Sun, Glorious Sun!

Oh what a gorgeous day it has been! We HAD to get out and take a walk around the neighborhood and then ride bikes again. If Ansley's legs were a wee-bit longer, she'd be riding the tricycle. She is a quick learner! Instead, she'd push the trike to the top of the driveway and get on and glide down. (This is the first day she has ridden the bike.) She did take a spill and get a scrape on her face and a busted lip. True to form, she got cleaned up and went right back to ride the tricycle. This is typical of her. Nothing, I mean NOTHING, gets her down. (A trait that has probably served her quite well in the past) Judson had a run in with the holly bush. So Sawyer was the only one to come out without a scrape today.Before and After. (Be sure to click on the picture so you can see an up close and personal view of the scrape!)

My Biker Gang

OK. You thought I was through posting for the week, didn't you? Not quite. It's warm here so we HAD to get outside and ride bikes. Everybody was trying to keep up with Judson. He explained to them, "I'm older. I have an ELECTRIC bike. You are babies and cannot go as fast as I can" There you have it! No other explanation is needed.

This Week

Not alot to talk about this week. (That really is a good thing) Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures. The first is what it looks like when Curious George is on at our house. No other show on TV gets their attention like this one. (Not even the Weather Channel!) The second is our little dare devil. He has no concept of danger. It scares us!

Boxes!

What's more fun than playing inside a big box? It's a boat! It's a train! It's a car! It's just a big ol' box! It's fun!!!!!

Chinese New Year

Did you know Chinese New Year starts Sunday, February 18th of this year? We had hoped to go to an official celebration but the weather and other things are going to prevent that this year. Hopefully, next year we will be able to go. We will plan a mini-celebration here at home this year.

Here are a few facts about Chinese New Year:

1. Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

2. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving.

3. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

Just for fun, I looked up our signs. I'd say they were spot on!

Randy: Dog: Dogs have a keen sense of right and wrong and are duty bound. Their mantra is: "live right, look out for the little people, and fight injustice whenever possible"
Jan: Tiger: Sensitive; emotional; and stubborn about what they think is right. (I think that is the same as saying "control freak")
Judson: Horse: High capacity for hard work; energetic; fond of travel
Sawyer: Monkey: Charming; energetic; craving fun, activity, & stimulation; upbeat; show offs
Ansley: Rooster: Definite in decision making; flashy dresser; extravagant to the extreme (she's showing signs of all of these!)

Fantastic News!!!!!

Just found out, Louinard, the boy I wrote about in a previous post has a 'forever family'. How exciting!!!!

Dancing Fever!!!!!

Judson has it BAD. All week long, all he could talk about was the Valentine's Day Dance held by the Down Syndrome Association. We got up this morning and he wanted to go to the dance, right then. Even when I explained to him that the dance was not until the afternoon, he still wanted to go NOW. When we finally made it to the dance, he went right out on the floor and started dancing. Let me just say, he's a chip off the old block. All those who've seen Randy dance, will know what I'm talking about. (All I can say is: Thank goodness he didn't take after me in that department) Ansley and Sawyer finally warmed up to the idea and got out on the dance floor, too. They really liked the music. Ansley liked being carried around by the older girls. Sawyer just liked being in the middle of the frenzy. We all had a wonderful time.

Here's Daddy and Sawyer busting a move!


Here's Judson joining in a 'circle dance'


And Ansley being 'toted'. She was in heaven


Here's Mom and Judson 'slow dancing'

Winter Weather

Now that I am older, I could care less if it snows or not. However, Judson is wanting snow so badly. He watches the weather channel religously. He checks out the weather on the internet. He's decided we need to move up North at least temporarily so that we can have snow. So this week, he was so excited that we were going to get 'winter weather'. Well, all we got was little bit of sleet/ice. He was ready to go outside and play in it anyway. I told him we'd have to wait until another time. You can see from the pictures, how little we got. I felt so bad for him. I ALMOST wished we had snow too.The other picture is of a "national disaster". I was in the office as the kids were playing in their room. Judson comes running in saying his room was a "National Disaster". (did I say he watches too much weather and reads too many news headlines?) I do agree, it was a disaster of national proportions.

I Like this Article

By George Will: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16720750/

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Nothing much happening over here these days. That's a good thing!!! So I thought I'd post a few pics of some of our favorite pasttimes: Tea Party, Clutter up Mom's den, and Sit on top of Judson. All of which are quite fun. Coming Events: Valentine's Dance for the Down Syndrome Association and Chinese New Year. Stay tuned for pictures!!!!

The Conversation

This morning I was getting dressed. This is the conversation I had with Judson.

Me: Judson, what do you think of this shirt?
J: It makes you look REAL old.
Me: Oh really. How old?
J: FORTY-FOUR, or something!
Me: Ok, I'll change.
Me: Judson, what do you think of this shirt?
J: That makes you look thirty-nine and a half
Me: That's not so bad.
J: THAT'S ALMOST FORTY!
Me: I'll take it.

What do you expect when you ask the opinion of a 4 year old?

On a side note, take a look at the pictures. Everyone in our house does their own ironing. I was always told, "raise them up in the way they should go"

Fun Stuff!

