A touching Letter

Dear Blogger friends I have missed reading all your wonderful blogs. I just can't seem to manage the time to do everything this Christmas season so my blogging has been put on hold. I just can't do it all I guess. Hopefully I'll get to catch up soon. I hope everyone is having a wonderful and enjoyable Christmas. I know my family has especially enjoyed our time together this year.

I wanted to share this letter that was given to my teacher assistant who drives a bus. She has given me permission to share it. It is a letter written to her by an 8 year old girl that rides on her bus. She is writing in reference to the other children on her bus. I was so touched by this letter. Please take the time to read it. The top of the letter reads "Believe the Spirit".

The last line wouldn't copy all the way but says "I miss people being good."

Happy Birthday Abby!

My oldest turned the big 13 today! It just doesn't seem right. She is an official teenager. I'm sure we are in for a lot of fun days ahead. Let the fun begin!

I've finally took a little time to post some of our TN pictures.

Mattie loved exploring Grandma's house. She got a lot of walking practice!

Mattie sneaking into her sister's make-up case.

This is one of the horses in the field across from Grandma & Granddaddy's house. They have a beautiful view. The girls loved feeding her apples.

Mattie did not care for the horse at all.

Bristol Speedway Light show. We were freezing! The only heated place were the bathrooms. It is sad when you are happy hanging out in the bathroom!

Tis the Season.....

for being very busy! I guess it isn't going to slow down either. Our family went to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. We had a really nice visit with Matt's family. It was Mattie's first time leaving our state. We went to Bristol Motor Speedway for their Christmas lights show. Matt is very excited to say he actually got to drive on the race track...even if it was only 5 miles an hour. (Pictures to come later I hope.)

Mattie has been quite busy herself. She is getting to be such a big girl. She now walks from her daycare class to the car while holding my hand. It may take us an hour to get there but she loves it. She is climbing on anything that she can reach. She also has found the love of cabinets and drawers. Let's say there is no rest for the weary anymore! I've also found that along with all this new found freedom has come the ability to whine when things don't go her way. Mattie has always been happy go lucky so it is strange hearing her fuss. It usually only last a couple seconds before she is distracted but I'm sure we will be in for longer episodes as she gets older.

Our next hurdle: Mattie, Christmas tree, and wrapped presents. This should be interesting!

Thanksgiving Fun

Mattie had her Thanksgiving feast at school. All the kids were adorable in their pilgrim and Native American outfits. Mattie even had Moccasins that we purchased during our summer vacation in the mountains. I am so thankful that she is at the school daycare where I work. It is wonderful seeing her everyday and participating in these fun events. Here are some cute pictures.

See Mattie's turkey handprint!

I love this bulletin board with all the kids hand and footprints made into turkeys!

Mattie's Hand

table topper with thankful feathers

Thankful D-G continued

Oh my! I'm not doing very well at this Thankful thing. I guess I'll be doing this for the next year if I don't get on the ball. So let's see how many I can add into this post.

Thankful *D*

Digital Cameras

I can't imagine life without digital cameras! I love the ability to delete all those awful pictures. I would love to have a new camera, especially one of those fancy dancy ones. Maybe one day I'll have one but for now, I am very thankful to have the one I own.

Thankful *E*

East Carolina University

How can I not be thankful for my alma mater? I loved attending East Carolina! I loved being a Marching Pirate and all my experiences with college. They have an awesome teaching program. I love East Carolina football, softball, and basketball!

Thankful *F*

Family and Friends

Of course, I am SO thankful for my family and friends! I can't even say enough or really put into words how much they mean to me. I know that I can call anyone of them and they would be there for me. They are always there through the good times and the bad. I can't ask for anything more!

Thankful *G*

Girlfriends

I am so thankful for all my girlfriends!! They are such a wonderful support! I love my ladies nites! Again, I can't even say enough about them. I love each one of them for who they are and what they bring to the group. We always have the best time and they are always there for you. They were such an awesome support for me after finding out that Mattie had Down syndrome. Their acceptance and love is what helped me through those scary moments of the unknown. They really are the best!

