updating blog

I am trying to update the blog. Please bear with me as I make changes, hopefully the new blog will be worth the wait!!!

Studious One

Caught Sarah this morning reading a book.  Baby doll is next to her so I guess she is reading to her baby.  She loves books and has learned to turn the pages.  This book has flaps that you open.  She will sit forever and lift the flaps and "read". Yep that is laundry in the background.  Today is laundry day.  I am sure she will be snuggling in the warm laundry later.  I will try to get a pictures!  Hope you have a great day.

Sarah eating a cookie

I took some video of Sarah and Elijah trying to get use to the new camera.  Here are is a cute one, Sarah is trying to keep her cookie away from Elijah.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Awana Cubbie Award Night

Last Night was Awana Award Night at church.  Elijah just completed his first year of Cubbies.  He was so excited.  He had really worked hard this year learning verses each week.  He really enjoyed cubbies and I am sure he will ask every week when he gets to go back.  Here is a picture of him with his award:

We got a new video camera.  This is the first time I have used it.  I did not have the steady mode on, so it is a bit shaky.  Sarah is also pulling at my arm, but we did capture Elijah performing for the first time at church

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Busy, Busy life!!

Wow, what a busy week.  Here is a recap of all of the fun:

Mon:  Laundry, cleaning of the house.

Tues:  Elijah to school, Sarah to feeding and OT therapy.  Home lunch, nap, go get Elijah.  Back home, fix desert to take to our last Kindermusik class for the semester.  Supper, change of clothes since Sarah is wearing most of her supper.  To kindermusik, loads of fun, home, both kids in bed, Whew.

Wed:  Bird chasing, room disinfecting, house cleaning AGAIN

Thurs:  8:00am Sarah's home educator comes to work on feeding with Sarah.  I get Elijah ready for school.  Elijah to school, take teacher appreciation gift.  Sarah and I go shopping.  Doug and I need something to wear for a wedding this weekend.  Home,nap( she feel asleep on the drive home), lunch, go get Elijah from school, take Sarah to PT.  Still do not have a dress, so crazy me takes two kids to the mall.  Home.  Doug arrives home, say hi/bye.  Leave him with kids and go shopping.  9:30pm finally find a dress.  Home, shower, in bed. 

Fri:  Play with kids, laundry, pack bags, iron clothes, lunch, nap for kids.  I unload and reload the van and get ready to leave.  Termite man comes to check the house. When Doug gets home we will hop in the van and head to Chatt.  Sat we have the wedding, Sun we will drive home, have to make it back in time for Elijah to go to cubbies, it is the award night, so we can not miss it!!  Then the fun starts all over again!!!  Here are a few pictures:  They just love each other sooooooo much.  The rest of the pictures are of the bubbles we got that are so great.  They just stay in the air so long.  The only drawback is they leave a film on things, esp the kids hair. This is a bubble stuck on Sarah's head!   More bubbles in her hair!!

I'll fly away!!!

Remember that old gospel song.  I love this song and several other gospel songs.  I must say I have been singing this song all morning, but not for the reasons you think.  This song has new meaning in our home after today!  The day started out nice.  It is a beautiful day. The sun is shining.  The flowers I planted yesterday look pretty. The bulbs Carolyn gave me several years ago are actually going to bloom this year.  I can see the purple flowers already.  They did not bloom last year. The new shrubs in front of the house look great. Hmm, hard to see in this picture, but trust me they look great.  I even have flowers planted already. You can see the shrubs better in this picture too.  Ok, back to the story.  Sarah was down for a nap and Elijah was finishing lunch.  He kept saying he heard something downstairs.  He can hear something in complete silence.  Then I hear it.  Ok, I do not scare easily, most of the time, but I was nervous going downstairs to check on it.  I got to the end of the stairs and there was a BIRD flying right toward me.  Have you heard of attack of the birds?  That is what I saw.  I started screaming and could not make my feet move.  I guess they moved at some point, because I ended up upstairs.  I scared Elijah so bad he was crying.  I was shaking.  I really thought I was going to have a heart attack.  I called Doug and told him there was a bird in the house.  He asked if he needed to come home and get it. DUH! YES!  I am not going back down there.  Elijah is crying (I want to cry).  Thank goodness he could come right home and got the bird and hmmm ....set it free in glory.  The bird put up a fight.  It was not a pretty fight.  I now am disinfecting the study.  The bird came in the old dryer vent.  You would have thought the construction guy would have covered the old vent with a piece of wood prior to enclosing the new tub, but then again that would have required thinking on his part.  We have a work order in to replace that piece of siding, but they brought the wrong color or something like that last time, so they are suppose to be coming back.  Doug is calling them.  They do not want to deal with me after the bird.  So, for today we are singing "I'll fly away".

