HE CAN SEE

It appears that pookie can see better with his glasses. This is what we were hoping for all along. You don't really know but behavior is a pretty good indicator. He leaves them on and has had some small squinting (with the good eye), as if his brain is trying to figure it all out.
And truly..... isn't he just darling in them?

It's Here, Kindergarten Eve

Here we are on 'Kindergarten Eve' and today Bug and Boobah got ready to head off (officially) for Kindergarten tomorrow. THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN tomorrow! Yes with lots of other little people in the neighborhood... "oh, they will have a great time," and "they are ready." I know, I know, people say this all the time but I'm having trouble digesting the realness.

After much confusion, on the part of the school and district, and this plan then that..... they are, as I said all along, going to their neighborhood school, in a general ed classroom, with typical peers. It is new for this teacher, the school and the district; but all will be OK. One step at a time everyone.

I am sure we have many struggles ahead but skipping the initial process and the useless bottom-level protocol puts us miles ahead. I have faith............ but also a very good knowledge of the law.............. and am rabidly tenacious about inclusion.

Grandma called and talked to the boys before "THE BIG DAY." They both seem to be excited. We met Miss V, their teacher, and saw their classroom today. We met lots of the other kindies and their parents. They talked and giggled and played with the others, while, as parents will, we chatted and mingled, asked questions and shared our fears.

This is a new journey. Hop on board.

Happy Birthday

Today, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mother Theresa.... we say a special prayer for all whom lives she touched and continues to do so. This is a woman I have so admired and see her picture daily to remind me of WHY. May we all remember her and emulate her.

Wild Wild West weekend

Waiting for the ferry.... an hour and a half, ugh :(

Loving the ferry....blowin in the wind.

Ahh, nothing like a cold one at Miss Kitty's.

Does this hat bring out my eyes?

Hurricane with a friend, Mr Scooter.

Gosh, I am cute.

Nothing but air.

AJ, doesn't he look like one of those cowboys from an old western?

Such a good big brother.

2 little ranch hands.

Boobah riding along

Hurricane,oldest of the "Block Gang".
The gracious folks at M-C ranch, on a local island, held an all day "western themed" party for kids with Down syndrome. The boys had a wonderful time. The last count I heard from "Miss Kitty," there were over 110 kids and another hundred in family members. What an unselfish act. The family holds this event, for no cost, to celebrate the joy their niece Megan (Ds) has brought to their family. There were horses to ride, fiddlers and pickers to sing to and dance, food to eat, an old-time western town to explore, hayrides, flagpole races and so much more.
We were blessed to be able to meet a family whom are currently in-progress adopting 2 Angels from EE. Having cyber talked with this family, we were hoping they would be there. That was a blessing of its own. My heart always sings when these Angels are adopted.

Busy summer times

bubbles in the pool

last soccer till fall

last karate

playing with friends

Rudeness

I swear they need to start making pamphlets for how to act when you are out in public. Namely, at any store. A friend once said that if you want to see the downfall of humanity, go to Wal-mart. I get angry every time I go there for one reason or another. Why then do I go? Oh, boys jeans for like 6 bucks? Yep. Usually I know it's a full moon or maybe I'm just overreacting. I always have to deal with the ridiculous lines, the rude people in the aisles, and the cashiers who either don't know what they're doing or just don't care about customer service. They never were taught the Nordstrom theory of Customer Service.

The other day though, I had an experience that made me one angry woman.

I was already done with all of my shopping and was out at my car. I had parked forever away because it was incredibly crowded that day. While I was putting my bags away, an SUV pulled up behind me. Before I could finish getting 5 kids, 3 in car seats, and the bags in the trunk, I heard someone honking. I turned around, and what do you know? The woman in the SUV was honking at ME.

Apparently, I was not getting out of my parking spot quickly enough for her.

I was angry, but I finished what I was doing and tried not to let it bother me. But then, while I was walking back from putting my shopping cart away, she started honking again! And making hand gestures that were less than polite.

I was not pleased to say the least. My blood was boiling. Why in the world did she think what she was doing was OKAY? Did this woman have any manners whatsoever?

So I got in my car, turned on the air, gave the boys juice and turned on the DVD player... slowly, until she finally got so pissed off that she drove away.

It wasn't exactly my best moment, or most mature; but maybe, just maybe she got the message.

Somehow though, I doubt it.

