Loving Life

Happy birthday to Spenser!

2011-10-04T22:14:00.000-05:00

Today is my oldest sons 17th birthday! Spenser is such a good kid, awesome son and brother. He loves his little sisters who both have Down syndrome so much. Since Anna has come home to us from Rus$ia he loves to tote her around and show her off. :) He takes both of the girls on rides through the neighborhood and takes Anna to the store with him every chance he gets :) He would take Ashlyn more, but she is too difficult to deal with in the store and doesn't listen to authority worth a hoot!!! Yep she is my stubborn one. Here are a few pics of the kiddos today after we went out to dinner for Spenser's birthday. Aren't all my children so photogenic? LOL- NONE of them would cooperate except Anna and once in a while Spenser would when he wasn't tending to Ashlyn who was misbehaving!! So here ya go....the crazy Williams clan......

Misbehavin'

Mason looks thrilled......

Spenser and his sweet lil' Anna :)

October is Down syndrome awareness month!

2011-10-03T15:12:00.000-05:00

So I am TWO days late! OH well I'll start the month off by showing two off two punkins at the punkin patch!!

Looking at the barn animals

Too many to choose from!!

Here's a pumpkin for you.....

Getting ready to stuff a scarecrow

The tractor ride

The End!!!!

Bringing our family blog back to life.....

2011-09-12T23:37:00.000-05:00

So our adoption is finally over! We have sweet pea in our arms, in our home, in our family and life couldn't be any better. Seriously. Anna is doing so well in our family and our family loves this gal to pieces! I haven't blogged on this blog in almost a year because my life was consumed with our family, our adoption and life in general. I concentrated on our adoption blog as we were busy, busy, busy doing fundraisers to help bring Anna home and I totally neglected this blog :( Now that Anna is home I want to bring our family blog back to life! Another year has gone by and I am posting pictures from Ashlyn's birthday and of course you get to see her sweet, new sister too!!!

Ashlyn is a big ol' 12 years old this year and I am still having a hard time believing it! It seems like she has just grown up overnight and we will have a teenager before we know it...YIKES!!!!

Big Girl blowing out her birthday candles!!

Sisters - FINALLY!!!!!!!

Somebody missed her nap, and actually fell asleep trying to eat her cake and ice cream!

2010-10-02T18:07:00.002-05:00

I really deserve the mother of the year award. Ask me why….

Ashlyn’s birthday was August 31. And I have yet to blog about it. My girly turned 11 years old. ELEVEN years old…wow, how did that happen? It only seems like yesterday she started kindergarten and I was scared out of my mind. This fall she started middle school and again, I was scared out of my mind. Still am some days if you wanna know the truth. Although she is still very delayed in a lot of areas she is growing up in several other areas.

Mike took the kids to the fair with a couple of his family members the other night. I would have loved to go but I had to work that night. Being the good daddy that he is, he sent me a couple of photos on my cell to show me what a good time she was having. He said that she wanted to ride all of the big rides and squealed with laughter and laughed so hard she could barely breathe! Oh how I wish I could have been there too! But wait, I was there just the day before and she acted nothing like that with me. You see we have a little Mama drama going on and have so for several years. On Thursday I went with her class to the fair to participate with the local FFA students from a local high school. They had a special day set up where FFA students would work with the exceptional children’s class and teach them how to “show” a sheep. Each of the FFA students have experience showing sheep at the fair and one of the seniors from the high school used this as her “senior project”. It was really fun for most of the kids, but of course Ashlyn had to break out the drama on us. She got mad at us because she wanted to ride the sheep. Forget showing this sheep, I wanna ride it! She ran around whining and fussing so I ended up bringing her over to the bleachers to watch all of her classmates and then she FINALLY calmed down. After the sheep showing was over we walked around the fair for a bit to let the kids ride a few rides. Do you think Ashlyn rode any rides?? NO!! She was too busy displaying her Mama drama. Whiney, crying, sitting down on the ground, being totally uncooperative! I tried to take her to the bathroom and all I could find was porta potties…..ewwwwww. I thought well, it’s worth trying. But obviously Ashlyn was not thinking like me. She took off running and screaming Nooooooooooo! Which by the looks of it, I wouldn’t have wanted to use it either. She is totally FREAKED out by small spaces and there was no way she was going to climb in that potty. So then we finally sat down to eat lunch and this made her very happy, surprised? Ha! Needless to say this was a very stressful day as I still had to run to a doctors appointment after the fair and was not looking forward to the procedure I would be having that day.

So fast forward to Friday, Ashlyn is having the time of her life at the fair with her daddy and cousins. It was at night and I am sure it was a lot cooler than it was when we went during the day. She had so much fun that she cried her little heart out when it was time to leave. The longer they were there the more impatient she became in waiting in the lines to get on a ride. Ashlyn does not understand about waiting her turn…when she wants something she wants it NOW!!! So out of the fair they go, kicking and screaming. It’s great that she is finally growing up some and actually riding the rides at the fair. It wasn’t so long ago that she would have torn her fingernails off to keep from getting on a ride.

Okay here’s where I should get the mother of the year award. Ashlyn’s teacher called me from school this week to tell me that Ashlyn had a blowout in her pants that went up her back……YIKES. I found out later it happened 3 times that day! Poor teacher! Ashlyn hasn’t been pooping her pants so I was confused as to why this was happening. I told her teacher that it could possibly be a side effect of her seizure medicine. Later that afternoon Rhonda was at our house (she works with Ashlyn after school on her goals.) I was telling her about what happened at school and I told her that it could be the meds or possibly she might have a milk allergy. Rhonda then tells me, Traci, look at what you are feeding her. I look down and it’s yogurt, yeah so what? You are giving her the Activa yogurt that is for people who need bowel movement stimulation!!! OH-MY-GOSH!!! Trust me when I say, Ashlyn needs no help whatsoever in the bowel movement department! The poor girl had 2 cups of it the night before her blow out and had just downed about ¾ of another cup!!! Oooooppppps!!! I don’t typically buy that brand of yogurt but I had a coupon for it and it was free with the coupon so I thought I would grab it because Ashlyn LOVES yogurt! I think we will be sticking with Trix yogurt from now on!!!

Ask me about taking poor poopsie to the doctor today :( That's another post but let me tell you, I have beat myself up all day over it :(

Spread the word! Please help us save Anna!

2010-08-24T22:12:00.001-05:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2010-08-03T22:21:00.000-05:00

It's been a reeeeaaaaaly busy summer! I am a slacker and I know it. It seems like I am running 90mph on my days off and boy am I tired! Here are a few pictures to show what we have been doing!

Sweet girl, being sweet

The wild ones running through the sprinkler, or rather Ashlyn

trying to be the "control personnel" of the sprinkler!

Spenser has been playing a whole LOT of this!

Mason is such a trip! He loves playing pranks, especially on Spenser.

Here he is putting dog treats on Spenser and then luring

Howard up onto Spenser while he is trying to sleep.

ahhhh it is so stinking funny...Howard licking all over Spenser's ears and neck, he he he!

And last but not least, fundraising for our Princess Anastasia!!!

SWAGGER WAGON

2010-07-13T07:42:00.001-05:00

OH my gosh....this is hilarious!!

2010-06-16T20:01:00.001-05:00

See little Anastasia below? Our family is planning to adopt her! God is so good! She just turned 5 years old and we are praying that we can rescue her before she is transferred to an institution in Eastern Europe. You can follow our new adoption blog at Saving Anastasia . Come by and visit!

Happy Birthday Anastasia

2010-05-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

This sweet, sweet girl turns 5 years old today.

There will be no party for her or anyone celebrating her birth.

Anastasia lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe

where children with disabilities are hidden away

from society at birth or shortly after.

It is my hopes and dreams that you never

spend another birthday alone after your

fifth birthday Anastasia. I pray that by this time

next year you are loved by a family who

accepts you for who you are no matter your disability.

Hold tight Anastasia, God will not leave you as an orphan.

Your forever family will hopefully scoop you up soon and

you will never know your days as an orphan anymore.

May God bless you today and always Anastasia!

Happy Birthday beautiful Princess!!

Oh Happy Day!!!

2010-04-25T17:19:00.000-05:00

If this song doesn't make you want to get up and dance, well...... do it anyway!!! Oh how I love it!!

World Down syndrome day 2010

2010-04-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

World DS day has come and gone, but I came across this video last night and I just had to share!! It is beautiful and made me cry... so beware!! Hope you love it too!

Easter

2010-04-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

I've been MIA....so much to do, lot's on my mind. Big, big decisions going on around at the Williams house!! I will just go ahead and flog you with some Easter pics, and Mason's birthday. Yes, Mason turned 9 years old on March 9. Where has the time gone???

hmmmmm, wonder what that egg dye tastes like??

The kid on the left has never dyed Easter eggs!!!!

See sometimes having Down syndrome has it's perks ya know!!

(they give you a ticket for a stuffed rabbit, even though

you didn't even get one bean bag in the hole)

Do I know you??? I think we have met!

POOR rabbit...never saw it coming!!!!!

See all of the candy eggs on the floor? Between Reeces's pieces and jelly beans,

Howard (our dog) had a grand ol' Easter!! Ashlyn thought it was comical to dump all of the candy

out of the plastic eggs onto the floor. Howard looked like he was a Hippo in the game

"Hungry, Hungry Hippos".

LOL.... he was eating that candy up as fast as he could!!

This is my Chocolate face....

Yummy, coconut Easter cake

Crazy cousins at it again!! Don't they look thrilled??

