The Field Trip

(A.K.A. THE ESCAPE)

Can't keep us down. After 5 days of incarceration, we executed our escape.

At 4:30 (in the a.m.) this morning I got up and Wearily happily got Judson dressed. He and Randy headed out of town to have a scouting adventure on the USS Yorktown.

The other 3 did not get up until 7:30! (Of course, I couldn't fall back asleep between 5 and 7:30 so didn't matter) Fed them the breakfast of champions! (Cinnamon rolls and juice) We then headed to the fire department with our local Down Syndrome group. Let me interject right here, I totally understand why school was called off. There were places where the ice was 2+ inches thick. There were side streets where neighbors were gathering and trying to dig out. For the most part, the main roads were clear and we had minimal problems getting to the fire station. I will say Sawyer had EVERYONE laughing. The kid has a talent for meeting people. (He takes after his Dad) He'd go up to anyone (and everyone) and ask "What's your name?" He especially loved the little kids. He'd go up and try to hold them (much to their parents dismay). He'd say something like " Hi baby, nice to meet you" You can't help but smile when he is around.

Ansley and Turner were much more subdued but were very good at listening and doing what I asked. That made for a nice visit to the Fire Station. Turner was not very Turner-ish. He was not talking (I Know, SHOCKING). He would NOT get in the fire truck. Would not touch the lady in the fire suit. She was scary looking but I was so glad they had someone dress in the suit (complete with mask and oxygen tank). The thing you don't want is for kids to go hide when they see that suit. Of course a funny thing is, when we got back into the car Turner says "I want to be a fireman one day".

(Okay, he went up to her and hugged her and said "KISS" and then kissed her mask)

I think this is what they use to fill the trucks up with water. Sawyer yelled into it "Hello, is anybody in there?"

After our trip to the fire station, we had lunch at a local pub. Yes, I took 3 kids by myself out to eat at a sit down, waitress come take your order restaurant. The waitress handed me the beer menu and said, "We bring this to all our customers but I'm guessing you're not ordering". Give that lady a prize! The kids each got a kid meal complete with drinks. Yep, you guessed it. I now have enough food for dinner. If only I can get them to eat it.

The temperature is up to 46 today so hopefully the rest of this stuff will melt today and tomorrow and life as we know it in the warm and sunny south can continue.

For Posterity

Discussions with Ansley:

Ansley: Mom, I don't know what to do with your hair.
Mom: It's curly. Not much you can do with it.
Ansley: I know. When you were little, it was nice and straight. What happened?


Ansley: How old were you when you got glasses?
Mom: I think I was in high school.
Ansley: Oh, so you were about 7?
Mom: No, probably closer to 15.
Ansley: WOW...you were old. You were practically an adult.

Don't make Ansley angry. Apparently, Turner did. So, while he was hiding under the bed she placed a big underbed storage bin in front of him and would not let him out.

Mom: Ansley, why did you trap Turner under the bed?
Ansley: WELL, HE MADE ME MAD FIRST!!!!!

Some things make you smile. Some just make you shake your head in disbelief.

Day 4 of Captivity (It continues to be cold)

I'm pretty sure the main streets are passable but the side streets continue to be icy. Judson just asked if we could go out to eat today. Ummmm.......no. However, I will HAVE to venture out tomorrow as we will be out of chocolate milk. One does NOT tell Sawyer we are out of chocolate milk and live to tell about it.

Today, I pulled out a project for Sawyer to work on. Santa brought him a bank to build. So, I threw caution to the wind and gave the boy a hammer while I held the pieces in place. To his credit, I still have all my fingers and no bruises. This is what he built.Now, I'm sure many of you moms see the benefit of this beyond just your ordinary piggy bank. You see something that helps him work on fine motor skills (by placing the coins in the slots) AND it also helps him with coin recognition(penny, nickel, dime, quarter) AND the front panel keeps up with the total money in each slot(addition)! Isn't this the coolest thing ever? The other kids want one too. Hoping Lowe's still has a few left.

Day 3 of Captivity (no end in sight....H.E.L.P M.E.)

High today, 30. High tomorrow, 32.

Conversation with Judson

Judson: Mom, I am writing a sentence about Sawyer using adjectives.
Me: That's good.
Judson: I have 2: brave and strong.
Me: That's great. Those are very appropriate for Sawyer.

Judson: I need 1 more. I'm supposed to use 3.
Me: How 'bout "tenacious"?

Judson: I've got it! Pugnacious! He loves to fight.
Me: There you have it.

(Yes, I looked it up and pugnacious does fit Sawyer's nature)

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!!!!!!!!!

How much????

The Gang

(Sawyer was NOT going out, UNTIL I had everyone dressed and heading out the door)

This and That

Postponed....

