Just Truckin Along

Not alot going on here. We're still trying to get over the crud. I think Ansley had a mild setback over Easter. I think it had to do with me holding my niece's baby. Ansley's lip poked out and her eyes were closed so very tight. She refused to look at me. She's been very weepy and whiney since then. PTSD? Maybe. Transitional? Hopefully. Sawyer made another leap over Easter. WHile visiting, he was allowed to sit at the table without being in a highchair. Now, he refuses to sit in his highchair. He has to be sitting at the table with the 'big kids'. So, we're a 3 booster seat family! (tight quarters in our little kitchen)

The pics are of Judson, helping Momma paint her bedroom; Ansley, modeling Mom's handiwork; Sawyer, just being Sawyer; and a hawk we have living in our backyard.

Easter in Tennessee

We had a great time in Tennessee over Easter. (Despite the long drive with 3 kids and the cold weather) We all have "The Sinus" now from playing outside. The kids loved playing with their cousin, Abbey. They loved playing with their Great Aunt, Margaret (or Margit). They dyed Easter eggs, jumped in an inflatable 'jumpy thing', actually sat thru Easter service (Yes, All 3!), hunted Easter eggs, and ate LOTS of good food. It is always good to connect with our family.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I had so many, I made a collage of some, so as to get more on this post. (Remember to click on each individual picture to see an enlarged version)

Happy Easter!

Just for the record, Sawyer and Ansley do NOT like the Easter Bunny. You just can't trust a bunny who is bigger than you are. It was not pretty. So Mom had to get her picture made. (Can you tell, that was NOT the plan? Can you also tell it was extremely WINDY outside?) So, now we know. Don't spend your time or money on Easter Bunny pictures next year. It was too funny. As we were leaving, another family came up. One child was ready to go sit with the Easter Bunny. The other child was screaming and trying to run away. What can you do?

Hope you all have a Happy Easter!

Ready to Go!

Never tell these kids we have to 'get ready to go'. You just never know what they'll come up with. One gets on the phone to coordinate. The other 2 find their own shoes/hats/purses to accessorize. They are a funny lot of kids. Just can't help but smile at them. Okay, maybe those times when they are smearing lotion on the walls/sofa/floor or biting their siblings are not times to smile. By far though, the smiles outweigh the 'what am I doing wrong' times.

Cherry Blossom Festival

We had a wonderful day today. We set out for Macon, Ga for the Cherry Blossom Festival. They have more Cherry Blossom trees than Washington, DC! It was our first visit to Macon but we hope not our last. Macon is a pretty town with an extensive history. We headed to the downtown area where the crafts festival was going on. (You don't take 3 small children thru historical homes, that will be another day) It was outdoors, so we figured they couldn't do too much damage. It was very nice, although hot! The temp displayed on the bank was 91! Ansley's little head was beaded up with sweat. Sawyer was very red from the heat. (Yes everyone did have sunscreen on) Judson handled the heat pretty well but his feet hurt. All in all, it was a great time and we hope to go back to visit the historical sites, perhaps in a year or two.

Friendship

Our family has been blessed with many wonderful friends. I won't even try to list them all for fear I will leave someone off the list. I will tell you about one of our friends, Leigh-Anne (and her husband Steve). They have been so supportive of us while we were dating, our marriage, and with each addition to our family. They (along with 2 other 'couple' friends) painted Judson's nursery. They brought food after Judson was born. They babysat Judson while Sawyer was in the hospital. They visited Sawyer while he was so sick. They kept us from going crazy, so many times just by calling or visiting and asking how we were doing. They wrote a letter of reference for us when we were going through Ansley's adoption. They are the kind of friends everyone needs and we are so happy they are our friends. I write all this so that I can share a picture with you. (Yes, LA, it's your lucky day. You made THE BLOG!) Leigh-Anne and her mother came for a visit this weekend to see how the kids were doing. They got a good dose of 'kid power' while they were here. So I thought I'd share a picture of LA with Judson, Ansley, and Sawyer. P.S. Ever since Judson learned that Mr. Steve was watching basketball(as opposed to visiting), he asks if he can watch basketball, too.

