By the time we hit spring break, we were all desperate for a break from the distance learning that we had been doing since mid March. We all felt exhausted and a bit burnt out so being outside and doing different activities was a nice change of pace. We found ways to be outside as much as possible, but that also took a bit of creativity at times as well.  Cody came with me on my run which was a first!  Kailey had the idea to pick up trash along our walking route to Save the Earth!  We played cornhole in the driveway.  A favorite activity w ..read more

I think we will all agree that Easter 2020 didn't go as we expected it to go. I will preface this by saying that I am thankful that we were all healthy but not being with people we loved was really hard. We did, however, make the most of the day we had and despite the circumstances, still had a pretty great day. We started our day out with Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny and the first egg hunt in the house.  We got a little more dressed in time for church and watched the sermon from the comfort of our couch.  After church was over, we headed outside for another egg ..read more

The weekend that ended week 3 was welcomed with open arms. We were ready for the break in school work and spent a lot of time outside. We explored a new little location close to our house that was a little bit of a walk/scooter/bike ride from our house. I had to laugh to myself because with all of the time in the world, the kids still all complained the whole way there and then the whole way home. "When are we going to be there? How much longer? When will we be home? What's taking so long?" There are so many things that I am struggling with lately with being quarantined but one of the thing ..read more

By the time the weekend rolled around at the end of week 2, we were all exhausted and welcomed the break from the routine. This was so much so that on Saturday, we all basically laid around on the couches all day long watching movies. We were finally shifting into our new normal and accepting that this was how things were going to be for the foreseeable future. That weekend also timed with what was supposed to be the kids' last talent show with their school and we were all excited because they were all going to be in it this year. The kids were disappointed because they knew it was going ..read more

By the time Friday got here at the end of the first week, I think we all were feeling all of the feels of being overwhelmed, worried, burnt out, stressed, etc. and it was hard getting through the day. It was warm and beautiful out so we decided to "call it a half day" and escape to the beach. We drove south to "our spot" and it was amazing how good the salt air was for our souls. It completely turned the whole day around and it felt so good to be in our most favorite happy place.  Our Friday night ended on a really fun note as our PTA president organized a virtual Bingo night w ..read more

As news spread that it was going to become likely schools were going to close, I don't think we really understood what the implications of that were going to be. We tried to prepare the kids as much as was realistically possible, but as we reflect on the last week we realized that there really is not much you can do to prepare children for a major disruption in their lives. What makes this time period even more challenging is trying to deal with your own emotions as an adult out of fear of trying to protect your family but also, move on with working full time from home (both parents), now beco ..read more

Updating the blog tonight was on my mind because I was trying to think about what I was going to talk about. But then, Colin was getting ready to take a shower and I couldn't help but think about my chubby little boy (a picutre that I can't find, but was similar to this popped into my head) and I was once again surprised at how much his body is changing lately. This was 4.... ...and this is 10. (just don't pay attention to his facial expressions) What amazes me is how muscular his body is becoming. I think this is a product of all of the physical activities he is doing lately but also ..read more

A common characteristic among children with Down Sydrome is Brushfield spots. If you look closely at Colin's eyes in this picture, they are the white speckled spots that surround the iris of his eye. When you look up the definition, it basically says that it is an aggregation of connective tissue which is commonly found in the iris. Basically, it means nothing other than adding a pretty speckling to his beautiful blues ..read more

I REALLY thought I could do it and keep up my posting every night but life happened and here I am getting caught up on 5 days of blogging for DS awareness. One of the reasons is because the kids are each doing their thing this season and keeping busy with their activities. Fortunately scheduling has generally been working and we enjoy watching them in participate in things they love to do. It has always been important for us to find things for the kids to do that would keep them active but what they would also enjoy doing.  Colin has been participating in Karate since around this time 5 year ..read more

Just like any other set of siblings, our kids have the best of days together as well as the worst of days when they just can't get along. In the grand scheme of life, they truly are friends and I have enjoyed watching their relationships grow and change throughout the years. I think most new parents of a child with a disability worry and stress over what life will be like for the siblings (and we were no different) but I truly believe that Colin having Down Syndrome is making my children better people for this world. Because of Colin they are learning to communicate in different ways with othe ..read more