2010-03-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

Our neice Molly celebrated her 2nd birthday last week. Molly loves Elmo so I put my newly cake decorating skills to use!! Here is the outcome! Yes it is a little lop sided (is that a word?) but I just need to keep on practicing. I really enjoyed making it. I found a Sesame Street coloring book and they had just the right size of a Elmo head shot. I cut it out, layed it on the cake and trace around it with a toothpick. It was fairly easy being that there wasn't a lot of detail to the picture. It turned out fairly decent I guess. All that matters is that Molly loved it!!

Howards big adventure

2010-03-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

It was snowing like crazy here today. On a typical snowy day we cannot get Mr. Goody Two Shoes to go outside and take ~~a leak~~ care of his business. The last snow we had, Spenser had to go and clear a place in the yard just so Mr. PIcky would have a spot to go to. Well today Howard became adventerous in the snow and decided, "hey I like this stuff". We usually take him out on a leash because he is a "runner". Yep he likes to chase cars and go next door and visit his sugar mama "Jasmine". I thought I would give ol' Howard a chance to explore today and see if he would hopefully begin to like this white "stuff" that we have been having waaay too much of.

Here he is checking things out.....

Then the little turkey takes off into the woods...

can you spot him??

So Mason goes after him....

Ashlyn is giving instructions from kitchen window...

He's over there in the woods...don't you see him Mason?

If you look really hard you can see Mason and Howard running back home...

Here comes the little turkey!!

YIKES it's cold out here!!! We won't be letting Howard run free too much-

he is hard to track down!!

Thank you dear Heavenly Father!

2010-02-28T17:18:00.000-05:00

I am writing this to hopefully educate others and prevent a house fire that could be waiting to happen.

Tuesday night as I was lying in bed and saying my prayers I started asking the Lord to protect our home and protect my family while in our home. Huh? The following day after I had prayed that prayer I was getting ready to go and eat lunch with Mike. On this morning I used the curling iron only when fixing my hair, unplugged it and went downstairs. I took Howard (our dog) outside for a quick tinkle and came back inside. As I walked in the dining room to grab my jacket I heard a noise from upstairs like something was running. I was the only one at home (besides Mike who was downstairs who had just come in and was waiting on me) so I ran upstairs to check it out. I walked into the bathroom to find the hairdryer running!! I hadn’t even used the hairdryer, yet it was running and had a smoky/burning smell to it. I tried to cut it off but the button wouldn’t budge!!! I ended up pulling it out of the socket in order to get the crazy thing to cut off!! So I am thinking that if we had left a minute or two earlier I am positive we would have had a house fire in no time at all.

So, my message to you is ALWAYS unplug your hairdryer when you are finished using it!! I am so guilty of leaving the hair dryer plugged up and only unplugging the curling iron. In fact, I never unplugged the hair dryer before now. I told my sister-in-law who is a hair dresser about what happened. She said that they learned in cosmetology school to ALWAYS unplug the hairdryer because there are two elements in a hair dryer that can heat up if left plugged in, even though it is not on. She said that they were taught that a hairdryer could heat up and catch fire, NOT that they would start running (like ours did) and catch fire. So this was a pretty scary ordeal for me, to say the least. Every time I thought about it I would get sick to my stomach for a couple of days afterwards, thinking “WHAT IF?” Needless to say I have been thanking my sweet Lord every day that the outcome of the situation was positive. There is no doubt in my mind that we would have had a house fire that day if I had not heard the hair dryer running or even left a minute or two earlier. Thank you Lord!

For my dear friend.....

2010-02-21T18:03:00.000-05:00

I have a dear friend of mine who is going through a very hard time in her life. She may as well have a dagger in her heart. I feel so helpless and feel that the only thing I can do is to pray for her and support her. I heard this song this morning and it made me think of her. I can't say that I know what she's going through (that is a line in the song) but the rest of the lyrics are true! Love you girlfriend and just know that you ARE going to be okay!!

My first cake

2010-02-04T15:27:00.001-05:00

Here she is:

My first cake creation. My leaning tower of sweetness.

There are several things that I want to do

in life before passing on-
and making and decorating cakes

is one of them.

My friend and I signed up for a cake decorating class

at Michaels craft store.

Let me start by saying~

it was a whole lot more involved than I imagined.

I felt like I took everything but the

kitchen sink

to class.

She is leaning somewhat

BUT

she tasted oohhhhhhh soooo goood.

Even Spenser (who isn't a cake fanatic like me)

thought it was terrific!! If he liked it,

well then it must have tasted

pretty darned good!!

Our instructor asked us on the first night of class

"why are you here?"

My answer~

"I LOVE CAKE!"

And that's the honest truth! I am a cake freak-

well I am more into the icing but

ya gotta have at least a little cake to go with your icing....right?

We completed part 1 of Wilson's cake decorating course.

We go for part 2 in March to continue

to learn to create yummy goodness!

Next month I will be making my first birthday cake

for family members and I am excited/nervous

about how it will turn out!

Wish me luck!!

Help for Haiti

2010-01-27T14:37:00.008-05:00

I have to admit that I am soooo bothered by some of the comments coming up on Facebook and other places, by bitter people who think America should have no part in assisting the people and country of Haiti. Where does this bitterness come from? I was telling my friend a few weeks before the earthquake in Haiti, that Americans are a bunch of pigs. We are..there I said it. The average american lives like Kings and Queens compared to other countries, yet some are so selfish in lending a helping hand. I have heard some say -

"we have enough problems in our country and we just need to take care of ourselves. Let volunteers go over there, not our military. We have orphans here in America too, we need to take care of our own."

Forgive me if I am wrong but I simply cannot understand this mentality. If an earthquake would hit their home tomorrow, who do you think would be crying out for help then?

And then there are the orphans and the disabled. Who is helping them? I think about the kiddos over there that have Down syndrome.... who is watching over them? If a tragedy would happen here and we all passed, poor Ashlyn wouldn't last long. She has no self help skills and would be an accident waiting to happen. She doesn't have a clue as to being safe and can't be out of our sight for long. What is happening to people like her in Haiti?

All I can think of is what Jesus would have to say about this bitter attitude:

And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NAS, Mark 12:28-31)

Okay so honestly, I know Jesus did not just mean your next door neighbor when he said "love your neighbor as yourself". He meant love other humans, even your enemies. He wants us to reach out to fellow man in time of need. We all need to be Jesus to the people!! I just pray that hardened hearts can be made whole by our Lord through all of the tragedies that we face. Reach out to others in time of need...you never know...it might you who needs help from fellow man one day!

Watch this video and listen to the man who lost his wife and children in the earthquake... what a heart of God he has..... wow!

U.S. hit Haiti with Earthquake weapon

2010-01-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Chavez, please put the crack pipe down before making anymore statements to the public.
Thank you

Hugo Chavez Mouthpiece Says U.S. Hit Haiti With 'Earthquake Weapon'

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Hugo Chavez blames the U.S. for the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The United States apparently possesses an "earthquake weapon" that set off the catastrophic quake in Haiti and killed 200,000 innocents. Don't believe it's true? Just ask Hugo Chavez.

Citing an alleged report from Russia's Northern Fleet, the Venezuelan strongman's state mouthpiece ViVe TV shot out a press release saying the 7.0 magnitude Haiti quake was caused by a U.S. test of an experimental shockwave system that can also create "weather anomalies to cause floods, droughts and hurricanes."

The station's Web site added that the U.S. government's HAARP program, an atmospheric research facility in Alaska (and frequent subject of conspiracy theories), was also to blame for a Jan. 9 quake in Eureka, Calif., and may have been behind the 7.8-magnitude quake in China that killed nearly 90,000 people in 2008.

What's more, the site says, the cataclysmic ruin in Haiti was only a test run for much bigger game: the coming showdown with Iran.

The ultimate goal of the test attack in Haiti, the report reads, is the United States' "planned destruction of Iran through a series of earthquakes designed to topple the current Islamic regime."

The story has since been taken down from the Venezuelan Web site, but a Google cache of the charges remains intact.

The publication of the story came just days after Chavez himself accused the U.S. of using the earthquake as an excuse to "invade and militarily occupy Haiti," a nation so poor that its entire economy is based on foreign aid - particularly from the U.S.

"The empire (the U.S.) is taking Haiti over the bodies and tears of its people," he said at a press conference.

"I read that 3,000 soldiers are arriving, Marines armed as if they were going to war. They are occupying Haiti undercover."

By week's end, some 16,000 U.S. troops are expected to be providing humanitarian assistance in Haiti, where they have taken control of the only working airport and are coordinating relief efforts on the ground.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583588,00.html

We Know Gods Truth through Gods Commandments - Daily Hope

2010-01-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

by Rick Warren

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
If I discover truth from the Bible, how do I know the Bible is true? There's a world of objective evidence, both external and internal, that says the Bible is true.

External evidence proves the Bible is a historical book that you can rely on. There are 5,366 copies of the Bible dating from the time it was written to just 70 years afterwards. That fact dispels the urban legend that the Bible was changed as it passed through generations and languages.

External evidence also includes many archeological discoveries. For example, historians used to say that Solomon couldn't have had the horses the Bible says he had because no one had horses at that time. But then thousands of horse stables were found in an archeological dig.

There's also the internal evidence of the Bible itself. In a court of law, a prosecutor with two or three eyewitness accounts has a good chance of making his case. The Bible is filled with eyewitness accounts. Moses was there when the Red Sea split; Joshua was there to watch Jericho fall; the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus.

