Fun Photo Friday!

This is my 10 month old granddaughter Allison.

She's a character! :)

Not Quite What Any of Us Were Expecting

Sunday, October 10, 2010. We all woke up and went to church. (Chuck was sick - sore throat, coughing, stuffy nose, achy feeling, so he stayed home.) We asked Beth where she wanted to go for lunch. McDonalds, of course! :)

Later that afternoon, we gathered around to watch Beth open her presents. Chuck and I had gotten her a nice digital camera, a camera card and batteries, plus a gift card to one of her favorite stores, Bartells. There were a few balloons and a Happy Birthday streamer! There was cake and ice cream... it looked like lots of fun! But Beth just didn't seem very excited. Maybe she was getting sick too?

You can tell by the look on her face that something is wrong. Usually she's so excited on her birthday. After she blew out her candle, we asked her if everything was okay. She picked up her cupcake, grabbed her gifts and said, "I wanted a DVD."

Happy Birthday Beth. Sigh.

It's 10/10/10!!

Happy Birthday Beth!

On Wednesday, October 6, (Sharaya's birthday) we went to the Rainforest Cafe. A cool restaurant with a family of gorillas, a herd of elephants, huge fish tanks. Every 30 minutes there is thunder and lightening and the animals all squak and bellow. They brought Beth and Sharaya a volcano cake and sang Happy Birthday to them. It's a very fun restaurant!

They attacked that cake!

We came back to the house for presents and more cake and ice cream.

Today is Beth's birthday which brought more presents and cupcakes!

I'll post those pictures soon!

Happy 10/10/10!

Maybe I should tell you why

Maybe I should tell you why 10/10/10 is so important to me.

When I was pregnant with Beth, I believe the Lord kept putting the number 10 on my heart. All of the sudden, I would be thinking about the 10th. I would go to the calendar... blank. "Chuck! Is there anything happening on the 10th?!" No, not that he knew of.

A few weeks would go by and I would be thinking about the number 10 again. I'd ask my mom and sisters if they had anything planned for the 10th. Nope. Nothing.

When we went to the doctor to find out our due date, he told us September 9th. Awe, September 9th! Then I gasped! Our baby is gonna to be born on September 10th! I just know it! That's what the Lord has been trying to tell me! Woo hoo!

Imagine my surprise and embarrassment when I woke up on September 11, still pregnant. The doctor later changed the due date to September 23rd.

So when Beth was born on the 10th day of the 10th month at exactly 10:00 PM, I knew the Lord had given me an Ebenezer Stone. A moment in time when I could go back and remember that He was with me. As He was knitting Beth in my womb, He gave me a tiny hint of what was happening. Reminded me that He was walking with us. He knew.... and it would be okay.

So 10/10/10 is bringing with it a time of reflection. And I'm remembering all the moments God has been with us. And I'm counting down to this amazing moment in time!!!

ONE...

Count Down.....

TWO....

Count Down to 10/10/10!!

THREE....

Sweety Bear!!

That's what we called Sharaya when she was a toddler.

It was 24 years ago today I gave birth to her. Throughout the entire pregnancy we wondered if she would have Down Syndrome. How could we not? I think it was a natural concern given our circumstances. We denied any testing because, really, it wouldn't have made any difference. We were going to keep her no matter what. I was also wondering how I could love her when I had already given so much to Beth. Could I really love another baby as much as I loved Beth? Then I held her.

I instantly fell head over heels in love!! She was absolutely gorgeous! So small and helpless. Then I felt guilty for thinking I could never love her. Oh, the many emotions of a new mom. :)

Growing up she was so calm, cool and collected. Someone once told her that they were never sure if she was happy or sad or hurt or angry because she was always even tempered. As a toddler she went by Raya. When she started school, she changed it to Shara. (Share - uh.) Some family and friends still call her that! Entering high school, she went by Sharaya (Shuh - ray -  uh) and she still does today.

The Lord wired her with all the right tools to be Beth's sister. He knew exactly what Beth would need, and dropped each personality trait into her.