You know how you plan each room and as money and time and inspiration come along, you start decorating it? I had plans for my living room. You know that formal place as you enter the front door? The one where all visitors enter? It was going to have a nice sofa and be all casual yet nice. That's not how the vision turned out. It just isn't that time in our lives. We are at that 'functional' time when you have to use every space for real life. So that room now contains a china cabinet, my grandfather's old desk, a computer center, a piano, and this.....
A lab for The Doctor. Room for him to experiment and create. And you know what...it makes him happy. It makes me happy too because now his 'stuff' is not on my dining table 24/7. Don't get me wrong, there is still an occasional spare part left on the dining table but the vast majority lives here. The funny thing is NOW everyone else wants their own table.

Way over due....

Today I took Ansley and Judson to see their first movie in a real theater. I think they enjoyed it. And with only 2 bathroom breaks (1 for each child at different times) during the movie, I don't think I missed too much.

Take a Look

http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorship/angeltree2010/angeltreesponsorpage

We raised an enormous amount of money for a very worthy cause. Now, we need to find families for each of these children. Keep spreading the word!!!

The Best Birthday Ever!!!!

It's great being 6 years old!!!

You get to eat at your favorite restaurant...

Have your favorite strawberry cake....
Open gifts, especially one that is as big as the universe with your FAVORITE princesses.

Life is good!

We're Back and Ready for the New Year.

(except we still have Christmas decorations to take down)

Happy Holidays!!! (2010)

Taking a break(from blogging) for the holidays.

Nana and Pop came this weekend. We've enjoyed a wonderful visit.Saturday night we drove though a Drive-Thru nativity scene.
AND
We saw some Christmas lights
BEFORE
Heading to IHOP for some pancakes!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Christmas Party!!!

Pictures from Sawyer's class Christmas Party.
Their class Parapro knitted each child a neck scarf.

Because Sawyer wears quite a bit of Auburn colors, she knitted his in Navy/Orange.
His teacher gave him a book.

How cool!!!!













I give up. I cannot get Blogger to be nice...so the pics are scrambled.

Daddy's Job

Daddy has lots of jobs. His 'day' job is to defend the internet from attacks. (He's been busy lately) BUT one of his favorite jobs is taking Sawyer to the bus in the morning.

He takes his job seriously.
On days when he has to go into work (as opposed to working from home), he calls me to make sure Sawyer got on the bus.

Don't Forget

The Christmas Angel Tree is still going strong. Two more weeks for giving. And when the New Year comes, don't forget. Tell others. Say a prayer. You can continue to donate. Keep the circle going. Many of these kids may not make it to next year. Seriously. Not being overly dramatic. Many are treated poorly. EVERY ONE wants a mommy and daddy. Just like all the 140+ million orphans in this world. We all want a family. We all can help make it happen, not for 140 million all at once. We do it by plugging away, one child at a time. Opening the heart of one person at a time. Preferably in their own country but if not, some where else. Take a look at the bottom of the Christmas Angel Tree page. Over 20 kids have found a family, just this month! So keep spreading the word. It's working......

http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorship/angeltree2010/angeltreesponsorpa

2 Princesses

I LOVE This Kid

And THIS kid

And THIS kid
And THIS kid

And THIS kid tooHe celebrated his birthday this week. He was not sure if he was 20 or 21. That makes me sad.

How lucky can one momma be!!!!!

Be Moved

Was listening to a guy named Eric Ludy. Never heard him before but he was talking about orphans, so of course I listened. The quote that stood out to me was:

"Heroes are made because they are MOVED. Not in their head but in their HEART"

http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorship/angeltree2010/angeltreesponsorpage

Steven Curtis Chapman-All I Really Want for Christmas

Just Shake Your Head and Smile

My conversation with Ansley this morning went something like this:

Ansley(still in her spaghetti strap pjs): I'm cold.
Me: Go put on some warm day clothes. It's 35 degrees outside.
A few minutes later....
Ansley: How's this?

Spread the Word...

David's 2nd Annual
Pay It Forward Day
December 1st, 2010

‘Tis the Season! A random act of kindness goes a long way so…

PAY IT FORWARD!!!

What can you do?
ON DEC. 1st...
• Pay for someone’s cup of coffee…
• Buy someone some groceries…
• Get the next person’s gas…
• Help someone out…
• Donate something…
• Be creative!!!

When you do something for someone there’s a good chance they’ll do something for someone else. If not, at least you’ve done a good deed for someone.

So on December 1st share some kindness and spread some joy! It can be as little as a few dollars or as much as you want. No one needs to know!

To Grandmother's House We Go

What an awesome Thanksgiving we spent with Nana and Pop! The weather was great. The food abundant and delicious. Most of all, the visit was exceptional. We all had a wonderful time.
We road 4 wheelers and picked up eggs and fed cows and hoped the horses would deliver their babies (but alas, they did not) and walked around the pasture for exercise (but Ansley didn't really like stepping around the poop). We ate and ate and ate. We shopped (but not til we dropped). We watched football. Every time Auburn scored, the kids got to rub Daddy's Auburn shirt for good luck. Not much rubbing the first half but the second half almost caused Dad to chafe!

Saturday Stuff

So what did Dad do this Saturday?
Get tires for Mom's car AND help Judson deliver Scout popcorn.