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.