First Haircut for Seamus!

 We LOVED the curls while they lasted!  But, it was time, as you can see from this first photo...

  

Before...

And after...What do you think?

I think he likes it...

And, on another note, we had a great time at our local Down Syndrome Awareness Walk this morning!  We met some lovely new folks who have little ones with designer genes.  (Little Mia from Sturgeon Bay stole our hearts!)  Here are four of the kids after the walk.  Erin was NOT in the mood for a smile today.  So, let's just add that little fact to our Ds Awareness month info:  Contrary to popular belief, kids with Ds are not always happy.  They have all the same emotions as any other kid :)  Okay, okay... it is true that one of Erin's nicknames is "happy", which fits the stereotype so well, I admit.  In her case, she is almost always happy.  But cleary, she was not happy in this picture and that would be because she wanted OUT of the stroller.  Her wish was granted just after I snapped this picture :)

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October marks the beginning of Down Syndrome Awareness month. On Saturday, we (or at least some of us) will attend an awareness walk with our local organization.  It should be a lot of fun and I look forward to meeting up with some friends.  Why do we need an awareness walk?  Well, for one, Down syndrome is the most common genetic condition caused by a chromosomal abnormality. While most of us know or love someone who has Ds, there is still so much to learn about it!   And for every sweet little baby born with designer genes, who had a prenatal diagnosis, there are nine others who were aborted.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where it is common to pick and choose which preborn baby is worthy of life outside of the womb. We have lost the belief that all life is sacred.  However, I cannot help but think that part of that 90% statistic stems from wrong or misguided information. Information is a good thing, and I would love to help provide more of it, especially if it could save a life. So, with that in mind, throughout this month, I will try to give some accurate information here on my blog to help you all to see what Down syndrome is really like. I would love for everyone to see the many blessings that Erin has brought into our lives. 

Many of my friends in the Ds community have blogs.  Many share beautiful post on facebook. They are a wealth of information! During the month of October, many rise to the challenge of trying to post something about Ds each and every day. I really don't think I can keep up with that pace.  However, I am going to be resourceful and steal tap into some of my friends' posts during this month.  Nothing like sharing the love, I say :)  (with permission of course).  At the very least, I will try to post some fact or info about Down syndrome as many days as I can.

Last year during this month, I welcomed my readers (all five of you, lol) to ask any question about Ds, or Erin in particular. In real life, I am often asked about some of the blessings or challenges that come with Ds.  I don't think I had a single question on the blog last year, but I once again welcome any questions this year! I would be glad to answer a question.  Just ask a question in the comments section of any post, or email me privately. 

For starters, I'm posting this darling video of MaryEllen, my dear friend Diane's youngest daughter...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Meet Cinnamon...

I think I have said, "I will never have a rodent in the house", a few times.  Ha! Famous last words!  Meet Cinnamon, our new guinea pig.  It all started with Eileen's need to have a speciman for her Natural Science class this year.  This is an awesome course offered through Mother of Divine Grace (MODG), our homeschool curriculum provider, that requires some experiments with little critters. In the past, Moira had used Beta fish.  Eileen wasn't too interested in that.  I asked around about rodents and found that guinea pigs are much less likely to bite than hampsters or gerbils.  So....here we are.  The kids actually love this little critter, and she is very gentle.  And, as a bonus, she doesn't stink!  The non-cedar shavings they make for the bottom of the cages now are very nice, absorbant, and clean very easily.

Now, maybe you're wondering about the experiments that Eileen will be doing.  She will be determining if music, rock or classical, can effect Cinnamon's behavior. For the first three weeks, she will take data on Cinnamon's "normal" behavior in her environment (sleeping, eating, exercise, general behavior and intelligence). Intelligence will be measured by timing her going thru a maze.  The following week she will play rock music, 24/7, and test for the same behaviors.  The following two weeks Cinnamon will be returned to normal environment.  The last week, classical music will be played, 24/7, and she will again be tested for changes in behavior or intelligence.

Any music suggestions for Cinnamon?  I'll be sure to let you all know if she starts rocking out or break- dancing to some music :)

Brotherly Love

Happy Belated Heart Day Erin!!!

Three years ago, on Sept 19th, our little Erin had her heart repair (VSD and PDA...for those who have had to learn new meanings to certain letters of the alphabet).  This year the day passed by without a grand celebration.  I suppose that happens as the years pass, and I suppose that's also a good thing. Erin is fortunte, thanks be to God; she has no lasting effects from living with a large hole in her heart for the first six months of her life.  Had she been born 50 years ago, she may not be here today. (Open-heart surgery was not always done for those with Ds, even when the technology was available. Thankfully, that is not the case today). Even though we did not have a grand celebration, our hearts are filled with gratitude once again.  Parents just never foget having to watch their child go into heart failure and then endure open-heart surgery.  Thanks be to God, most kids come out on the other side, quite miraculously, stronger than their parents ever imagined they could be. So, once again, we offer prayers of thanksgiving for our little Happy's complete recovery!  We also include prayers of thanksgiving for little Zelie, six months old, who had her heart repair last month.  She is the youngest child to some friends of ours.  That extra chromosome has a way of bringing people together...some of the best poeple we have met!

And now, some recent photos of Erin, showing off that strong heart...

Such a little personality...

She always has to smell the flowers....

Crystal Lake {Part 4}

Well, we've been so busy with school that I have not added our final photos.  Maybe part four is overkill anyway :)
 Here are the kids star gazing on the lake, late at night.  The stars are amazing at Crystal Lake!

And last but not least.....a snapshop Eileen took of us returning to good ol' Wisconsin!

Crystal Lake {Part 3}

I'm slowly getting the rest of the many pictures we have from our Crystal Lake trip on the blog...

Erin had so much fun!  Here she is, wondering if I'm going to chase her down for walking on the pier without a life jacket. 

Erin always stops to smell the flowers!

MG spent more time in the water than out of it.  Little fish!

Here's Seamus looking out through the screen

At least Grandma was smiling...

Crystal Lake {Part 2}

As I mentioned, it was so nice to see family we hadn't seen in a while.  We saw Uncle Al, which was so nice!  He had us all laughing, as usual.  It has been years since we've seen him and it was nice getting an update on my cousins, Eric and Brooke.  We also saw Aunt Karen and Uncle Dick.  It hasn't been nearly as long since I've seen them, but it's always so nice to catch up.  Please pray for Uncle Dick, who ended up in the hospital the very night we saw him.  Thankfully, it sounds like everything will be fine, after an infection in his leg heals. 
We were sorry we couldn't attend cousin Lisa's weddng yesterday, but the dates just didn't work out for our vacation to extend beyond Sept. 1st.  We wish her the best, of course!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of our visits with my relatives!  I guess I was too busy catching up.

But.....I have loads of pictures of lake time with the kids.....

A nice neighbor, Ed, took the kids out on the lake.  They went water skiing, jet skiing and tubing.  They had a blast!  Here's Teresa, Moira and Eileen...



Aidan and Molly Grace, waiting for their turn...


Yes, she is picking her nose lol...

Erin preferred the sand...

Seamus preferred the beer bottles...

Sand castles were built...

Bridget took this picture of a frog (or is it a toad?) on the shed's roof...

The swans came, even though we didn't want them.  They make for a nice picture, but they are just not nice.  And they don't leave once they come, especially if you feed them :)  And of course if you feed them, they poop, which also is just not nice...

Swimming in the middle of the lake...

Grandma and Seamus

All that activity makes for some tired kids!