Just too tired.

Saturday Elijah begged all day to go to the "pig store".  Which translates to the BBQ place down the road.  They have a pig on the kids menu.  So, we agreed to go for supper.  Elijah and Daddy went out and did some yard work until it began to rain, then Elijah helped me uncover his room from all of the mess.  Elijah and Sarah then had a bath and played while mommy and daddy took turns getting ready.  We went by Bob the Builder's store(Home Depot) and picked up some trim to finish the remodel and Daddy also got supplies to make Sarah a walking board like she uses in therapy.  Basically it is a board that has rails on each side for her to hold on and walk.  She loves to use this at therapy.  We then went to the pig store.  After getting our order and starting to eat, Elijah decided to.... yep, fall asleep.  This does not look comfortable.  Upon finishing our meal we tried to awaken him.  He did not want to wake up, so we picked him up and took him to the van.  As soon as his bottom touched the carseat he was awake and crying that he did not get to eat at the pig store.  He ate his supper in the van on the way to walmart to get some groceries.  Life with kids, always except the unexpected!

Pre-op appointment

Friday we did Sarah's pre-op appointment.  I was expecting the worse, but we actually had a great appointment.  I must say I have the cutest, sweetest little girl.  She just shined yesterday.  I love it when she is such a happy easy going baby.  Yesterday was one of those days.  She woke up laughing.  We started the day by dropping Elijah off to play with Abbe and Olivia.  He had a ball.  He was so exhausted that he took a long nap when we got home.  It was great to get some rest after the long day.  Sarah and I then headed to Vandy.  We arrived about 30 minutes early-it is so hard to judge downtown traffic!  We signed in and they took us right back.  Can you believe that.  No waiting at Vandy.  The nurse was great and took her vital signs, then the anesthesia lady came in, asked her questions listened to her heart and look at her throat.  We were done.  What? Finished at 10:15.  This is great.  We then went over to x-ray to get the neck x-rays the pediatrician had ordered.  Children with Down syndrome can have what they call AAI where the upper neck is unstable and the vertebrae slide and can pinch the spinal cord.  Before surgery they need to make sure that she does not have this or they have to put her to sleep with different precautions.  We signed in and 10 min later they call us back.  Very surprised at this.  Elijah fell down the stairs several years ago and got a knot on his rib cage and we waited 1 hour to get an x-ray.  We went back and the tech said now this is a hard x-ray at this age.  We need 3 different shots and we will probably have to take several of each shot to get a good one.  We may even need to sedate her or wait until she goes to sleep to get all of them.  We just hope we can get them.  We sat Sarah on the table.  She giggled.  She looked down to play with her gown, he said take it.  Perfect, one try, first shot, done.  He said we need her to look up.  I said Sarah look up for the stars.  Up she looked, shot taken, one try, perfect.  He said I need her to look forward.  I said Sarah look at mommy and she did.  Third shot, one try, perfect!  We were done.  In record time I might add.  No one could believe the tech when he said he got them on the first try.  We went to the waiting area to await results.  Pediatrician called, perfect, no AAI!  YIPEE!!  We then went and got Elijah and visited with Jennifer and the kids, then headed home.  Almost home at 1:20, I happened to remember that I had a doctor's appointment to recheck my blood pressure at 1:30.  Urgh!  Off we went to the doctor, late with 2 kids in tow.  Do you think my blood pressure was better?  NO.  I have to go back again.  I went home, put the kids to bed, called Doug and told him to bring home a pizza for supper and went to bed.  I was tired.