Thankful A-Z *C*

Thankful *C* is for Caroline

Caroline is our middle child that couldn't wait to enter our world. She was born 5 weeks early and spent a couple weeks in the NICU. Right from the beginning we knew she would be our spitfire of a child. Caroline is all about fairness and equality. She is sensitive and kindhearted. She cries over movies, stories, and even blogs that share struggles with sick children. She has a wise soul. Caroline loves school and organization. She is very helpful around the house. She keeps her room very clean and will even surprise us with cleaning up around the house. Caroline loves softball and especially catching. She is rough and tough plus fashion girl all rolled into one. I am so thankful for my little girl!

Thankful A-Z *B*

WooHoo! Two days in a row! I haven't done this in a long time. So here we go.

Thankful *B* stand for Buddy Walk and Blogger Friends

2009

2008

I had a hard time choosing between these two so I decided on both. I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend the Buddy Walk each year. What is the Buddy Walk? It is a way to celebrate National Down syndrome Awareness month and promote acceptance, inclusion, and empowerment of people with Down syndrome. And to top that all off, we have an awesome time meeting other family and raising money for a great cause. My goal is to maybe one day have a Buddy Walk in my own town.

I am so very thankful for all my blogger friends. I originally began my blog in hopes of "meeting" other families who were walking the same walk as us. Others that I could talk and share experiences. In the process, I have found many amazing families from all walks of life. I have to say this has been an awesome experience. I feel like I "know" a lot of you and for my local "peeps" thanks for supporting me too!

Thankful A-Z

I really have enjoyed reading everyone's thankful stories and think it is a wonderful idea. After having my not so thankful moment on Friday, I've decided to get started. I'm a little behind so I'm going to have to double, triple, or even quadruple up some days. Oh...just one more thing before I start this. I really do appreciate everyone's support concerning Caroline's school. My husband and I will be attending the next school board meeting and depending on the response, we will take things from there. We will do whatever it takes to try and change this policy. And as Caroline would say...."just let it go and move on".....

So let me move on with thankful thoughts!

Thankful *A is for Abby*

I am thankful for Abby, my oldest daughter. Abby has become our self-portrait taking photographer. Hence the photos above. She is our goof ball with a contagious laugh that will come out of nowhere. She has absolutely beautiful curls that she insists make her look like a poodle. One day she will realize how lucky she really is to have those curls. She has a beautiful voice and loves to sing around the house. She also likes to help out in the children's ministry at church. Even though she is growing into a young lady, she will always be our little girl.

So Mad!!

I am a very easy going person. It really takes a lot to make me mad. Well I am mad! Today was Caroline's Award Day. Normally, I wouldn't be able to attend but had taken the day off. I've not been feeling 100 percent but really wanted to be there for her. She worked really hard to make Principal's List. As she left for school, she wanted to make sure I would be there to see her get her award and I let her know that I would be there. So I'm getting ready.....making sure I have lots of cough drops in case I start my coughing spell. I get the baby fed, diaper bag ready, and head out the door. I drive the 15 minutes to her school. Get the baby and make our way into the school. At the door, they are signing people in. One of the helpers says, "I'm sorry but no kids allowed." What??? She says, "Well, it is stated in our handbook." You mean the 100 page one I received in August??? What about the letter that was just sent home. There is nothing about not bringing kids. And this is a school event with kids! Mattie behaves better than most kids and barely makes a sound. So the school denies ME the TAXPAYER the right to watch my child receive an award. They deny me for wanting to SUPPORT my child and her education. What is wrong with this picture? So I ask to speak to the principal. They tell me fine that he'll be out but it didn't make a difference with any other of the parents that he already sent away. I am so fired up mad! I cried the whole way home for missing the chance to watch my baby proudly accept her award. I've written the superintendent of schools and my husband called the school. They said it was due to limited space. If that was the case, how much room does it take if she is sitting on my lap? I even offered to stand by the door. Nope. I know there are many opportunities to support my child but this is just wrong. Am I the only one that thinks this? Do you think a younger sibling should be denied from attending school functions?