Looks like our school district wishes the school grounds to be closed night or day for Pookers.
I knew something didn't smell right last week. That "mother's instinct" was talking very loudly.
Remember I said, stay tuned.
This past Monday, I found out Pookers would not be allowed to go to preschool because "he is of Kindergarten age, and we do not believe in retention." Also Bug and Boobah cannot go to their homeschool UNLESS we decline all special services. What are you kidding me? Did you just say that? Does no one in this district know even the basics of federal law?
The person talking to me, in both cases, was representing the district administration. My oh my. They picked the wrong mommy this time. I used to teach education and inclusion in college, in this very state. Holy smokes, isn't this 2010?
Time for the cat boots I guess.

As we walk our path. Who hasn't stopped to look back? Then look forward? I look back over my years. No. I don't remember a time when I wasn't a salmon swimming against the current, nor like David fighting Goliath.

How many years have I've been planning, learning, researching, working? Many. I've paid my dues. Now every sweat drop, tear, and smile adds up to the gift of my todays.

Like something in the horizon that approaches you, that Tomorrow is now Today.

When I look forward butterflies fill my stomach, but I'm tickled with excitement. Is this my life? Yes it is, because there's a time for everything. This is the right time for me and it seems even… *gasp* easy! No. It hasn't been easy. But I've learned many lessons. With practice, you can make almost anything seem easy.

Most definitely. Any kind of transition and new beginning is scary. So scary. Yet, it's a step we must take.

New beginnings means something must end. So, there might be a few more tears before there are more smiles. But I keep moving forward because I know I'll thank myself in a couple months.

Something is just not right

even though this is the way we all wish it would be.............
my gut says hmmmmmmmm,
my girlfriend Char says "Do you think they don't know what Down syndrome is?" LOL
Today the littles were registered for school. Just walked into our "neighborhood" school, filled out the papers, attached old IEPs, therapy reports/evals, doc letters: 2 for K and 1 for pre-school...... OK, and just like that done. It is a very small school. Only 1 K class in the morning and 1 K in the afternoon. They will go, together, in the morning because of our address. OK. That's it? Yep.
Pookers has to go to a different, but still neighborhoodish, school because not all areas have pre-school.
Seriously? Really?
I didn't have to advocate or be assertive, didn't have to quote federal statutes or put on my "cat-boots... aka IEP kick-*&^ boots."
Are the planets misaligned or aligned or whatever?
The boys have to go to Sneak n Peek, on the 31st, to meet their teacher and see their room.
Maybe this will be when all hell breaks lose... or maybe they just got it right.

Nah. Stay tuned.

Deepak.....

Passed to me by an admired Naval Cmdr...... WAY too funny.

New Age pop "spiritualist" - and theological relativist in the same mold as Katherine Jefferts-Schori - gets owned.
And I do mean, OWNED:


When a guy in a red t-shirt can destroy your whole theology with one question... maybe you need another one.

Father's Path... not mine

You know how it feels when something happens to you, forcing you to re-think reality - past, present and future; a paradigm shift. Life's detours give you many of those.

I'm a little familiar with the feeling. We can imagine the life we want for ourselves, but there is a world of a difference from planning to real life. As we walk, we learn things we could not have imagined and must make path corrections to adjust to the "new realities" we encounter.

Sort of like the Apollo 13 crew in the lunar module, when they entered in orbit around the moon hoping a free return trajectory would "slingshot" the crew towards earth, but every once in a while they had to fire the descent engine to perform path corrections.

Had they not corrected their path, they would have flown off to outer space, forever lost in a path to no where… a sad, lonely, slow death. Though sometimes they over corrected, sending them, once again, in the wrong trajectory, which called for a second path correction.

Likewise, I'm constantly having to make path corrections in order to stay on course for a successful, gracious life for the boyz... a challenge I take because I know Father, my kids are blessings and I love it.

But you know what? Once you reach one goal, check one thing off your list, there's another one right in front of you that needs immediate attention.

Why? Because there is no summit! (that's my new theory). A friend and Pastor once told me "when the mountain seems too steep, don't look up! Take one step at a time, and keep climbing!"

There is no summit in the Life Mountain. So, enjoy the climb! It's not about the end, it's definitely but about the life path we take.

Times Square

Yeah, the boys made the cut for the Times Square, in the heart of New York City, video, on the MTV plasma screen on Saturday, September 25, 2010. I wish we could be there..... "look up boys!"

A Fun Summer Day

We watched the Blue Angels practice. Awesome.

Bug stood and counted cars.

