Tennessee Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas in Tennessee. We had over 30 people on Christmas eve and over 20 folks on Christmas day. That is ALOT of people. The kids had a great time. Judson had so many people to give him attention. He wants to live in Tennessee! Sawyer had lots of people to watch. (He is a people watcher) Ansley did great. She did not seem to get stressed with all the people. Of course with that many people, someone is always eating. So she was constantly begging for food. Her favorite past time is eating!

The kids were blessed with alot of gifts. We ate like kings for a week. Best of all, we got to visit with family! We had a very Merry Christmas.

Happy New Year!!

So much happens in a year and sometimes we are so busy 'experiencing' life that we forget how we got to where we are. (Make sense?) Towards the end of 2005, my Grandmother died. She was a wonderful lady who lived to be 95 years old. She taught me alot about life and living and I still miss her very much. During that same time, we also prepared our dossier to send to Taiwan so that our case could enter into the courts and we could adopt Ansley. Now towards the end of 2006, we will be celebrating the holidays with family. My grandmother's spirit is still alive. Her memories can never be erased. Our daughter has been home for 6 months. We are making new memories everyday. So while we are ring in 2007, let's take a look back at what we learned in 2006.

1. CHALLENGE YOURSELF. You can do much more than you think you can. Do NOT take the easy road. It's boring and predictable and you'll be saying someday, "I wish I had". You may not be able to do it all at once (or maybe you will) but you can work up to your goal. So, get off your duff and do it! Sign up for that class on how to write the great American novel. Get off the couch and start walking. Before you know it, you'll be ready to run that 5K you've been wanting to do for so long. Start talking to an adoption agency. Next thing you know, that child you've been dreaming of will be calling you mommy/daddy. To quote the Nike commercials, JUST DO IT!

2. TRUST YOURSELF. There will be folks that will tell you it can't be done. Hopefully, there will be people to support you also. In the end, you know if it's something you're willing to work towards. The people who are telling you "don't do it" are usually telling you because it's something they are not willing to do. Who's asking them, right?

3. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. You may or may not succeed in making your dream a reality. It may take more than one try. You may make mistakes along the way. That's okay. You learn and you move forward. Push the negative thoughts out of your mind. Stay away from negative people. (Life's too short) Be one of the positive people-to yourself and to others.

4. ENCOURAGE OTHERS. Don't be a nay-sayer! No one (let me repeat, NO ONE) wants to be around negative people. Help others succeed and you'll be helping yourself too.

5. NO EXCUSES. Try your best and there's no need for excuses.

So that's my pep talk for now. Go out and make some resolutions and then start working towards them. You just might surprise yourself.

Early Christmas

The kids are all sick. Judson has walking pneumonia, Sawyer has an ear infection and Ansley has a bad cold. (are there any good colds?) So we decided to give them an early Christmas present. Judson has wanted this kitchen set for at least 6 months (since he first saw it in the store) and Ansley loves to cook.



Let's face it, the box is always more fun than the actual toy.





They ALL love it!

Almost Christmas!!!!!

So here's a Merry Christmas picture for those who did not get a Christmas card from us. (I'm sure we forgot someone in the 30+ cards we sent out, most likely because we did not have your address)

Also adding in some more of the Festival of Trees


and from a birthday party Judson attended.

O Tannenbaum

WOW! How many trees can they put in one convention center? I don't know but I'm sure they numbered over one hundred. (Big ones, little ones, fat ones, skinny ones) Add in a giant slide, roller coaster, merry-go-round, other carnival rides, crafts, gift shop, more exhibits, and children's choirs and you've got the makings of a great time. That is exactly what we had! The kids loved it, especially Judson. He rode his first roller coaster. Ansley got a bit scared on the tilt-a-whirl but really liked the flying car ride. Sawyer loved the carousel. Mom loved the trees. And DAD, let's just say, he didn't complain as he rode all the rides! People/groups donate decorated trees, wreaths, and gingerbread houses. Some of the themes of the trees this year were: Black-tie barbie (all black and silver decorations), legos (all lego decorations), Thomas the Tank Engine, Swarovski crystal (ooooh-la-la, beautiful), teddy bears, patriotic, South of the Border, Neckties (angels made from old neck ties) and it just goes on and on. They are sold with the proceeds going to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They charge admission that goes to CHOA. It was a great time and I highly recommend it, even though it can get crazy with the parking and all those people.

I made a collage of some of the trees since there is no way to show all of them. I think I took some 90 photographs today. Enjoy!

The Tree is Up!