New Found Mobility

Mattie is almost an official walker! Hooray! This is good news and bad news. First, let me explain "almost an official walker". I say almost official because she spends more time trying to walk than crawling. She may lose her balance but will usually get right back up and start walking again. The girls say she really isn't a walker yet because she doesn't walk ALL the time. She still relies on crawling to get her where ever she wants to go quicker and we still have to cart her to and from the car. On average, she can walk about 8 feet or so before falling. So with her new found ability to walk has come the knowing that there are lots of cool things eye level. This child is keeping me on my toes. Gone are the days of sitting even if it was only for a moment. Why just in typing this I've had to stop and clean up my drink that she spilled. Lately, I've had toilet paper rolled off the roller, pencil drawings all over the floor, clothes unfolded, the t.v. channel changed to.....C-Span...ok...yuck. I only watch the news for weather and that would be local news. I've also had people return my phone calls that I never made. This child is into everything! Guess I better go see what she is into now. I hear the crinkling of papers!

Here's another picture just because.......

Neglected

Oh my! My blog is SO neglected. I just can't seem to hardly find time to post or respond to others blogs. I will do better. Caroline and Abby have finished with the ball season so that will free up a little time. Although, I'm sure that time will be filled with something. We've had quite a busy week with all the fall activities. I also had parent conferences and report cards are going out this week so I guess I really won't have much down time. I better put Mattie to sleep since she keeps laying flat on the floor....I guess she is neglected too. No...Just kidding! So here is a quick snapshot of the kids in their costumes.

Mattie was a green M&M at her school party. She actually knew to put the goodies in her pumpkin, but kept taking them out to dig in!

At home, she was a cow. This is the same cow that my oldest and middle child wore. It was made by my mother. I was thinking she could wear it next year but at the last minute I decided to put it on her. I was afraid she may be too big next year.

These are the really cute lanterns we made from recycled soda bottles and milk jugs along with one of our pumpkins.

Caroline was a *Gothic* vampire two nights in a row. She had a party Friday night and went trick or treating on Saturday. Not my favorite choice but hey...whatever makes her happy. I have to say she looks quite gruesome.

*As I'm typing this she says....It's not a vampire mama. It a "Gothic" vampire.

Tonight's Dessert

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced apples

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 water

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8 (I used a 9 inch deep pie dish). Place apples in dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour water over all. In a bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Blend in flour. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples. Bake 30-40 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

Thanks to Carrie from All Recipes. This was a very easy and delicious recipe!

Saturday Projects

We had a pretty productive day today. The girls and I decided we would make our scarecrow. As we were going down our front steps, which we rarely use, we noticed them feeling loose. Upon closer inspection, I saw that they were way too dangerous to use much longer. I love our little rustic log cabin but those steps were beyond rustic. They were rotten! So the hubby had an unexpected project for the day. I think he did a pretty good job on our new steps. I'm so thankful that I have a husband that knows how to do these kinds of projects.

The rotten boards

Our new steps

While the hubby was out getting supplies, the girls and I worked on our "pirate" scarecrow. Since we love the East Carolina Pirates, we made ours sporting his pirate shirt and his pirate bandanna. We couldn't find our flag, but we put him near our pirate wreath. We aren't finished yet. I still have to find a yellow mum to go along with the purple and pot them. I also want to find our ECU bandanna and flag. I don't have a clue what to do with those handless sleeves. Anyway, we had a fun time working on it and I found it quite funny when I heard that my neighbor called out to it thinking it was Caroline. It's a good thing he was quite a distance away. I sure hope Caroline doesn't look like that!


I wonder how many people will think that this is a real person when they walk up on our porch?

Our crazy cat loves walking along the railing on our porch.

Sick Day

I'm home today with a sick baby. Mattie hasn't been feeling well all weekend. She actually is starting to act more like herself today. I went ahead and took her to the doctor anyway. She has a sinus infection and they've put her on antibiotics. Aside from her kidney reflux and the 24 hour bug, this is the first time Mattie has been sick with cold like symptoms. When she was born I was told she would be more susceptible to ear infections and sinus problems. I think she is doing rather well. She has been healthier than both my older girls. Oh....she weighs 21 pounds. I don't think she has gained a pound all summer. It must be all that dancing!

Well off to go get her prescriptions and enjoy my day being a mommy! I feel bad that Mattie is sick but I LOVE staying home with her!

