One proud mama..

Today at school Rory was able to bring something in for show and tell.  You know what she picked??  her medal from our very first Buddy Walk!

She practiced what she was going to tell her classmates, "A Buddy Walk is a fun time for people who have Down Syndrome, like my brother, and their families and anyone who loves them.  People with Down Syndrome are just like you and me, they like to have fun!"  I love that she gets excited to tell her friends about Down syndrome and of course her very special brother!

At the end of the end Brendan got off the bus sporting this:

Well, looky there Mr. Student of the Day!

Such a proud Mama today.....and everyday!

Be sure to check out some other cool blogs through the 31 for 21 button!  Happy Weekend!

A Halloween Lighting

While October is Down Syndrome Awareness month, it is also the long awaited time of the year where we finally get to decorate the house for a holiday!

I give you, our Halloween lighting...

A "Moving" Moment

This past weekend we took a family trip to Austin to see the Imagination Movers in concert!  Just in case you don't have kids under the age of 5, let me explain who the Movers are.  We found the Movers through their show on Disney about 3 years ago.  They are a group of 4 friends who solve Imagination emergencies through humor and really catchy songs.

Our kids LOVE their music, they LOVE their TV show, and they seriously LOVE seeing them in concert!  Bryan and I love them for all of the reason too, and also because the Movers are a national partner of the Buddy Walk!  Buddy Walks are fundraising walks held all over the country to raise money and awareness for people with Down Syndrome.

This was our second trip to  Movers concert, the first one was about a year and a half ago in Kansas City, but this time was Bryan's first time!  It was a little hard to tell who was more excited to be there, the kids or Bryan.

Before the concert began a local Down Syndrome Group and 3 of its members came up on the stage to promote their upcoming Buddy Walk.  Rory noticed and said "Hey, they have Down Syndrome just like Bubba!" and then she was one of the loudest cheerers in the theater!  With that, the lights came up and the Movers took the stage!

During the concert all of the Movers are out and interacting with the crowd, singing and dancing, they are so great!  At one point, one of the Movers "Smitty" made it down the aisle to the end of the row and all 3 kids were there to great him and high 5 him!

Rory got her high 5, and then Jack, and then Brendan..

It was truly a special moment, and Brendan was so thrilled!

After an hour and 15 minutes of non stop singing and dancing it was time to say goodbye to the Movers and head on home.

During the car ride Bryan and I relived the concert, how great it was that Smitty took that extra second to make sure that each child got their moment.  I know how it made me feel to see it, and by looking at the kids expressions I knew how it made them feel.  What I didn't know is how truly special it was for Bryan to see it.

The following day this is what he posted on the Movers Facebook page..

"Great show by the Movers in Austin yesterday…. a lot of memories created. A special thanks to “Smitty” for one high-five he gave to an awestruck four old boy. “Smitty’s” high-five included a moment where he made it clear to our son and his parents that he saw this little boy like every other kid there and not just a boy with Down syndrome. How you really see people takes a moment and “Smitty” and the Movers are the real deal. Thank you."

I asked him about it that night and he said "In a half a second you can tell if someone is looking at Brendan with pity or looking at him as just another 4 year child.  Smitty looked at him as a 4 year old, not just a kid with Down Syndrome."

How very very very true.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Here it is again!  It's time for Down Syndrome Awareness month, and this year I have decided to do something new!  I have joined up with other blog writers for "31 for 21"...get it?  There should be a button on the top right side of this page, but I can't seem to make it appear...hmmmm.  If you are interested to read blogs of other people who are committing to this challenge as well just click where it says "Grab this button" and it will take you to another blog with a list of participants.  We'll see if I can actually get to post something everyday...I think I can!

To kick it off, here is a little video of Brendan and a few things he has been up to since we did our Down Syndrome Awareness video last year!

5 days gone by...

Week one of having 3 kids in school all day is over. 

Last Sunday I remember being a little weepy about the fact that I was going to be a stay at home with no one to stay at home with.  Then we went to church where Jack was being a pill, to the point that he bit Brendan's arm.  I got over my misty moment pretty quickly, and then was sure to keep a safe distance between Jack and me as I was sure that he was going to be struck down before we hit the door!  Don't worry, he wasn't.

Sunday night as Bryan and I decorated the kitchen for the first day of school breakfast I started feeling excited for the next morning, and I thought about my first days of school.  I remember we always had new crayon, because Grammy said that every new kid should them on the first day of school.  Now my mom makes sure that her grandkids have new crayons for their first day of school, and I put some on my September mantel as a nod to those fabulous ladies.

As I was laying out the backpacks and getting the lunch boxes ready I remember making the trip to Grammy and Bart's house to show off our new clothes and backpacks before we trekked off to school.

 I wish we could do that now, but the pictures and the phone calls seem to make up for it, not really, but that's what I will keep telling myself until they build an Army base in Massachusetts!

Anyway, the kids had a great breakfast and we very excited about the celebration for their first day of school!

I'm not sure when it happened, but it seems that we have some kids who have done some growing up!

Rory has somehow wound up in 2nd grade..

Brendan is in all day Pre-K..

and Jack is in Preschool..

The week went very well for everyone, even if it took me a little time to adjust.  This week things will be different, homework will start and my free time is now gone with lots of volunteer activities, but we are all looking forward to see what the year has in store for us!

The summer is over....

....and since I've been absent from blogging, here is a photo recap of what we did!

Pool fun in the backyard..

Brendan sliding away! 

Daddy-Daughter dance that was put on by Bryan's unit.

Visiting the turtle at Rory and Brendan's school library which was open for the month of June.

A Mommy-Rory day to go and see "Brave".

This pretty much sums up the month of July in Texas..

Brendan was in the hospital overnight for dehydration..

Thankfully the next morning he was back to his smiling self!

Jack was amazed that Rice Krispies "talked" to him.

Rory passed Level 2 swimming, twice!

Watching 4th of July Fireworks with Bryan's boss' family on Fort Hood.

Pretty!

Rory had a sleepover at "the cousins house" and we met them for lunch at a place on Belton Lake.

Jack got a clean bill of teeth health at the dentist. 

Brendan worked really hard with his speech therapist!

Jack learned to dress himself, yeah we still have work to do.

Rory got her first "eye check up" and her first pair of glasses.

Rory beat me at air hockey...this is her game face.

Brendan finished his summer school session, and Rory helped him off the bus on the last day!

Brendan got a "Cavity free" dentist visit!

Rory did too!

We geared up for the Olympics with lots of crafts and some hidden learning..

We hit the books..

..and then we hit the cupcakes.

To really get into the spirit we had the kids participate in some  Olympic weightlifting!

Now, to run with the torch!

Brendan wasn't really about running with it...guess he likes to play with fire!

Look at that Olympic pride!

Rory laid out in front of the TV watching the Opening Ceremonies.

We had a visit from Uncle Michael and his guitar..

..and Auntie Madelynn and her sketch book of the designs she has made.

We had a late summer getaway to a resort just North of Houston with a watermark..

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3 cuties by the lake!

See, I was there too!