The internal evidence of the Bible also includes the fact that it tells one story with consistency - though it was written over 1,500 years on three different continents by 40 different authors from every walk of life. No human being could account for that. It's an amazing example of God's abilities.

The Bible says, "There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or anotherâ€”showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (2 Timothy 3:15-17, MSG)

Christmas happiness

2009-12-28T20:57:00.020-05:00

Sweet girl on Christmas day

We went to my moms on Christmas eve....

Papa John and Grandma Denise came down

for Christmas!! It was great!

My sister Kris loving on Ashlyn

My sister Angie with her daughters new puppy

Ashlyn insisted that furry animal was a cat!!

tooo funny!

Hanging with cousins on Christmas eve

Howie has been a good boy this year too!

Silly Mason wanted a Michael Jackson hat

that he could wear while doing

the moon walk.....

Santa couldn't find a black one at the last minute

so here

go!

Mason became obsessed with Michael Jackson

after
he passed away?!?

One happy little boy!!

This will look good on my truck, ha ha!

Enough pictures mom!

ohhhhh I got Lelli Kellie shoes!!!

Ready for Santa....

I love you Santa!

We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas

and we pray that you each have

blessed

New Year!

Silly ol' elf

2009-12-22T11:12:00.002-05:00

brought cute stockings and candy canes...

If Christmas was......

2009-12-20T20:49:00.003-05:00

Legions post's party a hit with Kids
Salisbury post- story and pictures by Kathy Chaffin

If Christmas was a child, it might be Kaleb Fovian when he's dancing.

Entertainer Ron Johnson teased 7-year-old Kaleb about taking over his show when he began to dance at the Harold B. Jarrett American Legion Post 342's annual Christmas party Tuesday morning. Kaleb danced like a boy in love with life.

If Christmas was a child, it might be Maggie Fitzgerald when she says she's 13.

And how old will she be next year? Johnson wanted to know.

"Fourteen," she said, then "15" and "16."

"You just keep on getting older and older, don't you?" Johnson asked.

Maggie counted with great exuberance, still too young to think about getting old.

If Christmas was a child, it might be 8-year-old Bradley Hill when he's laughing.

He laughed with wild abandon at Johnson's antics at the party. It was a wide-open laugh with all his teeth showing and his eyes shining with joy.

If Christmas was a child, it might be Ashlyn Williams when Santa enters the room.

She watched his every move at the party, reaching out for him whenever he got close. When Santa handed her a gift, she gleefully tore the wrapping paper off the toy keyboard.

Then instead of playing with the keyboard, she seemed to take great delight in tearing the paper into little pieces.

About 50 students from the Exceptional Children's programs at Koontz, Overton and Shive elementary schools and Erwin and Southeast middle schools had a grand time at the party.

Phyllis Richardson, who chairs the Harold B. Jarrett Legion Auxiliary's Children and Youth Committee, said Post 342 has held the Christmas party every year for at least 25 years. Richardson said she worked with developmentally disabled children for eight years, "and I just love them."

Harry Garwood, chairman of the Legion Post's Children and Youth Committee, said the students look forward to returning every year. The highlight of the party is at the end, he said, when Santa arrives with a gift for each child.

Johnson, a magician/singer/ventriloquist from Burlington, was back for an encore performance as entertainer, commenting on how much some of the children had grown since he had last seen them.

Pulling students into his acts, Johnson did tricks, sang Christmas carols and performed with his ventriloquist puppets Eddie the Bear and Clyde the Human. The entertainer told the children he has a 63-year-old sister with cerebral palsy.

Johnson convinced Catawba football coach Radell Lockhart, an Exceptional Children's teacher at Southeast Middle, to help him with a magic trick. Lockhart followed his directions and tucked a scarf inside the front of his pants.

Then they each pulled an end of the scarf, bringing out a pair of men's striped bikini underwear. "Those aren't mine," Lockhart said as the children laughed.

Eddie the Bear, one of Johnson's sidekicks, told him he recognized a pretty girl at the party. He went on to tell Hannah Baker, a Rowan-Cabarrus student who was volunteering with her teacher mother, that she was his girlfriend and that he loved her.

Johnson and his puppets were a hit with children and adults alike. When he finished, they lined up for hot dogs with all the trimmings, potato chips, potato salad, ice cream and a drink.

Afterward, the children sat on the floor around the Christmas tree waiting for the main event — Santa Claus himself. The jolly man in the red suit, who also answers to Tommy Costantino, entered from the office of Nellie Troxell, secretary at the Legion Post.

Children waited their turns while Santa handed out presents to each one. Five-year-old Sarai Trinidad from Shive held onto her unwrapped present for a few minutes, basking in the excitement, before opening it to find a doll inside.

She smiled and held the doll lovingly to her chest. Ah, the magic of Christmas.

Story by Kathy Chaffin

2009-12-15T15:08:00.003-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dear Santa,

2009-12-14T12:45:00.005-05:00

I promise I have been a very good girl

ALL YEAR

long.

Love, Ashlyn

p.s. don't believe anything my

mommy tells you. I wasn't REALLY crying

in those pictures...

Our gingerbread housey

2009-12-08T20:03:00.008-05:00

I took a gazillion pictures with my new camera

BUT

I am not that great with it yet and

ACCIDENTALLY

deleted about 10 of them :(

Here is the only one I had of Spenser and it is almost

blurry

Ashlyn started out pretty good this year

actually putting

candy

on the house

Can you see the temptation growing in her???

After about oh, one minute

she started cramming candy

in her mouth.

She couldn't resist it anymore...

goodbye chimney!!!

She is as fast as lightning

no one could stop her!!

THE END

SO.OUT.OF.SHAPE

2009-12-07T20:44:00.002-05:00

HOLY MOLY!! I started the "couch to 5k" program tonight. Yes tonight. I don't want to hurt anyone's eyes running during daylight hours. You take a fast 5 min walk, run, walk, run, walk, run, walk..... I downloaded a program on my IPOD that plays music and plays a jingle sound letting you know when it is time to run/walk... pretty nifty. You do the program 3 times a week and supposedly you will be running 5k at the end of 9 weeks. We.shall.see. I wasn't so sure I was going to make it through the first day, but I did - sore legs and all. It feels good making it through the first day because I am so stinking out of shape. Just FYI it will probably take me a lot longer than 9 weeks to be able to do this....but ya gotta start somewhere!!

It's December 1st

2009-12-01T21:51:00.003-05:00

It's December 1st and Mr. Jingles made his debut today..

he was found by Mason with his booty sticking out

of the Christmas tree!

Can't wait to see what goodies he brings and

what mischief he will get in to this year!!

Let the Christmas season begin!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2009-11-26T20:33:00.005-05:00

I hope that each and every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. I am so thankful for so many things. Number one, I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves me despite my many imperfections. I do try so hard to please him, but end up failing him every day....yet he loves me and he tells me that he loves me in sooooo many ways. I am also thankful for my family and our health. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful, hard working and loving husband. I am blessed with three beautiful children who I love so stinking much!! I am thankful that we have a warm home to live in, jobs to report to, vehicles that carry us there. We have wonderful and loving parents that give us support in so many ways. I am thankful for everything that the Lord has done for me and is going to do for me.

I am also thankful for people like this family , the Hollis famly. Their daugther Lydia who is only 11 years old, felt a tug on her heart from God to add little Darya to their family. Darya lives in another country in an orphanage where she lays in a crib with no one to hold her, love her, or sing to her. Darya has Down syndrome. But that doesn't matter to the Hollis family. They have two children with Down syndrome, one who is biological and one who is adopted. Lydia asked her mother if they could adopt Darya if she raised the money for the adoption fees. Her goal was to raise $20,000 by Thanksgiving, so Lydia set out on many fundraisers and collected donations. I'm sure people thought she was crazy when she told them how much money she had to raise in 8 short days. But guess what?? She did it! She went over and beyond $20,000 and now they are giving any extra over the $20,000 to another family who is adopting a child with Down syndrome. God is good and he is FAITHFUL!!! I just found her blog last night and of course my heart strings were pulled!!! I waited up until after 12 am to see if they had posted their final count but ended up going to bed when it wasn't posted. I woke up this morning to an awesome surprise!! Go look for yourself and see what an awesome job they did!! God bless the Hollis family! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
Hollis family link

Halloween week

2009-11-02T23:10:00.012-05:00

Started out the week decorating sugar cookies at school

Yummy Halloween red velvet cake balls.....

This little witch looks anything BUT thrilled.

She was supposed to be Sleeping Beauty but was not digging the sleeves

so I had to pull out a witch costume from a couple of years ago.

Gene Simmons showed up

The cow and the gangsta

He was just too cool to trick or treat with us this year....

Checking out the loot

Howard got in on the action too!

THE END

2009-10-31T20:02:00.001-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEENIE

Cuteness

2009-10-27T20:09:00.007-05:00

hmmm hmmm my maw loves me!

I think these biscuits need to be squished a little

they were looking too fluffy!

Yeah I'm cute and lovey

Sugar me up and then you can go home! :)

All this loving just wears me out....

Romeo, Romeo

2009-10-21T20:56:00.006-05:00

wherefore art though Romeo??

This is Jasmine, Howard's secret lover. Can you hear the whining and whimpering from where you are??? Poor Howard doesn't seem to care that she is only about 4 times bigger him.... love is blind I tell ya!!