Buddy Walk

Last Sunday, we headed to the annual Buddy Walk. This was the second year we've attended and we really had a wonderful time. Mattie loved the music and dancing. This years main event was the band Music for Aardvarks from Jack's Big Music Show. Mattie got to go on stage and meet them with her daddy. I was so busy talking with a new friend we met from our area, I never got a picture. Bad mommy! But I did get lots of other great pictures. Here are a few from our fun day!

Dancing!!

So thankful for all the support from our friends!!

Two Posts in One

So I am very far behind once again! I have two posts in one. Multi-tasking! At the bottom, I have posted a video of Mattie. I am completely amazed at this child! She has started standing up without using her hands. It seems like it would take a lot of leg strength to do this. Is it because she is closer to the ground? I don't recall my older girls doing this. Anyway, check it out. She does it part way through the video a couple of times.

I also have been tagged by Banana Pants and Jaxson's Fight ....How your children got their names. So sorry I am just getting to this but I really have enjoyed reading how everyone has chosen their children's names. So here it goes:

Abby Lynn: Our first born. Wow. Almost 13 years ago. There really isn't anything significant in choosing Abby except that we both really liked that name. Of course, we went through the "What sounds good with this name?" We finally decided on Lynn. One of Matt's sisters has the same middle name so that was the deciding factor on the middle name. The final test was stepping outside and yelling the name. Yes. We liked the sound of it and could live with it. There was an issue about the spelling of Abby. I wanted it to be spelled Abbey. My husband says why add the extra letter. He says it is an extra letter she has to learn when she goes to school......you know we wouldn't want to add that extra challenge for her...HaHa! He also insisted that you will never find any "name stuff" spelled that way. Well, I rarely see Abby or Abbey anyway. It is always Abigail. And speaking of that, he also requested that we never name our children one thing and call them something else. Just another school issue for him. Both of us have nicknames and it never bothered me. I guess he will forever be tormented for being called Matthew in school instead of Matt. He is quite demanding huh? No, he really isn't. If I had insisted, I would have gotten my way. I loved the name spelled either way and I could live with all his quirky name requests.

Caroline Elizabeth: Our middle child. I have always loved the name Caroline Elizabeth even as a young girl. My grandmother's middle name was also Elizabeth. She had passed before Caroline was ever born. Matt knew how much I loved the name so he agreed that Caroline Elizabeth it would be.

Mattie Rose: Our third child. I posted last year about the special meaning behind Mattie's name. It is amazing to me how her name just fell into place. Her name is the most symbolic of our children and I truly believe she was destined to have this name. Mattie is named after Matt. After Caroline was born, it was said that Caroline should have been named Mattie because she favored him so much. Well, too late. We were not having anymore children......so we thought! Well 7 years later, surprise! surprise! We find out we are having another girl. Matt says in the ultrasound room, "I really want to name her Mattie..........click here......to read the rest of Mattie's story. It is quite an interesting story!

I have to also tag some other folks. I'm behind on blog reading so if you've been tagged already, please forgive me!

Your turn! Le Frevre Times, Braska, Life with 4 Kiddos, The Heflin Family, B.A.D.D is Good.

Don't forget to check out the video!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Characteristics

So I've been thinking about doing this post for some time. I know a lot of people who comment on my blog are walking the same walk as mine....fellow Ds bloggers. But I'm sure I have some readers that don't have a child with Down syndrome and don't always comment. I thought I would share a little bit of information concerning the characteristics of Down syndrome. When we were informed that Mattie may have ds, that is the first thing I tried doing...comparing my child's characteristics with children that had ds. Not all children that have ds have the same characteristics. Some may have more than others and some may have less. It is also important to note that the number of characteristics do not determine how severe the delays may be in that child. Most children with ds will have mild to moderate delays. Our children simply learn at a slower rate.

One of the most obvious features in my opinion are the eyes. Mattie's beautiful eyes slant upward and have an almond shape. She also has the epicanthal folds at the inner part of her eyes. If you look closely, you will see she has Brushfield spots. These are white specks around the outer rim of her iris. They will not affect her vision and are more common in blue or light colored eyes. She has heavenly stars in her eyes!