Oh boy. Getting decorations up with 3 little ones around, can be a challenge. SO far, the tree is up and the candy canes are put up outside and the Christmas village is out. That'll probably do it for this Christmas. Ansley thinks the the tree is "Pitty" (translation, PRETTY). Sawyer is a bit scared of it and doesn't like to touch it. Judson keeps rearranging ornaments and screwing the light bulbs out of their sockets. And Trinket (the cat) is very interested in the tree! So, it's a typical Christmas in this household.

That's about it around here. Hope everyone is enjoying the season. It's a great time of year, don't miss it!!! Seeing Christmas through the eyes of children is awesome. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, Judson's reply was "Whatever you want to give me". Is that cool or what?

If you look very hard in the picture next to Judson, you'll see a red pillow that used to be velvet. The pillows name is 'Fluffy' and he HAD to be in the picture too. That pillow is more loved than the Velveteen Rabbit! Merry Christmas, Fluffy!

Tis the Season

OK. The Christmas season is at hand. And boy are we busy. Last nite was the annual trip to the mall for Santa pictures and train ride. I cannot get the scanner to work, so you won't get the Santa picture but you will get the 'train ride'. Judson LOVES riding that train. He'd ride it day and night. This was Ansley's first time on the train. Her eyes just twinkled. She was so happy. She was a bit leary of the man in the red suit but the train ride more than made up for it. AND SAWYER, oh my, what a hoot. He squealed! He was so excited to be riding that train.

Next up, Festival of Trees. It is for a great cause, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (something near and dear to our hearts). We hear it's very busy so we are hoping not to lose any kids while we are there. We also plan on squeezing in another trip to the Children's Museum in the next few weeks. Then holidays with the family!!!!!

We also got a new Christmas tree this year. Judson and Mommy and Daddy have been putting it up. It came with 200+ lights. (none of which were screwed in) It is very retro looking and Judson is very excited about it. You just can't have too many colored lights on a tree! (At least that is how 4 year olds view the world)

Hope you enjoy the pictures! (The red gown Ansley has on is one I wore when I was little! The picture was taken while visiting Nana)


Brothers, wrestling

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Well guys, it was a Happy Thanksgiving. Ansley is not into staying strapped in a car seat for several hours at a time, though. So we suffered thru some whining and whimpering. She was very happy to be there but when the time came to load up the car to come home, she was determined to be in that car. She was NOT going to be left.

The kids enjoyed playing with each other. They also enjoyed the Christmas tree and opening presents. Although, I think they were overwelmed by so MUCH. They only played with a small portion of their gifts. Adults can learn alot from children! There is no need for an over abundance of gifts. Just being together makes them happy. Judson played "find-a-word" puzzles most of the time. ANsley played with the tea pot to her tea set. Sawyer was getting over an ear infection so he just liked to sit and watch everyone else. Cousin CJ went hunting with his dad. And Cousin Abigayle just wanted to fix Aunt Sammy's (that'd be me) hair. My suggestion to those trying to think about what to get children who have EVERYTHING: make a donation in that child's name to a good children's charity/cause! You would be making a positive difference .

Here's some pics of the kids.

Have you ever noticed?

Little girls keep score. Stuff like: His cookie is bigger than mine. His water is colder than mine. He's got the book I want to look at or the toy I want to play with. And when that girl cannot communicate verbally, she decides to WHINE.

Now, little boys will get tired of whining, score keeping, and of having things taken away. At some point, they snap. When they snap, they start retaliating. That is when the whining gets louder and the screaming starts on both sides. And yes, there are sometimes bruises and flesh wounds.

This has been one of those weeks. We're all looking forward to Thanksgiving. Perhaps the distractions will keep the whining and fighting to a minimum. Then again, there will be 2 more children to add to the commotion. TWO girls and THREE boys. (I personally think the boys are outnumbered. There needs to be at least 3 boys to every 1 girl for any kind of equality.)

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

The Week in Review

Not much to tell this week. Just going about our business. If anyone has a cure for 2 kids who continue to bite each other, I'd sure appreciate it. Other than that, we're just getting ready for the holidays. Hope everyone reading this is doing well. And to the Dunkins, so sorry we missed the party. We were so looking forward to it. Another time.

The collage is of a few pics we took this week. The lips came in a goody bag from the previous birthday party. The kids had a blast with those. Judson and Daddy built an elevator with the Tinker Toys. Pretty Cool!

Lots and Lots of Pictures

Here are some pictures. First, are pictures of Judson and Ansley building towers with their blocks. Sawyer is incarcerated due to his tendancy towards demolition as opposed to construction. Next, are pictures of a birthday party for one of Judson's friends. They held it at the children's museum. What a blast! The kids had a great time. After all the pink icing, pizza, and crafts, everyone went to play in the museum. Judson's favorite place was the PVC pipe area. Ansley loved the slide. Sawyer loved EVERYTHING! Hey Evie, The family shot is just for you!!!!!