Table for 3

2009-10-21T20:45:00.004-05:00

So this Hound dog of ours was supposed to be fed *only* dog food... comprende??? No, no, no comprende says Senorita Ashlyn. I think these two are such good buds because of the fringe benefits that he sweeps up after her. Tonight he got chicken tenders and french fries. For dessert there was Amish bread, oh and for breakfast he lapped up some pieces of cinnamon biscuit from Bojangles. Yep, I am sure that is why he still hangs around the wild woman even when she lays on top of him and pins him on the couch..... oh what a life!

Another seizure....

2009-10-19T20:12:00.002-05:00

Ashlyn had another seizure last night. This makes about 7 since July...not good. Her seizure meds have been adjusted to double for about a month now and she still had another one. It actually was REALLY weird! I don't know if some people have any types of "warnings" right before they have a seizure, but last night I was laying down with her trying to get her to go to sleep. She repeated "please stop" about 5 times, which is soooo out of character for her. Nobody was touching her and we weren't talking, just total blackness and silence (except for her repeating please stop). Mike came in and layed down with her while I took a shower. Everyone else was in the bed and I heard him yelling my name and I immediately *KNEW* that she had to be having a seizure because he was yelling so loud, knowing the boys were in bed too. I jumped out of the shower and ran in there to find her still seizing. It wasn't that long, only about a minute, but I kept thinking "oh what if she had had it earlier in the day and fell and hit her head again?" But thankfully she was safe in the bed. I called the neurologists office today and I am thanking God that they aren't co-pay sucking freaks and didn't make me drive all the way to Charlotte to figure out another prescription plan for her. Luckily we had discussed changing her meds last month because I was having trouble getting the capsules in her and so the doctor had in the chart that we would switch to Keppra if I continued having trouble getting the Zonegran capsules in her. Taking medicine is pure TORTURE for Ashlyn. She doesn't like the taste and she doesn't comprehend why we have to give her this yucky stuff every night. So now that she has had another seizure, the torture has to increase :( We went from taking her medicine once a day, to now giving her three different doses in one day. She will start on Keppra in the morning and in the evening she will get another dose of Keppra along with the Zonegran for about two weeks. We sure could use your prayers! It takes two of us to get her meds in her! She is 47 pounds of TOUGH MEAT!! There is NO WAY I could get her meds in her by myself, as she fights like a line backer!! Ahhhhhh, such is life....sometimes we have to do things that we really just don't want to do! I would gladly take 10 shots in the hiney a night, than to have to give her one dose of medicine!!

Suit says teacher tried to sicken boy with peanut allergy

2009-10-15T18:22:00.004-05:00

Our kids are supposed to be safe at school right? YIKES this is scary!

Link

Suit says teacher tried to sicken allergic boy
Educator at RISE didn't want to take student with autism on field trip to zoo, reports say:

The mother of a 7-year-old boy with autism and a severe peanut allergy claims in a new lawsuit that a teacher didn't want her son to go on a class trip to the zoo. So, the suit contends, she tossed him a Mr. Goodbar -- chock full of peanuts.
"Maybe he could get sick enough not to attend and we won't have to deal with it," the teacher told a classroom aide, according to court and state documents.
The boy didn't eat the candy bar. The teacher, Trinda Barocas, has denied doing anything to prevent the child from attending the trip or harming any children. She has since resigned from the school, RISE Learning Center in Indianapolis.
The Mr. Goodbar allegation came to light when school officials called in state child welfare investigators after teacher's aides alerted them about concerns that the teacher was abusive.

Child Protective Services substantiated the claims, according to the agency's report.
The child's mother, Anita Young, became aware of what happened when the principal at RISE called her.
In addition to the suit against the district, Young wants criminal charges filed against Barocas.
"Every day I would send my son to school believing he was safe in school, a public school," Young said. "I was betrayed. . . . Now I'm left to clean up the damage."
CPS substantiated the claims of abuse in April. At this point, prosecutors have not charged Barocas with a crime. A spokesman for Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi did not return a phone call for comment.
In her interview with CPS, Barocas said she had not wanted the boy to go on the field trip because he would act out, but she said she didn't do anything to stop him from coming.
The state report says teacher's aides also described Barocas as dragging Young's son and another student across the floor by their arms, pushing them, pinching Young's son and flicking the other student on her lips.

But the most jarring account is from early in the 2008-09 school year -- on the day of the field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo.
Teacher's aide David "Bo" Holder told investigators that on that day, Barocas said, "I wonder what would happen if (the boy) had peanuts? I could touch it, and then touch him."

Another aide, Heather Schroeder, told state investigators Barocas had given the boy the Mr. Goodbar.
Holder told the state he didn't see Barocas toss the boy the candy bar, but he said he heard her say she had given him peanuts.

Young suspects the reason the boy didn't eat the candy bar is because, like many children with autism, he won't eat foods he's unfamiliar with -- and he had never seen a candy bar in a yellow wrapper.
Young discovered the peanut allergy when her son was a small boy and he swelled up after touching his father's peanut butter sandwich. Doctors have warned Young and her husband that the boy will asphyxiate within minutes if he eats peanuts and isn't immediately treated.
The school was aware of the boy's allergies, and a large sign on the classroom door warned that peanuts were not allowed in the room. Young also had talked to the teacher about the peanut allergy.

"I think she's sadistic," Young said. "I think there's something wrong with her mind. She shouldn't teach. She shouldn't be allowed around kids."
Barocas' attorneys did not respond to calls seeking comment Thursday, but according to the CPS report, the teacher told the agency "she did not want (the boy) to attend the field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo because of his behavior. She stated that he did go and did many things that he was not allowed to do. Trinda compared (the boy) to an 18-month-old child several times. Trinda denied that she did anything or said anything to stop (the boy) from coming on the field trip."

She also told state investigators and attorneys she had not abused children in the other incidents, although she acknowledged occasionally making light physical contact, such as tapping, when correcting their behavior.
Perry Township Schools Superintendent Thomas Little said the district, which administers RISE, reported the accusations to CPS as soon as it was aware of them.
Before the accusations came to light in March, the district had moved to fire Barocas for poor performance, Little said. She instead turned in her resignation to be effective at the end of the school year.

But when the aides reported what they had seen, Barocas was placed on administrative leave and never returned to the classroom. She left the district at the end of the year.
"Based on our review of our facts to date, the district did everything they could," said David Day, an attorney for the district. "They addressed it as soon as they found out about it."

State teacher licensing officials have been working with CPS and the prosecutor's office to monitor the case, state Department of Education spokesman Cam Savage said. If wrongdoing is confirmed, Barocas could lose her teaching license.
Barocas also was placed on administrative leave in 2007 when she worked in Franklin Community Schools. At that time, a nurse told a child's mother that she had seen Barocas force-feeding the girl, slapping her and improperly restraining her.
The Sheriff's Department and school district cleared Barocas in that case. She told a Star reporter at that time, "I did not, will not and would not hurt a child in my care."

Halloween 2002

2009-10-14T19:15:00.001-05:00

Worth it all

2009-10-13T22:18:00.003-05:00

Rita Springer is my absolute favorite Christian artist. This song "Worth it all" is set to scenes from "The Passion of the Christ". If you think you can't handle seeing these scenes then at least just listen to the lyrics. It is an amazing song and I honestly do believe that in the end it will be "worth it all".

God doesn't make mistakes

2009-10-12T21:37:00.001-05:00

Pals

2009-10-09T20:02:00.005-05:00

I am so glad that we finally took the plunge getting a house doggy. Howard is the sweetest thing ever and he even hangs out with the wild woman, despite her wild attitude!! He was already house trained when we got him, now If we could just get control of black doggy hair everywhere we would be in business. Gaaaaahhhh we are not digging the dog hair. Any suggestions??

2009-10-07T21:15:00.003-05:00

PLEASE go and visit this blog fundraiser for the adoption of Ruslana!! They are having an awesome give away to help raise funds to help bring Ruslana home! Even if you can't contribute please continue to PRAY for her and her new family!!

Join Us!
Grab This Button

Nie Nie is going to be on Oprah!!

2009-10-06T16:09:00.004-05:00

Stephanie Nielson is going to be on Oprah tomorrow, Wednesday October 7. I can hardly wait!!! I already have it set to record just in *case* anything would happen that I can't be here to watch it.

Stephanie and her husband Christian Neilson were in a horrid plane crash one year ago and it was almost fatal. Her family pulled together to care for her 4 children while she and her husband were both in comas. They are both recovering thanks to our precious Heavenly Father. Their story will be aired on Oprah Winfrey tomorrow afternoon!! Thank you so much Stephanie for sharing your story and sharing your lives! You and your family are very much loved and treasured!

Here is a link to her blog ~

Pic from the past

2009-10-05T20:09:00.005-05:00

2009-10-04T20:43:00.003-05:00

Happy 15th birthday to my favorite "oldest" son!!

I am very thankful for you and love you very much!

It's all because of you, that I became a mommy!

BUSTED......

2009-10-03T21:15:00.001-05:00

For those who pray......

2009-10-02T10:56:00.003-05:00

Copied information on an angel named Ruslana who has Down syndrome:

Calling all prayer warriors. Please pray for this family. http://nogreatergift.blogspot.com/2009/10/24-hours-of-prayer-for-ruslana.html They are in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl from Eastern Europe named Ruslana and they just found out that she will be transferred to the mental institution in 2 weeks. There is no way they can get to her in that time frame. The family is requesting 24 hours of prayer for Ruslana. PLEASE, PLEASE help this family by lifting them and their beautiful daughter up in your prayers.Ruslana is being transferred to the mental institution because she has Down Syndrome. She will have to live there for the rest of her life and many of the children do not even make it a year until they die. Some are even tied down in beds and severely neglected once they are in an institution. I cannot believe that this is God’s plan for Ruslana’s life…. Please help us pray from Friday (October 2) to Saturday at noon.

