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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!