We bought (and ate) cherries and other fruit at the Market.

Heirloom tomatoes... the best for dinner.

The boys are JOYS.....

and life is a blessing.

Boys and their play

As a mom of five boys, I am no stranger to loud, noisy games. With 5 brothers, I understand the ways that boys play. They don't just drive toy cars, they slam them into each other and send them sailing down the stairs to perform "stunts". They don't paint with brushes when they can dip their hand in the jar of paint and fling it, sending splatters onto all their brothers. They don't walk anywhere - they run, shove, jostle, and slam. Anything with a smooth surface that will raise them a foot or two off the ground will be adopted as a step stool to reach something inappropriate that has been purposely stored out of their reach. Any food item is fair game. And so on and so on. I don't know about princesses but this ROCKS, even though I may not let them know.

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody



There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.

Wildfires in Russia

There were already so many troubles here. Nizny is home to several orphanages. Please be in prayer.

A man sits on the ground while a house burns due to severe heat, outside the town of Vyksa, some 150 km (93 miles) south-west of the Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod. Hundreds have lost their homes as a wave of forest fires continues to spread through central Russia, fueled by strong winds and record temperatures, the Emergency Ministry said. REUTERS/Mikhail Voskresensky

Just another thing I don't get.

On our old blog, http://5boysandagirl-thejourney.blogspot.com
I posted this:

JUN 3, 2008
5 Things I TOTALLY don't get


5. Condiments, you know Mayo and Ketchup.

4. "Celebrity" TV shows, i.e., Dancing with the Stars.

3. Beverages that aren't... decaf coffee, non-alcoholic beer, virgin margaritas.

2. Golf.


And the number 1 thing that I TOTALLY don't get....

Sperm for Tickets
http://www.nme.com/news/festival/35078

I know.... so weird, right?

Then today, I read this:

Ben Quayle, the son of Vice President Dan Quayle, is running for Congress in Arizona. Here, he announces that he and his wife Tiffany "are going to raise our family here." Awww. Those are his daughters, right? No? Wait, what?
Ben Quayle, as the Arizona Capitol Times realized, doesn't actually have any kids. So who are those two cherubs? Well, originally the campaign said they were "relatives of a staff member and happened to be at a campaign event," which would have been pretty funny. As it turns out, they're his nieces, so the graphic is only sort of misleading instead of totally weird.

Where is the Baby?

My baby is a big boy. After being my "baby" for almost 5 years, Pookers decided to become a toddler. That lasted about a month, and he moved right along to become a kid.

WHAT?
WHY?

Moms, we all know how fast time can go.

I have been the envy of girlfriends. My 2nd son, AJ, was a "baby" until he was 6 and a half. He was very tiny, didn't walk, talk, took a bottle; he just wanted to be held and hold his blankie. He did have many medical problems. One day he just "woke-up." He started walking, talking, chucked
the baba (bottle), engaged with his brother and others. Soon followed growth spurts, school..... a kid emerged and never looked back.

Pookers has similarly been a "baby." Coming home from Russia, in 2005, he was the size of a newborn, at a "said-to-be" age of 3. Pookers wore a size 0-3 mos. He didn't lift his head or roll over. Silent aspiration and other med issues make up another post. Today he is just over 25lbs, wearing a 2T, saying words, signing, and full-fledged potty training. He's trying to run, climbs anything (higher than Bug, but don't tell), is FEARLESS. Pookers has climbed out of his crib. He is partially dressing himself, can definitely strip, knows computers and electronics, and will only allow cuddling for brief periods of time unless sick.

Where did my baby go? I marvel at his personality and independence, as he starts to make his way on his own.

I've raced through moments, when I should have lingered longer and counted my blessings. Even though I think I notice and appreciate the little strides and difficulty of milestones, more than moms of typical kids, it is funny how quickly things change.... even for kids with Down syndrome.

So linger longer, cherish more, savor all.

...... most important day

The most important day of my life. The day my life changed forever. The day I grew up. The day someone else became more important than me. The day I touched a miracle. The day I met my son.

All of these phrases can describe the day a child enters your life, but none of them fully explain it, do they? We all know that having a baby (or a child, or a toddler) really does change everything. But it isn't something we can fully explain to the uninitiated. Parenting is a members only club, but we have a fantastic PR machine. Parents love to talk about their kids!

To this day, nothing can choke me up more than thinking about or describing the moment I first held each of my boys. Most parents feel exactly the same way