October is Down syndrome awareness month

2009-10-01T14:31:00.002-05:00

I will once again attempt to do the 31 day challenge to blog for 31 days in October to raise awareness for Down syndrome! Here is day number 1 down!! Only 30 to go!

Find something good in every day

2009-09-16T12:47:00.002-05:00

Today's goodness... I took Ashlyn to the neuro for a checkup on her seizures. I REALLY liked the doctor that we saw today. We have seen 3 so far and 2 of them I really do like. The doctor that she saw today read through her chart and saw that she had infantile spasms as a baby. He commented that she appears to be developing nicely for a child who had infantile spasms and that some children unfortunately do not develop very quickly after having them. Well even though she is behind her peers with Down syndrome it looks to him that she is moving right along nicely :) Hey, it made my day!!!

The little turd

2009-09-15T13:15:00.001-05:00

He just looks guilty doesn't he???

2009-09-12T19:44:00.010-05:00

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY ASHLYN

The cake

the Birthday girl

Crazy cousin (free entertainment)

another crazy cousin

This cake is groooovy, don'tcha think??

Nose diving it.....

The End!

Birthday Princess

2009-09-07T18:51:00.009-05:00

My Princess Ashlyn turned 10 years old on August 31. It’s hard to believe that it has been 10 WHOLE years since she blessed our family with her birth. She was such a quiet and sweet baby girl who didn’t demand much attention…..and now she is a spunky, wild child woman, who demands your attention!! She is so funny and makes us laugh on a daily basis. She honestly does new stuff now almost every day, even if it is just a new word or even a new attitude….we get something from her every day. For instance…I took cupcakes to her school on her birthday for her class to eat at lunch. When I walked up to her she ignored the pee out of me. You would have thought she was 14 years old and embarrassed that her mom showed up at school!! She was sitting there all straight and proper in her seat in the cafeteria, with a birthday crown on her HEAD waiting for her lunch!! Wild woman NEVER wears anything on her head for more than a few seconds for us. She kept looking away from me like she was saying –please go away!! I told her to give me a kiss and the lil turkey stuck the side of her face out to me, to kiss her cheek! She is such a funny girl! I’m still not believing she wore that crown on her head without a fuss.
Another thing that is hard for me to believe is that her seizures have returned. She hasn’t had a seizure in 8 ½ years. To be honest, I really thought we were out of the woods on those nasty beasts. She had seizures as a baby, every day –throughout the day for 12 mos. When the seizures were finally gone the neurologist informed me that they could return again later in her life, as a different form of seizure. The thought of them returning was always in the back of my mind, but not something that really consumed my thoughts. When she had her first seizure this summer it was so out of the blue and unexpected. She was eating her cereal one morning at the bar in our kitchen. I turned to walk away and took a few steps when I heard a loud THUD. I turned around to find that she had fallen off of the bar stool onto the cold, hard tile and she was seizing. I grabbed her up into my arms and immediately started praying over her, and of course crying and boo hooing because all I could think was “what if she fell on her head wrong and she doesn’t wake up. What if she stops breathing, what if her heart stops beating?” I was more worried about her having a brain injury from the fall, than I was about her having the seizure. With each seizure she had I became more and more at peace about it. Instead of being angry, I would just grab her up and cradle her and pray over her until it stopped. God whispered to me that it would be okay and I believed him. Although Ashlyn went on to have 3 more seizures before her medication was actually started, I can happily say that she has not had any more seizures since she started taking medication and everything IS okay. Throughout her life (and my other children as well) I just turn the issues over to my Lord. I can’t possibly bear the load of heartache, grief and worry on my own, that I as a parent am faced with. God has been so good to me and my family and for that I am very thankful.

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY PRINCESS ASHLYN. I love you more than you will ever be able to comprehend in this lifetime.

It's Christmas in August!!!

2009-08-26T20:53:00.004-05:00

So the ice cream truck came rolling through our neighborhood this afternoon.

And we just all had to have some ice cream because it's Christmas time right?

No?

Well someone needs to inform the ice cream man because he is playing Christmas songs like~

Silent night

Rudolph the Red nose reindeer

Frosty the snowman

ha ha, we had a good laugh.

He didn't speak very good Engrish so I wasn't about

to bring up the fact that Christmas isn't for

4 MORE MONTHS!!!

Oh well, his ice cream is good no matter if it's

Christmas or not!

Our newest family member :)

2009-08-23T19:42:00.007-05:00

This is Howard, aka Howie

Howie may stay, Howie may leave

it's all up to Howie.

This is our first attempt at a house dog.

I cannot believe Mr. Clean Freak Mike

even allowed it to happen. :)

He worries about pee pee on our carpet-

chewed on furniture-

and heaven forbid there be dog hair amongst us.

So last night Spenser and I were on our way home with Howie.

This was precious-

he said "mom, maybe you should pray for Howie".

I said "okay, how do you want me to pray?"

and he said- "that Howie will be a good dog

and Dad will love him and let us keep him".

So I did-

So far it's working :)

I love this kid.....

Mason's pretty tickled with him too....they run all over the house-

back and forth, back and forth-

I love the sound of his little toenails

clicking along the wood floors...

awwwwwww

Ashlyn has been so sweet...she sits with her legs out straight

and pats her little legs and says "here puppy".

Howie is an 8 month old Daschund and Corgi mix.

He's so shiny and his coat is beautiful.

I hope he's a keeper :)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-08-19T18:51:00.000-05:00

It's been a good week!!

2009-08-13T19:01:00.004-05:00

My little girl is slowly growing up on me!! She had two of her "first time's" this past week. The other day I took the kids to their aunt's shop to get their hair cut. If you know Ashlyn, you know that this is not usually a nice occasion. I have had to hide outside, hide in the bathroom, hide in the corner, etc. to get this wild childs hair cut. I have come out of there bleeding where she had scratched my chest because she was scared and freaking out about getting her hair cut. So yesterday Spenser went first. When he was finished he walked outside to get Mason because ya know we were saving the best for last. (Ashy) While he was outside Miss Priss walks over to the chair, climbs her bitty butt in that chair and was ready to get her hair cut. I almost passed out!!! Who is this child and what did she do with my Ashlyn??? She is such a silly girl. While she was getting her hair cut she kept saying "ow, ow, hurt me". We laughed and laughed at the crazy girl...she is soooo dramatic.

So the next day we were at Wal-mart and Mason wanted to pick out a backpack for school. While we are standing there Ashlyn points to a backpack and says "Fairy". So I pick up two, one with Disney princesses and the "Fairy" (Tinkerbell) and ask her which one she wants. Again she said Fairy. I hand her the backpack, fully expecting her to throw it down on the floor and laugh...but oh no... she really wanted the "Fairy" backpack. She eventually tossed it in the back of the shopping cart and this meant oh yeah, we are really getting this one. People this was huge okay!!! This child will be 10 years old on the 31st and she has NEVER ever picked anything out from the store!!! I have tried my best to let her pick out a dolly or heck, any toy for that matter and she has just never "wanted" anything from the store... it always ends up rejected on the floor. Even Mason was tickled that she picked out her own backpack this year...he's 8 years old and even he "gets it".

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-08-12T19:18:00.001-05:00

Some funnies :)

2009-08-08T09:57:00.005-05:00

What do I know of holy?

2009-08-07T08:05:00.002-05:00

Beautiful song by Addison Road

Seizure update

2009-08-04T10:44:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe but my dear Ashlyn has had 3 more seizures since I last posted about her first seizure a couple of weeks ago. She had one in her sleep last weekend and it woke me up. (Thank God she has been sleeping with us) She had one Monday morning shortly after she woke up and she also had one Tuesday morning a few minutes after she woke up. Mason was mad at me because he was *STARVING* and I didn't hop right out of bed to fix his breakfast. Well thank goodness I didn't because surely we would have had another bar stool event, falling onto the floor and seizing :( Her neurologist had us come in one day early to go ahead and discuss seizure medication. We started her on Zonegran Tuesday night. She had a weird episode this morning and it looked like she was *attempting* to have a seizure. She zoned out and laid back in my arms as if to fall back into a deep sleep. Her eyes were wandering and very heavy. No obvious jerks, she just seemed to want to go back to sleep. This happened for about 30-45 seconds and then she got up and acted fine. Thank you Lord!! We hope to be getting her appt for an EEG soon! Thanks for all of the prayers.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-07-23T20:16:00.002-05:00

These make him happy!

2009-07-23T20:11:00.003-05:00

Mason is the crazy kid of the family.

He bugged the pee out of me

to buy him some converse. So he still had birthday money left over

so he bought these lovelies.

He thinks that he is just

too

cool

for

school.

He unties them every 5 minutes just to have something to do.

He even walks different when he wears these shoes, like they make him somebody else.

What makes you happy?

2009-07-23T19:55:00.005-05:00

This

makes her

VERY HAPPY!

Ashlyn L-O-V-E-S cereal.

She asks for cereal no less than 10 times a day.

If you look above at the bent cereal box, you will see

how worn the box is from her dragging it out 10 times a day.

Why can't we all be tickled pink over something so small as a

yummy bowl of cereal and milk?