Another characteristic is a flat bridge in the nose. This makes the perfect place to give a kiss!


Mattie has the "sandal toe" gap between her first and second toe. She has the best flip flop feet! I have also read that ds children have wider feet. Mattie never had a chance in our family anyway. We all have wide feet.


Many children with ds have a single line across the palm and a pinkie that turns in slightly. Mattie does not have either of these characteristics. She does have shorter fingers than my two older daughters had at her age. Her arm and leg length are also shorter. She is going to be our little pip squeak!


The doctor noticed that Mattie had an extra fold of skin at the back of her neck when she was born. Also known as a fat pad. This does not stay as they will grow out of it. I think Mattie's was gone before she was even a month old.
So these are just a few of the characteristics that you may find in a child with Down syndrome. God created Mattie with all these beautiful features and we wouldn't want her any other way. She is absolutely perfect!

Special Exposure/Wordless Wednesday

Walking Video

Here is the video of Mattie walking! Please excuse the loud noise. The girls were jammin' to the music. In the video , Mattie keeps lifting her leg. This is a new thing. I thought maybe her baby leg was bugging her. She still is doing it so it must be part of her dance. She cracks me up! Oh and that hair....well she took the bow out. That's Mattie. Hey, we can keep them in for several hours so that's a start.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Slowly But Surely

Oh my gosh! Has it already been one week? I think this is the busiest I have been in a long time. We had to be somewhere every single day last week. Tonight I'm suppose to be at the ball field but the game was cancelled. Can I say I'm sort of glad? I need a break from all this running around. I made chili yesterday for tonight's dinner because I didn't think I'd have time with the ball game. Now I have dinner already ready and no place to go. Life is good!

Oh and how can I forget to mention.....Mattie took five steps!! She will only do it when she's dancing so I guess I need to keep the music playing!

Busy Busy Busy!

We have been so busy since getting well....softball practices for the girls, bible studies, hanging with friends, and choir practices. That's the fun stuff. Then there is work.

Matt and I joined our choir at church for the upcoming Christmas program. I'm really just your average singer....you know car.....shower... I can carry a tune but would never be able to sing a solo. I'm the farthest thing from American Idol, but I thought why not? God gave me this voice so why not use it to glorify His name. I'm really looking forward to learning from this experience.

The other night Matt was getting some things out of the garage, when he came across these camping chairs by Coleman. He decided to blow one up and see what they looked like. I've posted a picture of Mattie sitting in it. It reminds me of The Big Comfy Couch....a PBS show Abby watched when she was a little girl. I'm hoping we will get to take a fall camping trip somewhere soon!

Trying to Get Well....

Since the last post, Matt has gotten the bug and myself. Mattie started it on Friday night, Matt started up Sunday morning around 3am and I started Sunday evening. It was pretty bad. It's hard when both the adults are out of commission. Thank goodness we do have older children who can help out. We are still not feeling 100 percent back to normal. We get tired very easy and I'm trying to do as little as possible. We've both been out of work for two days and with the girls at school this helps. A friend of mine also picked up the baby today to give me some rest time. I'm just praying that my two older girls don't get this stuff. So far they haven't shown any signs of it. Well, let me get off this computer and go take advantage of this rest time. I'll have to catch up on everyone's post when I've got more energy.

A First I Don't Like!

Every time Mattie hits another milestone or as one mommy on another blog put it "inch"stone, we are ecstatic. Well, I don't consider this a milestone at all but it was a first for Mattie and one we could do without. Last night, Mattie had her first stomach virus. Poor baby! It started in the car all in her car seat. Man, what a mess! Mattie rarely cries and to see her in pain from the stomach cramps you knew she was feeling was awful. The hubby was wonderful. We really worked as a team. Every time she got sick....which was like every 20 minutes, he'd clean her up and I'd change the bedding. After about three times, we decided this was going to be a long night so he decided he'd just hold her. Around midnight, I was exhausted. He decided to take the first shift, wake me up and I'd take the second. Well, he never woke me up. He said it finally finished around 3:30am. Now he's sleeping and Mattie too. I guess it is time to start cleaning up this house and open some windows......and shoo the ugly germs away!

Special Exposure/Wordless Wednesday

What would you make for a caption?