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.

Sawyer and the Doctor's Visit

Today we took Sawyer back to the cardiologist for a checkup. They are all amazed at how well he is doing. He had an EKG and and Echo and all was well. He does not have to go back until next summer. (about 9 months) Since he is the first for his type case to survive, they just don't know what to do with him, so they want to see him next summer.

Funny side note: Little Miss Priss was ever the flirt. While we were in the waiting room, she decided to try to make friends with a little boy. This little boy was playing a hand held game. So she sat down close to him. She tried everything in her bag of tricks to get his attention. She blinked her eyes. He never looked up. She made some noise. He didn't notice. She even offered him her bag of goldfish crackers. Again, he was oblivious to her ways. Had she had time, I'm sure she would have clubbed him over the head in order to gain his undivided attention and probably would have taken his game too.

Buddy Walk-October 14

Hi Everyone,

Just an update on Sawyer's fund raising for DSAA's Buddy Walk. He's raised $385 so far! Thanks to everyone who has contributed to his efforts. We walk next weekend. If you would still like to contribute, you can do so via the following methods. All contributions are tax deductible.

Sincerely,
Randy, Jan, Judson, Sawyer and Ansley

To donate online, click here to visit my personal Web page.

Check out the Team Page to see our little guy's picture, too.

To send a donation:

Make all checks payable to:

DSAA Put "Sawyer Stricklin" in the memo line

Mail to: DSAA
4355 J Cobb Parkway #213
Atlanta, GA 30339

This Week in Pictures

Not much to say. We had a good week. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Friends

We had some friends come over on Saturday. They have 3 boys! We all had a great time. Judson found a new playmate with Evan. They decorated cookies and built Thomas train tracks and 'trimmed' limbs off bushes in the back yard. Ansley had lots of kids to boss around and had someone else to flirt with. (as in Scott, the dad) Sawyer just did not know what to think. It was good for us to see old friends and good for the kids to make new friends.

I'm also throwing in a tu-tu dress picture for your enjoyment!