The morning Ashlyn fell off the bar stool we were out of milk. I put her

in her stool and gave her a bowl of dry cereal (praying that she didn't cry)

Instead of crying... what did she do? She had a seizure and fell off the bar stool,

she fell off the bar stool and then had a seizure. We. don't. know.

My sister joked (she knows how much my girl likes her cereal) that

Ashlyn got ticked off because there was no milk and said I'll show her

not to run out of milk again. I'm going to fall on this floor and scare the pee out of my

mama.

Returning seizures after infantile spasms?

2009-07-21T14:00:00.002-05:00

Ashlyn had infantile spasms as a baby, from the age of 4 months until she was 16 months old. So it has been what - almost 8 1/2 years since she had any signs of seizures? Well yesterday some sort of seizure reared its' ugly head. Ashlyn and I both got up at the same time yesterday morning. We went downstairs and I fixed her beloved cereal and sat her up to the bar to eat. I turned around and took maybe 5 or 6 steps and I hear - SMACK - and ran back to the kitchen. She had fallen off the bar stool onto the tile flooring and was having a seizure. Her lips were already bluish purple by the time I got to her and she didn't appear to be breathing. I scooped her up and immediately starting praying for her until the seizure ended. The seizure seemed to last around one minute, but believe me that was long enough to scare the crap out of me. After she stopped seizing she lay in my arms unresponsive and I had my hand over heart to make sure that it didn't stop beating. Mike had left to play golf, but thankfully I was able to contact him to hurry and get home. By the time we got to the ER she was already acting like her old self. I expected her to sleep for a while after the seizure, but that didn't happen. My brother who passed away at the young age of 39 had grand mal seizures so I knew exactly what was happening as Ashlyn was having the seizure. To be honest with you, I was more afraid of what kind of damage she may had done by falling out of the chair onto the tile. I didn't see her fall so I was worried that she fell and hit her head really hard or had hurt some other part of her. At the ER they did a CT scan, EKG and blood work. Daddy was with us so of course she did way better at having the tests done. She tends to give mommy a run for her money when daddy isn't around, but she did great. They wanted a urine test but she had already gone to the bathroom and she REFUSED to try and push any more out. They wanted to insert a catheter but we aren't in to torture so we chose to keep trying to get her to go to the bathroom. After all of her tests came back clear they sent us on our merry way and told us to follow up with our pediatrician to get a referral to a neurologist.

This morning she woke up and went into Mason's room. I was getting up also and heard a loud SMACK. I run to Mason's room to find her crying and her nose bleeding. I am assuming that she hit Mason's wood entertainment center, thus the bloody nose. When I talked to the RN today I told her about what happened this morning and she said that she may have had a really short zap to the brain again and fell and hit her head/nose. ARggggghhhh this is so frustrating and scary. We have an appointment at a pediatric neurologist tomorrow so I just ask that you please keep my girly in your prayers and that we get an answer soon!

Evian Roller Babies

2009-07-14T09:06:00.004-05:00

This is the cutest video I have seen in a long time!! Some people commented that this video is creepy on youtube.... CREEPY? Really?? I think it is adorable!!

More pics from our trip to Maryland

2009-07-08T22:10:00.010-05:00

Here are a few more random shots from our trip...what fun we had!!

The princess watching "The princess protection program"

Spenser and "mama Denise"

All the "crazy" people

Papa John and Mama Denise

Lighthouse we saw on our boat ride

Mason's turn at driving....Ashlyn thinks he needs some help

Ashlyn's turn at driving

Here is a picture of "soap" as Ashlyn called it :)

handsome fella

Fundraiser for Ashlyn M.

2009-07-07T21:33:00.003-05:00

Please go and vist Carey's blog -- she is holding a fund raiser for one of our friends with Down syndrome named Ashlyn. Ashlyn is battling Leukemia for the second time in her short life!! If you or someone you love wears mascara, please consider going to Carey's website and ordering some mascara. A portion of the funds will go the McFadden family to help with extra expenses due to Ashlyn's illness! Say a prayer or 20 for her too!!

You can also check out Ashlyn's blog for updates and information!

I might be 37 years old

2009-07-01T20:17:00.004-05:00

but I still wanted to see the Hannah Montana movie tonight. I am el' cheapo so I waited until it came to our $2 movie theatre. I was thinking me and the wild woman would have a girl's night out and go to the movies. She loves H.M. and I catch myself watching it all the time .... I mean when you have 5 t.v.'s in your house and most of them are on Disney Channel, you'd be watching it too :) So I am trying to think positive and praying that she behaves herself long enough for us to get through the entire movie with no drama. But we are talking about my drama queen so going to the movies translated into her brain as --- my mommy really wants to see this movie so let's see how fun it would be to misbehave. She's too little to sit in a seat by herself...her weight doesn't even hold the seat down. It kept folding up on her so I put her on my lap and ohhhh what a ride we had! We made it through to about 40 minutes... Hannah was at the fund raiser and singing the hoe down song when she started. I take that back.....about 10 min's before that she started passing gas...loudly. Thankfully we weren't "real" close to anyone but I am sure some heard it. As if that wasn't bad enough...she out of the blue started laughing hysterically. You know the kind of laugh where it comes from your gut and you can't stop laughing even if your life depended on it. And THEN she starts blowing fake farts on her arm....really loud, and laughing loud. Out of the movies we go....I'm mad/sad and she is still laughing. Out in the parking lot she decides she doesn't want to walk anymore and pulls away from me, falling to the ground and scraping her knee......need I say anymore??? I just looked up online and found that the movie will be out on video in August....not soon enough, but oh well I'm not desperate enough to go and watch it alone .....

2009-06-30T19:18:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that I forgot to add the story that went along with our crabby photos. While the kids were out on the boat crabbing, poor Mason accidentally fell/sat down on top of the crab basket with crabs in the basket. Per uncle Eric, Mason only shed one tear and appeared to try and "take it like a man" as he pulled several crabs off of Masons booty. When we were told the story we all laughed (of course) and I didn't think too much about it. Well that night while taking a shower, Mason started screaming "my butt burns, ouch!" Well mommy inspected the fanny and found several claw marks where the crabs had broken the skin. Well Mason suddenly became even more famous when everyone found out that crabs got his hiney.... they begged and begged to see the battle scars, but Mason didn't give in, LOL. He left the battle scars to their imagination only.

Catch of the day....

2009-06-29T22:59:00.009-05:00

We are back from Maryland! We had an awesome time visiting Papa John, Grandma Denise and Uncle Eric! We were all sad to leave, but I am sure that the hosts are

liking the quietness that they were left when we headed back to NC! Here are

a few pics from one of their days of adventure......

The 3 stooges go crabbing, okay there was one more person but we don't

consider her a stooge... hahaha!

Mason shows off the catch!

Miss Priss checks out the crabbies!

Okay, this is how you hold the crab so that they can't pinch you!

He's already a pro.....

Getting down to business..... dig in!

Here Papa John, I have a nice, crunchy crab leg for you!

No Ashlyn, you don't eat that part of the crab!

Oh geez, I knew we would have to throw a cry fest in here somewhere!

That's all folks!!!

We are off!

2009-06-23T18:14:00.002-05:00

We will be leaving in 4.5 hours to go to Mary-land!! Being the procrastinator that I am, I have not packed one single suitcase yet. I have had a doozy of a headache all day today and still do not feel very well. Mike is in the bed trying to get in a nap before we head off. I am rummaging around on the internet and I am still not in the mood to pack, but oh well.... we'll get there sooner or later! You guys don't have too much fun without me!

Calling all prayer warriors!!

2009-06-15T21:24:00.002-05:00

To everyone reading who prays, please pray for our friend Ashlyn. Ashlyn was just diagnosed with Leukemia - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This is Ashlyn's second battle with Leukemia and we pray and believe that she will lick it this time too! Please pray for Ashlyn and her family. We love you Ashlyn!!

click on Ashlyn's button to keep up to date with her journey!

The length of God's love for you-by Rick Warren

2009-06-10T11:06:00.002-05:00

Purpose driven connection: Daily devotional

"I know that Your love will last for all time, that Your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky" (Psalm 89:2 TEV).

Human love wears out; that's why we have so many divorces. Love wears out. I know a lot of people who are not divorced but they don't love each other anymore. There's a limit to human love; it dries up.That's why you have to have God's love in your marriage—in all your relationships—if they are going to last. God's love never wears out. God's love is patient, persistent, and persevering.Isn't it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, His love never gives up. It's wide enough to include everybody and it's long enough to last forever.God will never love you any more than He does right now. But He also will never love you any less than He does right now.He loves you on your good days; He loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love and His love is given freely. It cannot be earned and it is not undeserved. Accept His love and worship Him, knowing that His love is long enough to last for all time: "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully" (Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT).

FUNNY STUFF

2009-06-06T17:41:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T19:48:00.001-05:00

Family Pictures - Memorial day

2009-05-25T21:38:00.007-05:00

Would you like a little tongue with that smooch??

This is cake is sooo good I need a utensil for each hand!!

Back away from the cake and nobody gets hurt!!!

Cousins....

oh and there's the granddog...

I give up......

Happy Mother's day to me!