Haircuts

"Oh where, Oh where is my hairbrush"-from Veggietales for those of you without toddlers.  Well, Elijah no longer really needs a hairbrush.  We had his hair buzzed as he calls it.  He is so cute with the short hair.  Sorry mom I know you like his hair longer, but I really like it short.  Besides, it is so much easier to clean and brush!!!!  Sarah, we trimmed about a 1/2 inch off the bottom of her hair.  We are trying to get the two layers that she has from rubbing part of her hair off as a baby to one length.  She also trimmed her bangs. I did not think she trimmed enough so I trimmed more last night. Sarah no longer leaves her hairbows in and her hair stays in her eyes.  I can not stand to see her with hair in her eyes.  So, she really got a big girl haircut.  She no longer has to wear a bow, although I think she is much cuter and sweeter with a bow!!!  So far, she is winning on the no bow front!!  Maybe when she gets older she will leave bows in, oh well, I will keep putting them in and back in and back in, etc.

Umm, Ummm good!

Sarah has learned to drink from a big cup.  She especially likes to drink whatever mommy is drinking.   Last night she was able to get the cup I was drinking out of and started drinking.  Thank goodness it was almost empty.  I thought I had moved the cup far enough away, but she got it.  I had told her no when she reached for it and moved it and as soon as I turned my back she got it.  She has also learned to scream and pitch a fit to get her way.  She waits and pulls this act when we are in public.  Time-out does not seem to work with her, she loves to sit in a chair and laughs and babbles the whole time she is in time-out.  Not sure what else to try at this point except to continue redirecting.  Guess we will just keep at it.  She is just so cute and hard to discipline.  She just smiles and laughs after she does something wrong.  It is so hard not to laugh!  She is such a doll.  Of course, I don't think it helps when I grab the camera and take a picture to share with everyone!  Life at our house is so fun!!!!  We are loving every minute of it.  Oh, I just noticed that in the last few pictures she has not had a hair bow.  She has learned to pull them out.  So for now we are just putting a rubberband in it to keep her hair out of her eyes.  Both kids are going for haircuts today.  I will post before and after pictures tomorrow!!

Dora and Diego Day

Today was Dora and Diego Day for Elijah at school.  Elijah was so excited.  He dressed in record time without me having to yell and scream to get him dressed.  He even brushed his teeth the first time I asked.  He had to dress like Diego, when we planned his outfit it was 75 degrees, today it was 40 so we made changes.  Long pants and a white long sleeve shirt instead of the shorts and t-shirt.  He still looked so cute. The outfit was complete with Diego doll and of course backpack. Puppy tagged along for the fun as usual.  I think puppy may go to college with him.  Puppy is starting to look ragged.  Poor puppy.  They had the school decorated with balloons and posters.  Here is Elijah with a friend: They had lots of Dora and Diego activities and even got to watch a movie instead of having rest-time(don't know who thought that would be a good idea!!!).  Elijah has been hyper all day, so even without the rest he is full of energy.  Wish I could bottle that energy.  I need a large dose of it today!