The kids received 'dress up' clothes for Christmas. So I added some hats I found at the dollar store and, TA DA, we have the makings of a fun time. I don't usually get pictures of them in dress up clothes since they come off as quickly as they are put on but I did get some cute pics of them in their hats (or bowl when a hat cant be readily found). Judson and Ansley will come in all dressed up, shoes, purse, hats, whatever they can find and tell me, "Bye Bye, we're going to visit (fill in a name)" and they take off. They come back a few minutes later and tell me what a wonderful time they've had and then take off to visit someone else. It's just too cute!

News Commentary

So, when you read/hear stories on the news about bad kids, adoption, and amnio just remember those stories were written by people who get paid by how many commercials they sell. Perhaps, their news isn't the whole truth. Just perhaps, there is no truth whatsoever in their stories. Here's a story of 3 kids:

1) Ansley. She was adopted from Taiwan. She was NOT adopted because her mommy and daddy wanted a China doll who would grow up to be a doctor. She was adopted because Mommy and Daddy wanted to build their family both biologically and thru adoption. It was always their plan to do so. She is happy, smart, funny, annoying (Stricklins are ALWAYS annoying), opinionated, selfish (Her motto,"what's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine"), loving, sweet, cute as a button, and truly a joy to be around.




2) Sawyer. Yes he was born with Down Syndrome. His Mommy and Daddy knew there were markers for this prior to his birth. They decided against amnio because they knew it would not change their course of action. He is NOT "DOWNS" (whatever that means). Down Syndrome is only a small part of who he is. He is also smart, empathetic, extremely funny, the only thing that scares his sister, happy, stubborn, loving, cranky when he is hungry, a daredevil, and yes, a joy to be around. I would also contend, were there more people like Sawyer around, there'd be less wars and other senseless acts of violence.






3) Judson. He is the first born. Some people might describe him as an Indigo child. He has an old soul and a deep conviction of what is right and just. (despite a few altercations with his sister) You do NOT pull the wool over his eyes. He expects a true and honest explanation to his questions. He may take a while to process things but in the end, if it does not make sense, he won't buy into it. He is smart but he also puts alot of time into learning things. He is also funny and loving and inquisitive and sensitive and a pain in the neck (to his sister) and a great helper around the house and again, a joy to be around.

So when you hear negative press (Is there ever positive press?), remember they don't always get it right. These kids are amazing and wonderful and just plain, crack me up!

Picture Day

Today was the scheduled day for me to take Ansley to have her 2 year picture made. As is always the case, the cards were stacked against us. Earlier in the week, Judson scratched Ansley's face during one of their many 'sibling altercations'. Then last night, Sawyer was up pretty much the whole night. The other 2 got up early this morning as well. Despite the bad karma, we managed to make it to the appointment and I think the pictures turned out pretty well. We'll see when we pick up the final product. They were still in picture taking mode when we got home, so here are some of the shots. You can see the scratch. It's so hard to get them to smile. They always smile AFTER the flash goes off. So don't think they are miserable. They are not. Just bad timing on my part to get the picture.

Can you Believe it?

A family has commited to adopting Naum!!! How awesome is that!!!!

Here are a couple of M&M cookie eating pictures for you. Sawyer preferred popcorn to cookies.

Adoption

OKay. Anyone that knows me will tell you, I'm practically Ellie Mae Clampet. If it were up to me, I'd take in every stray animal and orphaned child in the WHOLE world. Now obviously, that is just not possible. So since alot of you started reading this because of your interest in adoption, I thought I'd take an opportunity to tell you about 2 very special orphans who are desparately looking for a home. I won't do this very often, just when someone tugs at my heart strings. I figure if I tell you and you tell someone and that someone tells someone, who knows? Maybe these guys can find a 'forever home'.

Little guy #1: His name is Naum. He lives in an orphanage in the Ukraine. He was born with 1 extra chromosome. (He has Down Syndrome) He also has clubbed feet. (s/b Correctable in the US) He is 3 years old and at the ripe old age of 4, he will be sent to a mental institution. I wish you could see his picture. Oh my, what a spark this kid has. Those blue eyes just twinkle and he has a shaggy head of brownish-blonde hair. He reminds me of Sawyer. (Now you know why he tugs at my heart)

Little guy #2: His name is Louinard. He lives in an orphanage in Haiti. You really need to see his picture to fully appreciate how special he is. He has a very regal presence about him. By the way, he, too, has Down Syndrome.

So those two are the ones I've chosen to tell you about. There are literally hundreds of thousands of children throughout the US and the world who need a family to call their own. I hope you will tell others or sponsor an orphan (Many worthy programs exist) or maybe consider adoption for your family. Just wanted to share.

Happy Birthday, Pooh!

Ansley turned 2 this week, so we celebrated today. It was a small celebration. Just us. Judson and I made butterfly cupcakes. That was the best thing. She kept saying, "Cukakes". She opened presents and then had a hard time keeping them all to herself. It's very hard when everything is "MINE" to keep it ALL away from your brothers. You wear yourself out. Happy Birthday, Pooh Bear! We love you!

Getting Organized

So this year, I head out to Home Depot to buy lots of storage bins to get everything organized. Cardboard boxes only last so many years and then it's time for Rubbermaid to take over. As you can see, I didn't buy them quite large enough. Only 2 of our 3 children will fit into one box. Of course, the child that was left out was quite happy about the situation. Hope everyone has a happy 2007!

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.