2009-05-11T22:51:00.003-05:00

Apparently I am more beautiful than a mule, so says my youngest and (ahem) dearest child. Mason was given a form to fill out and fill in the blanks to the questions in Sunday school on Mother's day to tell things about his mother. Here are a few things the dear, sweet boy said about me:

My mom's name is Traci. (he is so smart)
She is 37 years old. (right on brother)
She wears a size 4 shoe (dang my foot must have shrunk by 5 sizes).
Her favorite food is pizza (well I wouldn't say it is my favorite food but it does rank up there pretty high).
If I could take her on a trip, I would take her to -Florida. (that sounds good, we could meet up with a few family members and maybe visit Mickey Mouse)
My mom likes it when - I kiss her. (isn't he sweet?)
I would like to buy my mom a - dog. (how thoughtful he is... he had written a CAR, but scratched through it and wrote a dog....Just what I need LOL)

and last but not least- My mom is more beautiful than- a mule. (if he gets any sweeter, I don't know what I will do with him)

OH and I won't dare say what he guessed my weight to be. What were those Sunday school teachers thinking when they put that question on there????? Ruined my whole day, LOL.

HUH???

2009-05-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

An Australian primary school has infuriated parents and disability advocates by asking students to come to school dressed as a disabled person as part of a fundraiser.
In a newsletter sent home to parents on Wednesday, Ramco Primary School in South Australia advised it would hold a "disability day" and fundraiser on Friday, May 29, with prizes for the "best students dressed as a person with a disability."
The aim of the dress-up is to raise money for a clinic in Bangladesh that repairs cleft lips and palates in children, The Advertiser reports.
Its newsletter stated: "There will be prizes for the best students dressed as a person with a disability. Get your thinking hats on and see what disability you can represent!"
The well-meaning idea has missed the mark, with one disbelieving parent saying she had spoken to other parents who were also bemused by the concept, wondering how they were meant to dress their child.
Principal Barrey Niven said the idea had been to raise student awareness of what it is like to cope daily with a disability but the idea had not been conveyed well in the newsletter.
The intention of the fundraiser, devised by the school's Student Representative Council, had been for students to come in with a bandaged arm or leg, he explained. He said a new letter would be sent to parents explaining the idea more clearly.
Paralympic gold medallist Matt Cowdrey said while he was sure the school's intentions were good, he didn't "think this is the best way to raise attention."
"People with disabilities want to be treated and should be treated no different to anybody else in the community," he said.
Disability advocate David Holst said the dress-up day was in poor taste and there were better ways to create awareness.
"You can understand it's with good intent, but it is trivializing some serious issues and is the worst in poor judgement and poor taste," he said

2009-04-30T22:38:00.003-05:00

I believe that she can help change the world-

BUT

she has to cry first.

I swear if this girl doesn't get out of this whiney, crying all the time stage-

one of us are going to need to be medicated....Prozac maybe???

There now, it's all better

I can't help I'm cheap....

2009-04-30T22:26:00.004-05:00

but I am. There, I admitted it. Spenser is running track this year and when we went to the first track meet there was a little lady there charging us to go in and watch my son run around the track 2 times. So for me, Mike and Mason they charged us $11. I was thinking ...what the heck... $11 .. really??? But guess what...if you have Down syndrome you aren't charged at all :) Now that's a plus right?? The lady at the first meet said that she wouldn't charge us for Ashlyn and then we went to another meet today at a different school and the lady there said that Ashlyn was free...nice... Having Down syndrome does have its perks!! What a lucky girl she is.

Here's the princess with her daddy today...

and here's the handsome runner

~My new favorite song by Mercy Me~

2009-04-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

Since when has Janeane Garofolo

2009-04-20T07:59:00.001-05:00

become a neurologist?? I'm sorry but this lady is seriously nutso!

Friday, April 17, 2009
WBAL Radio

Liberal actress and political activist Janeane Garofalo, in all seriousness, said activists who attended tea parties are racists with dysfunctional brains in a recent prime-time television appearance.

"Let's be very honest about what this is about. This is not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea party was about. They don't know their history at all. It's about hating a black man in the White House," she said on MSNBC's "The Countdown" with Keith Olbermann Thursday evening. "This is racism straight up and is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks. There is no way around that."

Olbermann did not once try to challenge her on those assertions.

The actress went on to describe the brain size of typical "right-winger, Republican or conservative or your average white power activist."

"Their synapses are misfiring. ... It is a neurological problem we are dealing with," she said. This isn't the first time she's offered this analysis, either. Ms. Garofalo said similar things about Alaskan GOP Governor Sarah Palin's brain last February in an interview with an environmental blog.

The actress went on to bash the GOP on MSNBC Thursday because it had "crystallized into the white power movement" as well as Fox News, which she said has captured the "Klan demo[graphic]."

"Who else is Fox talking to? Urban older white guys and their girlfriends who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome," she said

Is this lady serious?? So because people have peaceful demonstrations against taxes, that automatically means that hate black people? Huh?? Is she for real or is she just in need of a fat paycheck? She also made this comment - "

2009-04-06T22:47:00.002-05:00

Scary weekend for us. Mike and the boys were in a vehicle accident this past weekend. He had taken them to the Auto Fair at Charlotte motor speedway on Saturday. I was at work when Mike called me and said- do not panic but we have been in an accident. They had come to a stop when an elderly man plowed into the rear end of our Tahoe, ramming it into the vehicle in front of them and then they also hit the vehicle in front of them. The elderly man was having some type of medical condition (they still don't know what) and was out of it when he hit them. He was slumped over into the middle of the car and was jerking and not coherent, with his foot still pressing the gas which was still trying to run into the Tahoe. Someone standing by had to turn his car off. Mike said that he still hadn't come to when the ambulance carried him off. It appeared to Mike and other's that he was having a seizure, a stroke or maybe an heart attack. We found out today that he is still in the hospital and they have not found a reason for his medical behavior. We had been worried all weekend about him and had no way of contacting him until today. We were VERY relieved to know that he is alive and okay. A car can be replaced, where human life cannot. Thank you Lord that everyone is doing well.

2009-04-05T22:22:00.005-05:00

I've been busy!

One of the MANY things I love about being a mom

~cupcakes~

Mason at our Down syndrome Easter egg hunt...

Maybe if I ignore her she will go away???

Don't you give up mom?

Stop it with the pictures already!!

Here's a size comparison with Mason and Ashlyn.

She is supposed to be the "big" sister...

ha ha! He is 8 and she will be 10 in August

April fools!!

2009-04-01T21:12:00.002-05:00

I got Mike good today, ha ha ha! We really don't ever do April fool Jokes on each other so he didn't see it coming. Last night Spenser's friend in the neighborhood knocked on our door and told us that Spenser had hurt his ankle at his house and his mom drove Spenser home. So we go outside to help Spenser out of the car and Mike kept swearing that Spenser was faking it, that he wasn't really hurt that bad. Spenser went to school today with a slight limp and made it through the whole day, and it is already feeling better.

Mike walked in the house from work and I asked him "did you go to work today?" Of course he looked at me like I was crazy and said "yes, I did... why?" I told him that "I had called him at work and they told me that he wasn't there. I also said that I had to pick Spenser up at school and take him to the doctor for an x-ray because his foot was worse today- We have to take Spenser to an orthopedic doctor tomorrow because his ankle is broke and he may need surgery". You should have seen the look on his face, bwahhhhh haaaaa, it was priceless. I'm honestly surprised that I kept a straight face through it all. He said "man I feel really bad that I told him that he was faking the pain and that he was okay". I let this go on for a few minutes before I yelled APril fools at him! It was so good!! About 10 minutes later I got Spenser too. He asked me what was for dinner and I told him that I had bought some big, fat, juicy steaks for dinner and that his dad would grill them for us! Mike caught on and said - yeah Spenser, April fools on you too!!!!!

We had grilled barbecue chicken...but hey it was pretty tasty!!

2009-03-20T21:56:00.003-05:00

This is refreshing after reading the article below about Special Olympics~

Things that make you go hmmmmmm...

2009-03-20T21:52:00.003-05:00

I wonder if Special Olympic athletes were considered as being invited to the White House BEFORE or AFTER the president made such a low blow On the Jay Leno show....hmmmmmmm

Nice Mr. Prez, nice. Too bad this statement that you made, doesn't apply to you.

"We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination.... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities."

-- Barack Obama, April 11, 2008

***************************************************************************

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has apologized to the chairman of the Special Olympics for his late-night talk show quip equating his bowling skills to those of athletes with disabilities.
Appearing on "The Tonight Show" Thursday, the president told host Jay Leno he'd been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129. Then he remarked: "It was like the Special Olympics or something."
The audience laughed, but the White House quickly recognized the blunder. The Special Olympics, founded in 1968, is a global nonprofit organization serving 200 million individuals with intellectual disabilities.
On his way back to Washington on Air Force One, Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to say he was sorry - even before the taped program aired late Thursday night.
"He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population," Shriver said Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America." Obama, Shriver said, wants to have some Special Olympic athletes visit the White House to bowl or play basketball.
Still, Shriver said, "I think it's important to see that words hurt and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seem as humiliating or a put down to people with special needs do cause pain and they do result in stereotypes."
Shriver is the son of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver and nephew of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, whose endorsement early in the Democratic primaries was critical to Obama winning his party's nomination.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters traveling with Obama that the president's offhand remark was not meant to disparage the Special Olympics, only to poke some fun at the commander in chief's bowling skills.
"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," Burton said.
Despite making fun of his score, the president appears to be getting better the more he visits the White House lanes, which President Truman installed in 1947. During a campaign photo op a year ago at a bowling alley in Altoona, Pa., he rolled only a 37 in seven frames. The clip of the disastrous game was replayed on late night television shows such as Leno's - one of Obama's few campaign gaffes.

