Kisses

I have this new fascination...with kisses. Hershey Kisses that is! I ran across the idea blog hopping one day a few months ago, & I can't get enough. They are so easy (if you have a Cricut), and such a easy decoration...for everything! I have made them for parties, weddings, hostess gifts, even Glitz & Glam! So I decided that since I'm making them for everyone & everything, I'm going to try and make a few bucks doing it! I got my first order with in a hour of posting that I am selling them on Face Book!

Kisses!

Bracelet update

IT WORKS!! He CAN'T get it off...and he quit fussing with it after about a half hour!! I recommend these for anyone with a little one...special needs or typical!

See...still on!

We love it so much we ordered a second one for our little friend Tyson to rock!!

ID Bracelet

So excited to get this in the mail today! It's Jake's ID bracelet (cool boy style)! I'm loving it! It has a little water proof tab that slips right under the Velcro in a little pocket that I put his name, birthday, my name & phone number and Zach's name & phone number. And on the back I can list allergies, medications and other info! LOVE IT!! Now to get him to wear it! If you have a little escapee (Jennifer), ya might want to look into these!! Could be well worth the $15!!

The great escapee

In the past few months Jake has had a few good jumps in growth. He's still a itsy bitsy little guy (wearing 18-24 month cloths at 2 1/2 years old), but he's getting taller & taller. He's a smart little booger too. He has figured out that if he wants to get things off the kitchen counters...empty a drawer, climb in it and WHA LA...everything is at his reach! He has also (somehow) figured out how to get out the front screen door! Twice in the last week I have turned my back (how dare I...I know), and there he is...half way down the drive way making a run for the open road! And there is another gray hair. So...new safety locks go on the upper drawers, and the front screen door will be locked at all times! And to up the ante a little...we got him a sweet little Velcro ID bracelet from Vital Id! Only $15 after shipping...totally worth the piece of mind. Now to see if I can get him to wear it! Wish us luck!!

Me & my boy...

Here are a few more pics...just for fun!

The guilt of a parent

You win dad...I'll start blogging again! Not that I don't love it...I just don't have as much time & subject to talk about. But because you "can't check Face Book or e mail at work...but can check Blog spot..." I'll try and get on it!! ;)

So what has happened since my last post in late MARCH? Hmm, well... a lot! So here is the quick & dirty & I'll fill in the blanks in the next few days!

Our niece Delana came back to spend some more time with us right before we left on vacation. We love all the "sisterly" time we get to have with her, but it's now time for her to start her new life with her dad & "fake mom" (that is a term she lovingly came up with for her new step mom...we all like it...even Fake mom). She is a sweet little girl with lots of love & energy to share, but emotionally needs to be in one place that she can call home & feel secure. So she, daddy, & fake mom get to start a whole new life together next week! I am so excited for all of them...what an experience it will be!

Moving on...

For the past 13 months I have been working with DSAMC (Down Syndrome Association of the Mid Columbia) on our 1st annual benefit called Glitz & Glam. I'm sure you have read about it, once or twice. Well, I am pleased to announce that it was a HUGE success! I will know the exact numbers in a few days (holes that I will fill in, in future posts), but the preliminary numbers are that we had less than 10 NOT show up out of 128! So how much did we raise...this number is rough, but around $15,000.00!! That's right friends...$15,000! I just wanted to break even so I didn't cost the group any money! I never in a million years thought we would double what we spent!! And the ladies LOVED it! Do I have pictures? No, not yet, but I will...and I'll post more about that later too! But here is one picture I DO have!! Thank you Mrs. Krista Schei for this beautiful picture! Krista & I are childhood friends...I love her like a sister! You take beautiful pictures!

That's all I have for now. I'm off to work on Gracie's 6th birthday party...Rock Star Pirate Princess. Ya, this should be interesting! They don't make a Cricut cartridge for that!! Momma is gonna have to put on her thinking cap for this one! But what my girl wants...my girl gets!

Keep checking...I'll "fill in the holes" a little more often!!

Life is good...

I just sat down to take a few minutes to look at the pictures on my phone & my camera & I couldn't help but notice how great our life is. How special it is. And how much our wants now out weigh our needs. That is a good feeling. This morning I had mixed feelings about "Down syndrome day". Today is World Down syndrome day. A day to recognize Down syndrome. It's today because of the date 3-21 (people with Down syndrome have a 3rd chromosome on the 21st set of chromosomes). Get it...3-21! Anyway, back to my mixed feelings about today. See, we (for the most part) celebrate Down syndrome (besides on a daily basis) with our family and friends at the Buddy Walk. I think it's fun to connect the dots between today's date & Down syndrome, but to what extent. I still struggle with making sure out life isn't consumed with Down syndrome. I still struggle in making sure our life stays as "normal" as possible. Down syndrome is part of our life, not our whole life. But sometimes it feels like it out weighs the normal parts. I can't ignore it and pretend it doesn't exists...nor would I ever want to. But it can't take over. So on days like today, I struggle on how much attention to give it. At one point in my head, I had a big family picnic on the beach planned, with a big family photo, & a lots of talk of Down syndrome & all the joy it has brought to us. How it ended up...we walked to the beach, balloons clipped to the wagon, got to the beach, the girls ran off one way, Jake ran off the other way...the balloons...one swift breeze took them up, up & away. Zach & I gazed in amazement of how high up and far they went, gave each other a smile and that was it! That was as much acknowledgement that Down syndrome got today! As far as I'm concerned, it was the perfect amount. Zach & I stopped for 10 seconds to watch those balloons go...and on with our day we went! It made me realize that Down syndrome can only take over our lives as much as we let it. We've got this! And it feels good!