"B" is for "B"irthday and "B"oo!

Whew! What a busy weekend we had. Saturday, Judson and Mommy made cupcakes to celebrate Sawyer's birthday. Come to find out, Sawyer and Ansley are not overly fond of cupcakes. Never fear though, Judson likes them enough for everyone. Sunday, we went to the zoo for Boo at the Zoo. We met some friends there. We went trick or treating. Some went thru the haunted house. Some did not. The kangaroo stuck his head inside the pumpkin! The monkeys were out in the open, no cage! (I mean the REAL monkeys) I know it looks like they were not having fun at the zoo but they LOVED it. (How can you not love candy?) They were worn out by the end of the day and also a bit overwelmed by all the madness.

Playing with one of my presents...............I'm "2" years old!


Having fun yet?




Grooving with my buddy, Amelie! Meanwhile, Ansley showed off a few of her dance moves. (That's Sawyer's foot in the picture with Judson. Even he got out on the dance floor and busted a few moves.)



All tuckered out! (Yes, Sawyer fell asleep before we even made it to the car.)

New Hats!

Today was NEW HAT day. Even in Hot-Lanta, there is still an occasional need for a hat. They all loved their hats but Sawyer was especially excited about it. And NO we do not beat our children. The scratches on Sawyer's face this week are where he was rubbing his face because of allergies. Needless to say, I've cut the fingernails back. The green stuff on Ansley's face is icing from birthday cupcakes, NOT snot!!!! She is hilarious. She cannot stand for her hands to be dirty but she doesn't mind her face being dirty. In fact, she does not even like for you to wash her face but please please PLEASE get the dirt off her hands.

First Steps and Other Things

Just today Sawyer has started taking some steps. It's usually step, step, dive! It's a great start. He'll be 2 this week. I guess he's decided it's time to get on the stick and get things done. You can see by the pictures, it's all good! Life is just about being happy!!!! (no matter what your circumstances)

Ansley and Judson have decided that 'slurpy noodles' (or "noo-noo" as Ansley says) RULE! It's all my fault. I showed them how to slurp the noodles into the mouth. Now, eating is that much more fun. Judson says he can put more noodles in his mouth (at one time) than his sister. You decide...


Sometimes you don't know how tired you are until you sit still for 10 minutes!

Just another week

Nothing exciting to report at Stricklin-Central this week. Just the same old routine. I LOVE ROUTINE!!!!! Sawyer met his new occupational therapist this week. Boy, did he show out. He pulled every trick out of his book. She was appropriately impressed. Ansley continues to learn new words. She is Little Miss Social Butterfly. (the total opposite of Judson) She never meets a stranger. Everywhere we go, she is saying "hi" or "hey" or "helyo". It's pretty funny, the "helyo" has a very Asian accent while the "hey" has a decidedly southern twang to it. The pics are just some odds and ends. Sawyer is crying/screaming because he wasnt getting his dinner NOW. Ansley is modeling her pippy-longstocking outfit. And Judson is dancing. You can see he inherited Randy's groove-thang!

By the way, you do know you can run your cursor over the picture and click and it will bring it up in a larger window where you can see the pics better, right?

Have a great day!

Buddy Walk (long)

Today was a very big day. We all participated in the Atlanta Buddy Walk. The Buddy Walk was started by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to promote acceptance and awareness of people with Down syndrome. In 1995 there were 17 walks around the country, in 2006 there are more than 275 Buddy Walks planned. I would encourage anyone looking for a very enjoyable and inspiring event to attend a Buddy Walk. The event that we attended was held in the park at Duluth town square. There was at least 1500 people in attendance. Activities included things such as inflatable bouncy thingies, cake walks, silent autions, raffles and continuous musical entertainment. There was also a family from the Atlanta area with 23 special needs children (many with Down syndrome) in attendance. Several of the children in this family presented a gynastics performance. They were very good. The family received a $10,000 check from the Atlanta Down Syndrome Association, which I'm sure will go a long way in helping them continue what is truly amazing work for extremely deserving children.

The main event, of course, was the walk, in which you had the choice of taking the 1/4 mile walk or the 1 mile walk. Sawyer wanted to the go the full mile so that's what we did and everyone made it with no problems.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated to the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta in Sawyer's name. (GiGi, Jim Morris, Nana, Pop-Pop, David, Sarah and Josh, Lori, Leigh-Anne, and Evie) It means a great deal to us and I cannot fully express in words the awareness and opportunities that the donations promote for people with Down Syndrome. I can confidently say that each person with Down Syndrome who has been given the opportunity to realize their full potential will, without a doubt, help numerous others, with or without Down syndrome, to realize the beauty and wonder that life is.