he'd eat them if they were his favorite color instead of black. He said he'd eat olives if they were purple and tasted like bananas. :)

Chad and Zeze were outside playing when our neighbor's beautiful college-aged daughter pulled up. Zeze yelled, "HI!!" to her. She smiled, waved and yelled, "Hi" back to Zeze. Zeze turned to Chad and quietly (amazing in itself) said, "Daddy, she is weally coot!" (really cute). Seeing that Zeze only knows 3 or 4 adjectives that are complimentary makes this is a HUGE amount of 'liking' going on. Let me explain.....adjective #1 is 'beautiful'. For example, "Mom, that train track you just set up is SO beautiful! Can I play with it now?"

#2 'yummy': "These cookies are so yummy AND beautiful. Thank you for making them!"

#3 'cute': "Mom, Noah is so cute. I LOVE him!" followed with kisses, hugs and the ever heart-warming eye-pokes. I'm constantly trying to explain that hugging and kissing Noah is great, but it's the eye-pokes that hurt.

So you see, Zeze saying the girl is cute is a HUGE amount of liking that he's only ever expressed toward his twin brother! I didn't know that boys could start liking girls so young! :)

I Don't Have Down Syndrome All The Time...

I found this post here at Life With My Special Ks blog. I couldn't figure out how to paste it into my blog, so please follow the link and read this neat insight from a pre-teen with Down Syndrome....

Random Photo Catch up

Kai rode the bus for the first time by himself, to go to ESY (Extended School Year). He was SO SO excited to ride the bus like a big boy, but we waited and waited and the bus didn't come. I am explaining that sometimes the bus driver forgets where to go when it's the first time picking someone up. Well, it got late and I had to load Kai and the twins up in the van to bring Kai to school. As I'm pulling out the school bus/van pulls in!! I stop and get Kai out and he happily (though flustered) climbs on the bus!

He sees a friendly face, and sits beside him. He says later, "That's my friend. He's cute like Noah." His new friend is an old pro on the school bus and shows him the ropes.

Here's a picture of the bus/van at school dropping Kai off. Yes, I am a stalker. I followed the bus to school weeping, I mean fully composed and happy that my baby is being driven to school by a stranger, a man, that I've never met before. That this is one of many strands being cut that attaches him to me. That, someday I'll have to leave him at an overnight camp, then college (will he eat, will he find his classes, what if he gets locked out of his room?) and eventually when he gets married! I know, I know! He's only 4! But I understand fully now why my mom cried at all those events when I was growing up.
Well, Kai loved the bus, but had a hard day at school and was sad that his regular teacher was not there. He was confused about the change and this is what he does to process things. I knew something was wrong b/c he hasn't lined up so many cars since before he was gluten free and fully encompased with PDD-NOS behavoirs. He moves the first car forward an inch and then the second one and so on until all the cars are moved up in the line. Then he starts over...again and again. We talked for awhile about school and the next day was MUCH better. When he came home and played with the cars and trucks, he had them all in a cluster and was having them talk to each other and throw a birthday party for the helicopter!



Fun in the pool. Noah is taking a direct hit!

Snuggly, sleepy afternoon with Noah and Daddy

....and Scout.

Blueberry picking, I mean eating! :)

Cutie pie, Noah!

Face off between Chad and our nephew, Isaac, while David and Kai get ready for more action!

Always watch your back, David!

Zeze having fun with the hose while Chad turns it on and off so it sprays Zeze's face.

Noah and Kai playing post office

Scouty is Postmaster General.

Noah LOVES LOVES corn on the cob!!

That's all for now! Sorry it's been so long (November) since I posted pictures! Hopefully, I'll keep up on it better!

Zeze the Clown

Zeze played outside with this on for an hour or more! He loves to wear hats, wigs, headbands, bowls, buckets etc. on his head! He is such a funny boy!

Monday Morning Blues

Kai asked me this morning what day it was. I told him it was Monday and he got to go to school today (trying to muster as much early morning enthusiasm as I could). Side note: Kai goes to ESY (extended school year) so he can continue to get services through the summer. He says to me, "It's Monday again?! Why is it Monday again and again and again?!! All day long it's Monday?" So I guess the Monday morning blues start at 4 years old! :)

Oh, he also said the other day, "After this week am I all done with school forever?" Oh man, I didn't have the heart to tell him that he'd be in school for 14 more years to just finish high school (he's already had 1.5 years of preschool and still has one more before kindergarten), 18 more for undergrad and 22 more years if he wants to be a baby doctor (this is what he says he wants to be). You can tell I have major school aversion! :) Maybe it's due to my 22 years of sitting in the classroom (that makes me feel ill just thinking of it!!). However, my husband LOVES to learn and told Kai with genuine excitement, "You GET to go to school for a long time and learn wonderful things!!" I'm glad I'm married to him! He balances me out and hopefully my kids will love to learn like he does!