Happy Holidays

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Love you guys!

Mom

Dear J

Dear J,

I wanted to write this to tell you how proud I am of you.  (I'm always proud of all my kids but this is a specific proud moment)

You scored almost perfect on your ACT test.  THAT my friend is super cool!  (By the way, I'm sorry you have to retake it because Mom didn't sign  you up for the written portion of the test) 

You have always been an above average kid when it came to school.  You read early.  You have an awesome memory.  Your knack for math shown when you made a 780/800 on your SAT test when you were in 7th grade. 

As you continue to move forward, you are narrowing down your options for college.   You want to do Music and are agreeable to pursuing a STEM major to make Mom and Dad happy.  Your enthusiasm for Science is contagious. ;)

I used to worry about your pursuit of music.  Now, with the current state of affairs undermining Science at every turn, I worry about a career in Science. 

But you know what, YOU my boy will soar!  I know this.  YOU do not let nay-sayers guide your decisions.   YOU have this amazing compass inside you.  YOU have always followed it, even when Mom and Dad didn't quite understand.  YOU have always been polite when others tried to get you to see their point of view.  YOU listened to them.  But YOU did not follow.  YOU are a leader.  (IN the true sense of the word) 

I'm very proud of you.  The world needs more people like you.  Go out and make your mark on this world, as only you can.  Follow your compass!

Love
Mom

#PSA August 2018

Happy Birthday Week

It's been an eventful week.

Thank you, Dear.

For the play and dinner out. 

Or more than one dinner out because we've been busy.

Many thanks to my kids....

J

for the Adele cd.

(You know me so well)

S

for the biggest, tightest hug I've ever had

A

for the origami flowers, (Family crest) picture, cake in a mug, bracelet and way cool card.

(What a talented artist you are)

T

for the yummy brownies.

I love you all to the moon and back!

#PSA July 2018

Sorry guys.

When you are older and reading this, understand we were so busy I couldn't update as often as I'd like.

We have had a busy summer.

This month we've:

1.  Vacay'd in Middle Tennessee

McLemore House

Carter House

Musicians Hall of Fame

Belle Meade

2.  Visited sites in Atlanta area

World of Coca Cola

CNN Center

Centennial Olympic Park

3.  Bowled

4.  Doctor's appointments

5.  Voice Lessons

6.  Guitar Lessons

7.  Art Classes

8.  Comic-con

Loads more fun.

And we still have the voice recital coming up.  YAY!

#PSA May 2018

End of School Year

(let the pics speak for themselves)

LOVE IT!

#PSA April 2018

Such a busy month

Newly minted Boy Scout

Mary Poppins

Middle School OM

Spring Chorale Concert

Newly remodeled bathroom (Oh my)

End of semester

It's enough to make this mom pull her hair out.

Not in the mood to type so I will let the pictures speak.

Except for Mary Poppins.  

Not allowed to post those.

Judson, YOU LOVED IT.

You came out of your shell.

You danced.

You sang,

You put on a Teddy Bear costume and LOVED it.

 Ansley, you found your smile this year!

Best year ever!

Another school year over, ALMOST.

Some trials.

Some tears.

but MOSTLY a great experience.

Let's do it again next year!

# PSA March 2018

We Survived!

(Play #1)

Turner, you had a great play.

One of the best elementary plays I've ever attended.

Everyone did great.

You had a great part and embraced it entirely.

I see great things in store for you.

 

Ansley and Judson, you did a great job in the tech booth!

We did get a bit of snow.

 

 Just 40-ish more days and we can breathe easy.

One more play.

Mid-terms.

Chorale concert.

Scout crossover. 

Scout pine straw delivery.

Finals.

I love you all!

 

# PSA February 2018

OH MY

TIME HAS FLOWN

SO MUCH GOING ON

SO LITTLE TIME TO DOCUMENT

WE HAVE THE EVERYDAY STUFFS

SCHOOL

COLLEGE

SCOUTS

SPEECH

WE HAVE THE ADDITIONAL STUFFS

MARY POPPINS PLAY PRACTICE

HAPPILY FOREVER AFTER PLAY PRACTICE

VOICE LESSONS

GUITAR LESSONS

CHOIR

ART

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND

PIANO

EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT

WE HAVE THE MUNDANE

ORTHODONTIST

HAIR CUTS

DOG GROOMING

CAT FOSTERING

(which may stop after this last one, OIY)

THIS MONTH WE ARE ADDING

SHOWCASE

 H.S. STUDENTS STRUT THEIR STUFF

J IS PLAYING HIS DULCIMER

IT'S A GREAT RIDE

AND

I'M LOVING EVERY MINUTE 

(i'm tired but loving it)

I love you J, S, A, and T.

always and forever.

 

# PSA December 2017

Happy Holidays, Kids!

We started out with chorale concert.

 Enjoying dinner before

 Not your thing, but you survived and did great

 Yeah, It's your thing!

 Dancing too.

Awesome job!

You did great.

We made time to do a family thing too.

Some of you are too cool for this kind of thing.

Thanks for humoring me.

#PSA November 2017

Dear Kids,

#Pudding!!!!!!

We have so much for which to be thankful.

We've had a full month. 

1.  Lots of school
2.  Ansley crewing "Matchmaker".
3.  The rest of us enjoying a performance of "Matchmaker".
4.  Judson finishing up his first semester as a dual enrolled college student.
5.  Trip to the museum. 
6.  Thanksgiving with Nana and Pop.  Seeing chicken houses for the first time.  Playing with cousins.  Meeting new friends.  Eating!
7.  Scouts.  (Don't we always have scouts)
8.  Preparing for Christmas.
9.  Fostering kitties.
10.  Reconnecting with old friends.

I'm so thankful for each of you.  Your enthusiasm and joy are contagious. 

I love you!
Mom

Yikes, We are Busy!

Funny.  When you guys were younger, I thought:

"Can't wait until they get bigger so that I'm not doing everything for them"

Yeah, I was wrong. 

We are more busy than ever.

But I'm loving each and every moment.

We've had History Fair.

We went to a Halloween Party

The big guys went on a 7 mile hike.
No pics

Trick or Treaters at our house were met with THIS!

And there were competitions!

What an awesome month of October we had!

#PSA October 2017

Dear Kids,

It is my goal with this blog, that as you grow older you will look back on it as a 'scrapbook' of sorts.  It's a glimpse into our lives.  Sometimes we get so busy 'living' that we don't notice the little things.

October is Down syndrome Awareness month.  Obviously, Down syndrome plays a part in our life.  It does not limit our lives but it does color it in ways that are different from others.  It does allow us to see/live life differently.  I contend we live it more deeply. 

As you grow, I hope you will see that more clearly.  I hope you will see the beauty.  I hope you will realize that we need to take care of everyone but most especially the 'least of these'. ( Kids, differently-abled, those who do not have a voice)  Don't fall for the lines that diminish those who are different, even when those delivering the lines are people in power.  (Parents, community leaders, elected officials)  Be a voice for those who have no voice.  Fight when they cannot. 

I love you all with all my heart (and a piece of my liver. 😉😉😉😉)

Mom

#2 Son

This guy is doing well.

2+ years off chemo.

Growing like a weed.

Loving life!

He and I walked around our local fall festival today while the others were working.

Dad drove the bus.

The other 3 worked the Scout booth.

Perfect weather.

Not too hot.

Not too cold.

No rain.

It was a great day!