I'm in love

2009-03-16T22:18:00.003-05:00

with IKEA. Oh my gosh. The fam and I went to IKEA tonight for the first time and I am thinking it was a BIG, BIG mistake. I loved it, every bit of it. I saw cute beds for the kids (not that they need them), book cases, shelves, lamps, bedding and a zillion other things that I MUST have. We were there for about 2 hours and that was just not enough time for me... the kids and Mike hurried right along from room to room, sometimes leaving me behind as I took in as much as I could. Grrrrr, I do not like to be rushed when I am doing my best not to miss anything, although I did. I will definitely be going back during the week sometime when the kids are in school and Mike is at work. I imagine I will probably get lost in there for several more hours. We did find what we had set our for. A grooooovy cabinet to put in our living room under our flat screen. Bad thing is- it is yellow. Good thing is - I can paint it black. It is the cutest thing ever and is everything I have been looking for, except for the color. Picture will follow as soon as I get it painted and planted right under the tv.

2009-02-28T10:17:00.002-05:00

Mother’s DO know best (most of the time). For months and months Mason asked, or should I say begged – for a dirt bike. Christmas rolled around and his wish was granted – despite his naughty behavior. The poor kid is grounded from all of the fun things around the house because he chooses to have a smart mouth, therefore he looses activities that he loves such as riding his dirt bike. About a month after Christmas Mason changed his mind… he decided that we could take his dirt bike back (yeah right) and buy him a BB gun. Ooooooohhh please little child of mine – what makes your little brain think that we are crazy enough to trust you with a BB gun??? My argument to him was 1)- you are only 7 years old and 7 year old boys do not need any type of gun 2) – you are not a very responsible 7 year old and you make hasty , impulsive decisions. 3) – you are not easily reasoned with when you do make impulsive decisions. So there – no you are not getting a BB gun.

Fast forward to February. The little boy Michael who comes to our house after school was given a BB gun for Christmas. Mason was mighty jealous let me tell ya! About 2 weeks ago Michael’s dad came bringing a small BB gun (looks like a hand gun) and a pack of neon yellow pellets for MASON!!??!! WHAT???!!! Little Michael felt so bad for dearest, sweetest (ha ha ha ha) little Mason and he talked his grandmother into buying a BB gun for Mason. Well Mr. Mason was already grounded when they came toting that BB to gun to our house and it was several days before he was able to take it outside with dad and play around with it. I think he was able to do this twice so far this month because he chose to be naughty way too many times lately. On Thursday I was on the phone with a credit card company (they screwed up our bill) and Mason comes by and whispers “can I take my BB gun outside?” uhhhmmmmm NO!! He wasn’t even supposed to be outside because he had disobeyed my order earlier that day. I had told him not to leave our yard. I went back inside for maybe 2 minutes and came back out to find Mason on his bike out in the street up above our house…..grrrrrr. So he marched right back in the house. Well, back to the BB gun. I was on the phone still talking to customer service and didn’t realize that my wild child had snuck outside. A few moments later he came SCREAMING in the house “I shot a car with my BB gun and the man is coming after me – I didn’t mean to, I promise I didn’t mean to !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Oh my gosh – the child was about to hyperventilate and MY blood was boiling. Mike was upstairs and heard all of the commotion and ran outside to talk to the man who was riding by our house as Mason decided to shoot the gun at the road/car. The guy was cool about it and said that he understood because he has kids too… he was just stopping because of what could have happened if he had shot at the wrong person and we needed to know. Thanks Mister!! So needless to say I told Spenser to take the BB gun and get rid of it… I am thinking trash can and then decide against that and tell him to destroy it. Spenser’s eyes lit up! What about the baseball bat? Yes! Sounds perfect my dear. The BB gun was destroyed and has been laid to rest in the local landfill. Moral of the story?? Mom’s do know best!

2009-02-21T18:23:00.000-05:00

It’s the little things in life that make your day. How sweet is it for my husband to call me at work and say “listen to this”? Then I hear music in the background and there is sweet little Ashlyn singing the LAST word of every line. Nine and a half years ago who would have ever thought that a phone call like this would make my day?

2009-02-10T23:01:00.006-05:00

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY TO JAIDEN... OUR BEST BUDDY WITH DS!!

We love you so much Jaiden and we hope that you have had a marvelous birthday today!

***********************

Hey this girl is too cool for school!

Practicing veterinarian

The life of the party!

Hanging with the band

enough is enough...no more autographs please!

2009-02-06T22:00:00.003-05:00

My friend Nicki gave me a blog award! Nicki also has a daughter with Down syndrome and she shares the same lovely name as my Ashlyn!! Thanks Nicki!

Here is the description for this award:"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

2009-01-31T14:35:00.001-05:00

Remember as you read this--- we live in NC

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Mason.
Mason was taking a spelling test at school.
The teacher’s assistant called out the word “warter”.
So Mason wrote “warter” on his spelling test.
When Mason got his spelling test back the word warter was counted wrong.
Mason disputed the word being spelled wrong.
Teacher to Mason- “there isn’t an extra *r* in water.
Mason to teacher – “she didn’t say water, she said “warter”.

Bwaaaaahhh haaaaaaaaaaa

I haven’t heard the results of his incorrect spelling, but can’t wait to find out!

2009-01-29T14:41:00.002-05:00

"A joyful heart is like the sunshine of God's love, the hope of eternal happiness."

~Mother Teresa~

Special Olympics and banning the R word

2009-01-27T12:48:00.001-05:00

2009-01-26T18:44:00.002-05:00

You are looking at a WINNER!!

Mason won a wrestling match on Saturday

and guess what?

I missed it.

Man it makes me sick :(

I got there late after he had already won.

But I was there in time to see him lose two more :(

Bad mama, bad.

Here you see the psycho winner boy!

2009-01-22T09:25:00.001-05:00

Somebody help this damsel in distress

I see you my beloved chocolate M&M's

Don't make me come up there....

ahhhh yes, someone felt pity on me and rescued the lonely M&M's.

by the way-

did you know that blue M&M's taste better if you

eat them through your nose??? Who would have ever

thunk it????

2009-01-21T22:24:00.001-05:00

I'm gonna wash that filth right out of your mouth

2009-01-13T22:23:00.003-05:00

Somebody got soap in their mouth this week. I won't mention any names....

Not so nice words

2009-01-10T22:21:00.003-05:00

So what is it with boys and icky words like - butt, fart, poop, poopy head, butthole??? It seems like that is all that Mason and his friends want to talk about and of course they jolt out into hysterics when they say these words to each other. I stand back and roll my eyes, thinking well at least my angel (bwaaahaaaa) Ashy isn't a icky word user... or is she?? A couple of years ago she learned the phrase - SHUT UP. It drove me nuts and I am sure that it drove her teachers nuts and let's not forget the bus drivers. Her bus driver informed one day that Ashlyn told her to shut up all the way home one day... she didn't look too happy either. (ooops)

Well now she has learned a new word from the boys - botthole. Yes - botthole. The first time she said it I fell out into a fit of laughter, and it is funny because she says it with a big ol' Cheshire grin. Just the way she pronounces it makes me laugh. So imagine my chuckle when she came out the other day with - shut up botthole. Mike and I had to turn away and chuckle, before we could get it out that it isn't nice and those are ugly words. She didn't care- she just kept on grinning cause she's funny and she knows it :)

Uniformed Letter Carrier with Child in Mailbag

2009-01-05T16:27:00.001-05:00

Uniformed Letter Carrier with Child in Mailbag
Originally uploaded by Smithsonian Institution

This was the first case of baby wearing, what'cha think?

Loving Life

Happy birthday to Spenser!

October is Down syndrome awareness month!

Bringing our family blog back to life.....

Spread the word! Please help us save Anna!

SWAGGER WAGON

Happy Birthday Anastasia

Oh Happy Day!!!

World Down syndrome day 2010

Easter

Howards big adventure

Thank you dear Heavenly Father!

For my dear friend.....

My first cake

Help for Haiti

U.S. hit Haiti with Earthquake weapon

We Know Gods Truth through Gods Commandments - Daily Hope

Christmas happiness

Silly ol' elf

If Christmas was......

Dear Santa,

Our gingerbread housey

SO.OUT.OF.SHAPE

It's December 1st

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Halloween week

Cuteness

Romeo, Romeo

Table for 3

Another seizure....

Suit says teacher tried to sicken boy with peanut allergy

Halloween 2002

Worth it all

God doesn't make mistakes

Pals

Nie Nie is going to be on Oprah!!

Pic from the past

BUSTED......

For those who pray......

October is Down syndrome awareness month

Find something good in every day

The little turd

Birthday Princess

It's Christmas in August!!!

Our newest family member :)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

It's been a good week!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Some funnies :)

What do I know of holy?

Seizure update

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

These make him happy!

What makes you happy?

Returning seizures after infantile spasms?

Evian Roller Babies

More pics from our trip to Maryland

Fundraiser for Ashlyn M.

I might be 37 years old

Catch of the day....

We are off!

Calling all prayer warriors!!

The length of God's love for you-by Rick Warren

FUNNY STUFF

Wordless Wednesday

Family Pictures - Memorial day

Happy Mother's day to me!

HUH???

I can't help I'm cheap....

~My new favorite song by Mercy Me~

Since when has Janeane Garofolo

April fools!!

Things that make you go hmmmmmm...

I'm in love

Special Olympics and banning the *R* word

I'm gonna wash that filth right out of your mouth

Not so nice words

Uniformed Letter Carrier with Child in Mailbag

Special Olympics and banning the R word