She has brought so much joy to our lives. She can find humor in any situation and usually keeps us laughing til our sides hurt. She has such a sweet and gentle spirit. I've noticed it even more now that she's a mom. I love watching her with Allison. Allison is a blessed girl to have such an awesome mom!

Happy, happy birthday Sharaya!

What would you say to them?

We arrived home last night, after spending 13 hours in the car yesterday. Thirteen hours gives a person a long time to think.

I began thinking about National Down Syndrome Month. I think it's kind of cool that Beth was born in October. But to be honest, I've never celebrated NDSM. I've always lived LDSD, Local Down Syndrome Day, every day, 365 days a year. And as most of you know, not every day is a celebration. :)

When Beth was born, there were no computers, no world wide web, no blogging. If you wanted to be a part of the Ds community, you had to pick up your phone (the one connected to the wall) and call your local group. NDSM wasn't advertised on TV, in the papers or on the radio.

So yesterday as we drove The Lonliest Road in America (Hwy 50 through Nevada) I was thinking about National Down Syndrome Month. If I had the opportunity to stand up in front of the nation and talk about Down Syndrome, what would I say? What would I say that would bring awareness to their lives, their lives that are completely void of Ds, void of the joys and sorrows that come with having a child with Ds, what would I say? What could I say that would change the way they look at Beth when we walk through the mall? What could I say that would change their perceptions of people with Down Syndrome?

To be honest, I couldn't think of anything to say that hasn't already been said. Today we have computers and all forms of media that can get information to the masses in just seconds. Yet, nothing has changed. People stare at Beth today the same way they did 25 years ago. Beth is still on the outside looking in. Maybe we need to saturate the nation the same way Breast Cancer Awareness has. Maybe we need an icon like their pink ribbon. Maybe we need a media blast. Promotions on the side of busses? Maybe we need to hound Hollywood so they incorporate more people with Down Syndrome into their movies and TV shows. I don't know the answer. I don't know what I would say to the nation.

What would you say?  

Am I The Only One Who Does This?

When your son or daughter is acting up, sportin' a 'tude or just in the middle of a situation, do you think about how you'll blog about it? Do you 'write' the post in your head while the event is happening?

We were at Arches National Park today and Beth was being a pill. She had such a bad attitude, would not talk to any of us and just kept walking away. As I'm speed walking in the 87 degree heat trying to catch up with her, I am 'blogging' the entire event in my head. What I would write, the order I would put the events....

Am I the only one who does this?

Let Us Show You Around!

Two days and 1300 miles later, we're in Denver. Arrived last night after two days of driving; eleven hours each day. Warm weather, beautiful scenery. Had lunch yesterday in a small town in Montana. Population 3400. We drove hour upon hour without seeing a building more than 3 stories high. And most of those were the gorgeous homes perched on top of rolling hills. I wondered if the kids growing up in these small towns had ever seen a sky scraper? Had they ever visited 'the big city'? I grew up in San Diego and have lived most of my adult life in Seattle, so these small towns intrigue me. I love the quiet streets, the open country side, the relaxed lifestyle.  I wonder how my life would be different if I lived there.

We started having minor car trouble just outside of Denver last night, so Chuck has taken it to the shop. In the mean time, Beth and I are hanging out at the hotel. We had breakfast downstairs and then decided to show you around. :)

We always show Beth how to get to the room by herself.

She knows our room number and which floor we're on: Three.

(Doesn't she look thrilled? I think she ate too much breakfast!')

When you come off the elevator, which way do you go?

The hallways can be confusing!

When you step off the elevator, there is a small table with a mirror above it. We've told Beth she needs to smile at herself when she goes to our room. So she knows to go by the mirror! I do love that face!

There are two small arrows on the bottom of the room key. She knows to put those in the key holder.

And now you know how to get to our room too! :)

We are here for a few days to help Chuck's mom and sister with a few things in their condo. His mom will be 80 this year, is a cancer survivor and is struggling with her health. His sister suffered a stroke a few years ago and is paralyzed on her right side. There are things like changing light bulbs and reaching the rods in their closets that we are going to fix. It's going to be a lot of work but we really want to make a difference for them.

There's no one like family!