Toy give away

Entering a toy give away. Here is a link if you are interested:

Nana's

Every time we visit relatives I say I am going to take tons of pictures, but some reason, I never seem to do it.  We get so busy visiting that I forget.  I did get a few pictures.  Here is Elijah with Nana and one with Angie and Nana:      I did not get a single picture of Sarah with anyone.  Although, I did get a cute one of her in the bathtub:    On the way home I got pictures of both of the kids:  Don't let the cute one of Sarah holding her baby and sleeping fool you.  Neither kid did much sleeping on the ride to or from.  There was lots of yelling, crying, and whining.  Tons of how much longer.  Billions of I want to see Nana now, I am tired of riding.  Lots of throwing of objects and then screaming when mommy or daddy could not reach them to give them back.  Traveling with kids is not fun.  The DVD players helped on the way, but returning home one player decided to go on strike.  It was the older one that Elijah has been using.  It was still less than a year old.  So we were down to just one player.  We will have to return the DVD player for another one, thank goodness we got the extended warranty on that one, the new one did not come with an extended warranty option.  They make these players so cheaply.  I am sure it has nothing to do with a 4 year old operating it or that it is always in the car and gets jarred around.  Both kids really enjoyed getting Nana and Angie attention.  We had lots of fun.  Friday we did some outdoor work for Nana.  The kids really loved being outside.  I had lunch with Robin, a friend that I have kept in touch with all of these years.  Saturday we were lazy and stayed around the house most of the day.  We did venture out to the mall to exchange some things.  JC Penny's was having a great sale.  We got some great clothes for the kids for next to nothing.  I do not know why we bought clothes for the kids.  They both have tons of clothes.  Owen, my cousin's son, has been giving Elijah his clothes since he was a baby.  I do not know how Owen wears all of these clothes.  There are so many of them that Elijah can wear something new everyday.  It is great.  Sarah has been getting clothes from Olivia.  Olivia is also a styling baby and has tons of clothes.  They fit Sarah perfectly.  God has truly blessed us.  He supplies all of our needs in ways that we can not imagine.  Rich in blessings are we.  Ok, back to the story.  Sunday we got up to freezing weather.  Way to cold to take the kids to church.  Sarah is finally well and I am trying to keep it that way.  So we had another leisurely  day.  We left right after lunch thinking the kids would take afternoon naps. WRONG!  They screamed, etc that I mentioned in the first of this post.  That was our trip!  So...who wants to join us next time?

Home Sweet Home!

We are back home!! Traveling with 2 kids is not fun. I am so glad to be home. We had a great visit and Elijah is very sad that we left Nana's. Sarah is really bonding well with Nana also and can say Nana well now. I will post more tomorrow of our adventures, just want to let you know we were home.

Emma Hope Cornish-I have added a link to the Cornish's blog. Emma and Micah were just adopted from another country by the Cornish family. They now have 3 children with Down syndrome. Emma has some major heart issues that one surgeon says is inoperable. Emma is a miracle that she is alive still with this major heart issue. Please pray for this angel and her family. They are getting a second opinion on her condition.

Weekday happenings

As usual our week is a busy one.  Monday I tried to put the house back in order, I don't know what happens over the weekend, but the house is always a wreck.  I am not sure why I clean house.  It seems to be a waste of time.  I no more clean then a tornado named Elijah, Sarah, or Daddy hits and I am back to square one.  Although, especially on laundry day I seem to make the mess with laundry everywhere.  I have to be creative with folding, Sarah loves to crawl in warm laundry and snuggle, which is ok if it is not folded yet.  Once folded, she must unfold everything to make it comfy.  Tues, well  is Tues, therapy day.  We drop Elijah at school dash back home for the home educator then out the door to PT then back to get Elijah.  Sometime in there we eat lunch.  After school we went to Abigail's to wish her a happy birthday since we missed her party.  Then home, supper, off to find a dual portable dvd player for the trip to Nana's.  Not sure how people traveled before DVD players in the car, I don't want to find out.  We love our DVD player for those long trips.  The kids are much more content.  Today I am going to try to finish laundry, pack and straighten the house, AGAIN.  Tomorrow Elijah to school, Sarah to OT and feeding therapy, back to get Elijah, load the car, off to Nana's.  So needless to say this will probably be the last post until Mon.  Hope everyone's week is great!!  I will have lots of new pictures next week to share.