Great Week

Nothing new really to report. Sawyer is working hard at walking. The picture is of him and his physical therapist as they are trying to learn how to walk on 'steps'. Note the determination on his face. (Click on it and tilt your head. I absolutely cannot get the picture rotated) It was very shortly after this shot was taken that Sawyer threw down and was done for the day. It's gotten to when the door bell rings on Tuesdays, Sawyer just starts crying. He does NOT like PT at all. Now let his OT or Special Instructor come and he's all smiles. The top picture of Ansley is of the outfit her foster family sent home with her. It's still too large but I love it and she loves it. So we just had to put it on for a picture. The other picture of Ansley is quite funny. (you really need to see the shoes to get the whole picture. Neon green mules) I came around the corner to this site. I asked where she was going and she said "Margit" (my aunt Margaret). I said "really" and she said "GiGi" (my mother). Then she proceeded to tell me all the people she was going to see. (meaning anyone whose name she could say) Judson's picture is of him eating chocolate chip cookies that he and I made.

Have a good weekend!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You (Lots of pics)

Just have to give a shout out to Nana and Pop. They got up a 3:30 am (central time) and drove to our house on Saturday. Pop helped Randy put up a light in our kitchen. Nana (w/ help from Pop, I THINK) kept all 3 kids while Randy and I went out to dinner Saturday nite. We appreciate them so much.The weekend was a busy one. Nana and Pop visted. Judson's friend Luyushu came for a playdate. Sunday morning we took the kids to McD's playland. Sawyer wanted to play in the big area. So I put him up there. He scooted up those steps in no time. Then I thought, (A bit late) how is he going to get down. So I scooted up the steps after him. (Mind you, this is a playground meant for 3-12 year olds.) I got up there and decided to let him go down the big tube slide. Apparently, he is practicing for the US Bobsled team. He had so much speed coming down, he shot out on the side of the tube! Of course, I was at the top trying to decide how I was going to get down. I debated about the slide but the thoughts of using the Jaws of Life to extract me flashed thru my head. So, instead, I backed down the stairs. Later Sunday afternoon, we played outside. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was a great weekend. I am posting some pictures. Some have a red tint because the camera is not working correctly. (that will be remedied soon. we ordered a new camera, yippee!)




Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil!

This Week-A post only a Mommy could make

Not too much going on, really. Don't have too many pictures to post since my camera is on the blink. The kids are doing great. A few bite marks and bruises but not any more scrapes! The biggest news to report is Sawyer is waking up with dry diapers. Now that might not sound like much to you but it is HUGE in this house. Two in diapers can get to be expensive and time consuming. (Not to mention the poor landfill) Consider this, typical kids are usually potty trained between the ages of 2 and 3. (Give or take 6 months) Children with Down Syndrome are usually trained somewhere between 3 and 5 years old. Sawyer is 2! We just have to get to the point where he tells us he needs to go potty. Right now, he expects Mommy to remind him he needs to go. That's all well and good, except with 2 other children, Mommy doesn't always remember. Funny side note: The other day, I had him on the potty. I turned to help Judson tie his shoes. When I turned back around, Sawyer had grabbed himself. There was a 'fountain' of pee-pee going up in the air, all over him, the floor, MY SHOES....everywhere. Mental note: Never turn you back on this child!

Sawyer now likes to climb on everything. The last picture was made this morning. I left him in the den on the floor watching Thomas (The Tank Engine). After a few minutes, it occurred to me that he was unusually quiet. I walk in and he's kicked back in the recliner just enjoying the show.

One last note. Ansley's scab has now come off her lip. It left some nice pink new skin underneath. It hardly noticeable. She wanted to ride her tricycle yesterday. We just put her on her push powered train-thingy. It's really just as dangerous. She gets to coasting and hits a bump and goes right over the 'handle bars'. She's not scared of anything. She and her little brother are going to turn all my hair gray.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Bubbles

No new bumps, bruises, or scrapes!!!! Just lots of bubbles and smiles. It has been a good week. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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!!!!