A Whirlwind Trip

Hi everyone,

How was your Christmas? Your New Year celebration? Chuck and I have been so congested we didn't celebrate New Years this year. The first time that I can remember. 

But we're feeling better now and I feel like I can finally take a deep breath. What a whirlwind few weeks we've had.

We flew out on the 17th, took a red-eye into Newark, NJ and went right to the hotel to sleep. A few hours later Chuck went back to the airport to pick up Sharaya and Ally (Sharaya didn't find out her days off until the last minute and we had already bought our tickets) and that started ten days of celebrating three birthdays and an Italian Christmas!

Adelaide turned three this year and she helped make and decorate her own cake. That was the first big thing we did after arriving.

They got about 5 inches of snow just a few days before we arrived, then got an inch or so after we got there. It was cold and sometimes icy but we were willing to brave the elements to spend time together. 

We spent one day at an outdoor market. Got some coffee and hot chocolate to carry around with us then enjoyed all the shops. 

The sign outside this art gallery read, "More than just Thomas Kincade" and they were right. She was so excited to see all the Disney art! Rooms and rooms of art, scenes from Paris, London, art from Monet and van Gogh. We could have spent a lot more time in here. 

A lot of our time was spent playing games, hanging out, we went out to eat a couple of times, and we got to snuggle with Adelaide and Oliver. We couldn't get enough of those two.

Diana and Peter's birthdays are just a few days apart and are close to Christmas so just before we left we celebrated them together. I want to say, Peter is such a good man and treats our daughter well. We're so grateful for him.

There's so much more but I'll share that next time. We caught colds a few days before we flew home and we're not not 100% yet. 

I hope you're all doing well. I head back to work on Monday and I plan to read your posts soon. Happy New Year!

She Was So Caught Up in the Excitement

Beth's birthday is October 10th and she's been talking about it for months. Back in July, "My birthday comin' up!" She gets so excited about it!

She sends the family her birthday list, talks about what she wants, and when she thinks of something new she tells me to "add this to my list."  

We'll be celebrating on Sunday afternoon but she's been celebrating most of this week. On Tuesday she told some of her friends at All aboard that her birthday was on Friday. 

Then on Wednesday all the bowlers get to go up front and tell everyone their birth date. Then they sing Happy Birthday.

The DART bus was going to be very late so I took her to the bowling alley yesterday and she walked in at 9:59, just in time! I was parking the car and missed her telling her age.

I don't think she saw me because she flew by me and headed down the bowling alley so I followed her. I guess each person celebrating their birthday that month gets to spin the wheel. I don't know how they figure it but she got to spin it three times!

You can tell she's so excited about her cold-hard cash and she walked by me again! She was so caught up in the excitement she never even saw me!

You can see how close she is to me in the photo above but she walked right past me! I had to run to catch up with her and asked if I could get a picture.

She loves bowling so much. Can you guess what she said when I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday?

Today at work she saw the Happy Birthday signs I had hung up, everyone was telling her Happy Birthday, and a co-worker gave her a small bag of gifts. Then on Sunday the celebrations will continue: we'll go to Red Robin for dinner, and then to the bowling alley. Then back here for cake and presents. 

Happy Birthday Beth! 

It's finally here!

A Quick Family Update Post

Good morning,

I woke up really early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and had breakfast. There were no clouds when I first got up and now the fog has rolled in. It really feels like fall and for some reason I'm excited for it this year. The older I get the more I'm enjoying the cooler temps and rain. Maybe I'm becoming more like a hermit every day!

I finally got Beth signed up for Speech Therapy, something I've wanted to do for years. I needed to get a referral from her doctor and now that's been done. I'm hoping to get her started in the next few weeks. She can talk, but she really struggles with articulation and she knows people can't understand her so she just doesn't talk. I'm hoping this gives her more confidence and helps her interact with people more.

I did some shopping earlier this week and when I came out of one store the sky was incredible! The white clouds against the blue sky with the fall leaves... the colors were so vivid. The trees are a little dark in this picture but they were bright!

We got to video chat with Diana this week. Adelaide is growing so fast and her communication skills are way beyond a two-and-a-half year old. Oliver was asleep so we didn't get to see him this time. We love being able to visit with them.

Sharaya's birthday is on Monday so we'll be celebrating her this weekend. We'll take her out for dinner, then if we don't do gifts at the restaurant we'll come back here for cake and presents. I posted these on our family text a few days ago:

Yellowstone

Sharaya's on the right

At the Grand Canyon

Sharaya's wearing the hat

  Visiting my mom

We went on a long western U.S. road trip through eight states, and it was one of our biggest vacations while the kids were growing up. 

And Sharaya is older now, than I was on this trip. It's crazy to think about!

That's about all for now. I should close this and get my day started. I hope you're enjoying the beginning of fall. 'Til next time! Have a wonderful weekend!

Lots of Familiar Faces, Matching Shirts, and "Definitely the Frosted Glass!"

The girls had come up with a design for our Buddy Walk shirts and on Saturday night after Sharaya's party we all put on our shirts and surprised Beth with hers. Then in the morning we all headed to The Buddy Walk at the zoo.

The Buddy Walk was established in 1995 and raises money for programs for people who have Down Syndrome. There's hundreds of walks throughout the U.S. and even in a few other countries. They had vendors, and Star Wars characters and lots of things to see and do.

We walked around for a while looking at the animals. You automatically got into the zoo free when you registered for the Buddy Walk. 

Beth's back began to hurt so Chuck got her a wheelchair. She'd walk for a while, then ride. Then walk. I think we all ended up pushing her at one time or another.

Then the actual walk started (we followed a path they had set up through the zoo.) 

At the end, every participant with Down Syndrome got a medal. They're all so excited, it's such a happy event! A local high school football team held directional signs and interacted with the families.

After the walk we all headed to Red Robin, Beth's favorite restaurant. Of course we all sang to her. That's the best part!

Then home for cake and presents. Sharaya and Diana made the cake the day before, while I was at the Holiday Market. One of Beth's best friends was able to stop by for a few minutes.

Cheryl is her 'Bestie'

While Sharaya took Ally home we let the cake settle for a while, then we headed off to the Rock Box. It's a karaoke bar! Beth has sang karaoke for more than 10 years. We had our own private 10x12ft room and the staff member came in to show us how it all worked, how to choose the songs on the ipad, how to turn on the strobe lights... then he says, "You guys are in a unique room because you're on the end near the street. This button here turns on the sound so everyone outside can hear you. And this button turns off the frosted glass, see? So you can sing and dance if you want and everyone walking by can watch you." 

Hahahaha! No.

We had so much fun though! On the drive downtown, not knowing what to expect, we talked about singing a few songs then we'd leave, but we ended up spending the entire two hours singing and laughing! Didn't matter who had the microphones, we would all sing. It was really fun!

Diana flew home early the next morning and that was the official end of the celebrations. We had such a fun weekend. I think it took us all a few days to recover!