Children's Day

Sunday was Children's Day at church.  All of the kids got t-shirts and had a fun day at church.  After church they had reserved Pump-it-up an inflatable play area for the kids.  Everyone had a great time!  Here are a few pictures of the kids bouncing:

   Here Elijah is going down the big slide and he and daddy are climbing the rock wall:

Sarah loved sliding down the big slide.  She kept asking to do it again.  The last picture is Sarah with Mr. Todd the children's minister.  He is her favorite person at church.  She has to see Mr. Todd every time we are at church.  He took her down the slide several times!  Mrs. Kim the preschool director also took her down the slide.  She did not want to leave!

Spring Rain

Sorry I have not posted in a few days, we have been very busy.  Thursday Elijah had school, Sarah had OT and feeding therapy, then we rushed over to get Elijah and went to Sarah's doctor's appointment to recheck her ears.  Seven weeks now and we still have an ear infection.  It is much better, but still not completely gone.  Surgery is still not until May, they will not move it up.  Back home we went, supper then kindermusik.  Friday Sarah had her last synergis shots!!!!  I went for a haircut, then got groceries.  Back home got the kids up from nap(why is it that when Doug is home with them they both sleep and have good naps and with me they never do???), dressed and off to gymboree with the Down syndrome play group.  Supper out since it was 5pm when we finished.  Home, pjs on and in the bed.  Whew, I am tired writing that!  In all of that, it has been raining here.  Our backyard looks like a lake.  I had to go a different route to get my haircut due to high water on the road.  Today it is cold and wet.  Elijah had a birthday party, but it was outside at the park.  We opted not to go, I could not take the risk that the cold would make Elijah's or my cold worse and us expose Sarah.  I want her to stay healthy.  Elijah was disappointed, but I got him bubbles at gymboree last night so I gave them to him to play with.  They are really great bubbles.  They last so long and stay in the air forever.  The kids love them.  I will have to get a picture of them with the bubbles to share.   Here are some older pictures that were taken when I had my hand surgery.  I guess I need to take some more pictures! 

 

Spring Pictures

We had pictures taken of the kids today.  They were so good.  How do you pick when all of the pictures have something good about them?  I have a hard time picking out pictures.  Sarah has the tongue sticking out pose, so I eliminated those.  Elijah wanted to chew on his bottom lip, so I eliminated them.  Then just the bad ones where one kid is doing something weird, while the other one looks perfect.  So, I just picked.  I hate to pick.  I always try to rethink it after I order.  But, I picked so here is what I got (I did not get the CD so I would have the prints to put online and did not want to be illegal and scan the photos so I took a picture of my couch, where the photos just happened to be):

Bob the Builder

Well, as you know we have had a remodel done at the house and as promised I have updated pictures.  Now we got a new builder to help us finish the project, and let's just say this one is a newbie:

She is such a cutie!  My dad came up on Easter weekend and helped us finish up the electrical stuff(light in master bath, ceiling fan in playroom and reinstalling light in playroom).  Thanks dad!  Doug has been caulking and still has the trim work to do.  Things are taking shape.  I finished painting the walls in the new bath, just have the trim left.  The washer and dryer area is complete(with a new washer and dryer also-a gift from dad-THANKS!): The hallway I have not started on it is still in the rough stage: The ceiling is done in the playroom with the new ceiling fan.  Although they were suppose to treat the area on the ceiling from Elijah's flooding episode with kilz, I don't know if they didn't or just didn't use enough.  Needless to say the area has turned brown so it will need to be repainted. FUN FUN FUN-I don't do ceilings. The upstairs master bath still needs painting.  I hung some of my accessories just so I would not go mad with a half finish bath and overdo the painting and hurt my hand.  My accessories make it feel more together.