Friday, March 23, 2012

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!!

That started out as my drumstick, but quickly got taken away by a cute little blond, who apparently knows just what she likes.  She licked the ice cream off and graciously handed it back to me :)  






Thursday, March 22, 2012

Old Man Russell

Wednesday was Jayden's 100 days of school.  Her teacher asked the kids to dress up as 100 year old people, so Jayden did.  Jayden and one other friend in her class dressed up, along with her teachers of course.  Jayden was the old man, obviously, and her friend dressed up as an old lady.  They were the perfect couple. 








Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!


World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, is a day to create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome.  Each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder. But there is still so much more we can do.  

Sophia and I are hitting up our second preschool this week to read a couple stories.  One is about our own little Sophia herself and what it means to have Down syndrome.  The other book is about how we are all different, but still the same.  We had a great time on Monday reading and are super excited to be going to Jayden's school today!

If nothing else, take the time today to celebrate that it's okay to be different.  Differences are what make our world so beautiful!  


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Random pics

Yep, she got up there all. by. herself.

This is Sophia putting on her own hat :)

Jayden and Morris.  Not Morris, the original, from preschool.  This is Jayden's Morris that we found at the Goodwill for 99 cents.  He's her new BFF!

And then little sister swipes him....

....but she doesn't get to keep him for long.

a little stink eye going on


This is only happy little girl, now that speech therapy is over with.  Lets just say bath time came a little early!

Taco Tuesday, our favorite day of the week :)





Our proud Pre-K olympic sports winner.  Showing off her gold :)

Driving Miss Sophia

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Build a Bear AND a Cat

The girls each got a gift card to Buid a Bear for Christmas from some of their good friends, and since our lunch date plans had to be rescheduled and we still had plans to go to Indy to see the girls' favorite cousins, we decided to put those gift cards to use.  Jayden's been to Build a Bear a few times, but obviously didn't remember any of those times, and this was a first for Sophia.  Jayden picked out the camo bear, who obviously screamed, BOY!  And Sophia fell in love with the kitty cat as soon as I placed it in her arms.  The girls helped stuff their animals with lots of love and then gave them a bath before getting them accesorized.  (I was by myself and Sophia was being quite the handful, so this was the only picture I got to take of the "building" process.) 
Anyway, we headed off to style our furry friends and this is what Jayden decided on, all. on. her. own..... 


 


Yes, it is Harley, Camo Bear....

with his motorcycle.


I refused to buy the motorcycle, because the cost of her bear was already outrageous, but then we remembered that she had some money of her own, from her very generous grandparents and great-grandparents a few weeks ago when she scored a goal at her soccer game.  So she decided this motorcycle was worth it and spent every last penny she had to buy it.  Let's just say, her grandpa is probably very proud right now :)  

So once Jayden was happy with her choice in attire, we moved on to find something for Sophia's cat, but every time I tried something on the cat and tried to give it to Sophia to see if she liked it, she pushed the cat away and acted very annoyed.  But when I handed her the cat, simply in it's own fur, she loved on it like it was her new best friend.  So I took that as a sign, and a way to save some money, and we got the heck out of that money sucking store, ASAP!  So we left with two happy little girls and two new friends, Hunter the Bear and Kitty the Cat. 

(for some reason I look at this cat and it reminds me of the Cat in the Hat?)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The R word

March 7th is Spread the Word to End the Word.  This is me, telling you, that the word RETARD or RETARDED is hurtful and disrespectful.  When I hear someone use those words, or when I see someone write those words, I feel like that person just punched me in the stomach as hard as they could.  I literally get sick to my stomach and my heart skips a beat, or two.  I understand that some people just don't get it.  I didn't, but now I do.  My daughter has Down syndrome, and she is developmentally delayed and is a little slower paced when it comes to learning than her typical peers, BUT, she is NOT stupid or dumb!  And the truth is, when you call someone or something RETARDED, you're saying that they, or it, is stupid or dumb.  The word RETARD(ED) doesn't mean stupid and it doesn't mean dumb, but this once medical term is now slang for both of those words, and that hurts me and one day it will hurt my daughter too.  Start today, to make a conscious effort to stop using the "R" word.  And if you don't use that word, then start today to, Spread the Word to End the Word.
Click on HERE to learn more about how you can pledge to support the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Dr. Seuss

Last week Jayden's preschool celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday by reading some of his books, and of course with some green eggs and ham for snack!  They also did some crafty things to celebrate too and this is what she brought home...... 

Sunday, March 4, 2012

March 21st

World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated on March 21st.  March being the 3rd month of the year, represents the 3 copies of the 21st chromosome, and I think you can guess why the day is the 21st!  Last year the girls and I sported our Down Syndrome Indiana shirts from the Buddy Walk the previous year, but this year I wanted to do something a little more.  I've tried on a few occasions to talk to Jayden about Down syndrome and what it means and how it relates to Sophia, but usually she just looks at me like I'm a crazy woman and ignores the conversation.  Then a few weeks ago I saw THIS on facebook and thought the way this mom explained Down syndrome to her young son about his sister was awesome.  It got me thinking and I decided to ask Jayden's preschool teacher if Sophia and I could come in and read a few children's books to the class about Down syndrome, and from the inspiration I got from this mom in the video, I decided to make my own book about Sophia and what Down syndrome means for her and our family.  I'm really excited about how the book turned out and I'm even more excited to be going to Jayden's school to read it to her class!  I know that her classmates may look at me like I'm a crazy woman too, but if they take anything at all away from us coming in to read to them, I hope they understand that it's okay for someone to be different.  That just because someone may look different or act differently than you, they still have feelings and they still want to be accepted and that most importantly, it's okay to be their friend.