A Bargain!

Chuck and I have spent some time working in the yard this weekend. Nothing spectacular, just doing the basics of pulling weeds, mowing, edging. The first month or so is hard, trying to get everything tame again after the long, wet winter. Plus my muscles get sore after not using them for so long! But once it's done, and all we have to do is a little maintenance, I love it!

 

 

 

I was wandering through a thrift store the other day and found this bike for only $10! The tires were flat but it only took Chuck a few minutes to pump them up and she was ready to go! It fits Allie perfectly right now so I doubt she'll be able to ride it next summer. But every time she comes over, she runs to the back door, "Can I ride my new bike?" I love a bargain!

 

 

Figuring Out What She Is and Isn't Comfortable Doing

Beth works two days a week. Her DART bus picks her up at 3:00 and drops her back at home anywhere between 9:30 and 10:30 PM. Needless to say, she misses dinner. So for those two days, she eats for lunch, what we're having for dinner.

Beth has a microwave downstairs in her apartment and uses it all the time. But she's still nervous about using our stove upstairs. She likes to use it, don't get me wrong. It makes her feel SO grown up and independent, but it makes her nervous. So I only let her use it with supervision.

Last night for dinner we had turkey patties and macaroni & cheese. This afternoon I let her come up and fix her own.

She has trouble reading the print on the stove so I tell her, "Turn the front burner on 6". She'll study the knobs until she's sure it says 'front', then responds with, "Oh!" Like, 'I got this!'

She told me, "I'm gonna go get the rest of my food while I wait for this."

Awesome! Into the pantry she went and came out a few seconds later. I had to tell her it was time to flip the burger. Her coordination isn't the best and she has a hard time doing that, as you can see by the look on her face. But she did it!

 

 

After a few minutes, she turned the burger to look at the underside, but didn't say anything. I asked her if she thought it was done, "I think so."

 

"Yea, it looks done to me, too."

 

 

 

At first she turned the burner in the wrong direction but caught herself and turned it off. She put the burger on her plate and proudly took it downstairs. It's the little things. :) 

Multitasking!

Diana and I are having some hot tea so I ran downstairs to see if Beth wanted some. There was a lot of noise, but I heard her say, 'Yes please.'

When I took it down to her I saw her TV was tuned to The Disney Channel and she was watching The Jonas Brothers on her phone!

Then Tuesday

Sorry I haven't written in a week. The last 5 days have been the busiest I've had in months.

I babysat Allie on Friday and we shopped and finger painted and played and watched cartoons. She arrives at 7AM, and Ryan and Sharaya come for dinner so I usually put Allie in front of the TV around 5:00 so I can start cooking. I absolutely love having her and we have so much fun while she's here but I'm exhausted at the end of the day! My mom used to say the same thing when my kids were little and I'd think, 'Oh come on, they're not that much work.' Now that I'm the age she was, I know what she was talking about! It's not the kids at all, it's my body! All the aches and pains that I didn't realize I'd have at this age and the way they affect me.

 

 

 

 

Allie made a picture for Sharaya, then we wrapped it and took it with us on Sunday. Diana carried it into the restaurant so Sharaya would think it was for me and it worked! When we had Allie give it to her she asked, "This is for ME?" It was awesome!  

 

 

 

 

 

Grocery shopping

 

 

 

 

Shopping at Michaels

 

 

 

 

 

My Mother's Day gift was a trip to Charming Charlies. It's a jewelry store that sells thousands of pieces of jewelry, plus shoes and purses and other accessories to match. I absolutely love this store! Unfortunately there's not one close to us so we have to drive an hour or more to get to it. But the weather was nice, we went out to eat, I really had a good time. AND, Diana bought me a necklace!

 

 

 

 

Monday I walked to and from work (2 1/2 miles total). Came home, weed whacked the front yard then moved the lawn. Last night my calves were SO sore I could barely move!

 

Then Tuesday. Tuesday was May 13. The ninth anniversary of my moms death. I worked a long day, had two meetings, did a little grocery shopping before having to head out again, it was a very busy day. After Beth and I came home from the store and put away all the groceries, she went downstairs and I just happened to look at the clock. It was 4:42. I was on the phone with my sister when my mom took her last breath in 2005 and at that very moment it was 4:44. So I stopped right then yesterday and just began to talk to my mom. I told her how much I missed her. I told her I wished I could tell her that I get it. That I'm the age she was when I was in my 20's and I now realize everything she was trying to tell me! I've heard it said that you never get over losing your mother and I'm beginning to believe it. Yesterday was so busy I didn't really get much time to think about her, but having those few moments, and right at 4:44, blessed me so much. It was exactly what I needed. 

Key or the Cart?

Once again Beth and I went grocery shopping on Monday afternoon. I got a shopping cart and she grabbed a basket.

We each got a few things then headed to the checkout.

She checks out by herself although she always wants me to go first. I put my stuff on the conveyor and she likes to put the bar between, to separate our items.

I go on through, then wait for her to finish. She puts in our phone number for the discount, scans her card and enters her number. I don't have to help her with that anymore.

As we're headed to the car, sometimes I'll have her push the cart so I can unlock the van, sometimes I let her unlock it.

After the groceries are unloaded I ask her, "Key or the cart?" Meaning, do you want to take the key and get into the van or do you want to take the cart over to the cart return?

This week she chose the key.

It Doesn't Make a Difference

Thank you to those who commented on the question in my last post. After thinking about it for a while, I think that extra chromosome could be a blessing.

Now please know, I don't know if there is a correct answer here, this is just my opinion. But that extra chromosome has opened up new worlds for us, introduced us to people we would have never met and brought experiences we never would have had otherwise.

That extra chromosome helped make my daughter who she is today. It has given her an innocent view of this sometimes harsh world and allowed her to love with a pure heart.

But...

If I had the choice, would I choose to have Down Syndrome? Would I choose to be 'blessed' like that? Hmm, I don't think I would. The world often treats Beth unkindly, they view her as 'less than' and I don't think I would choose that. It would be hard to walk in her shoes.

Maybe, like you said, it's not a blessing or a burden.

It just is.

Some days we can see all the great and wonderful things about Down Syndrome and other days the hard things keep us from seeing anything.

I like how it always seems to come down to one word: Normal.

Substitute the words Down Syndrome with anything: some days we can see all the great and wonderful things about... marriage and other days the hard things keep us from seeing anything.

Some days we can see all the great and wonderful things about... college and other days the hard things keep us from seeing anything.

Everyday LIFE is great and wonderful and hard and scary. Maybe that extra chromosome doesn't make that much of a difference after all!

It's not a blessing or a burden. It just is.

Do You Consider Down Syndrome to be a Blessing?

This post might be a little mixed up and not make much sense, but I'm just gonna think out loud here for a minute.

I believe that when the Lord blesses us, we should be a blessing to others. But how do we define a blessing?

I've recently felt He wants to do something at our church for people with disabilities. Our Special Connections Sunday school class is just the beginning, but I don't know what the whole picture looks like. (Isn't that just like the Lord? Showing you just one step at a time.)

Everything in my life seems to be funneling down into the world of special needs. Which I find interesting because when Beth was growing up it wasn't our focus at all. But now everything I do, everything I pray about, read about... seems to be about people with disabilities.

And leading others. But I'm not a leader so that part scares me. I grew up the youngest and don't ever remember a time in my life where I lead. Anyone or anything. A few times in my adult life I've had the opportunity but always felt like a failure. Our pastor on Sunday talked about how God used Deborah and she was a housewife. David was a shepherd... and the youngest in his family.

I'm willing, I just don't feel qualified. But I know that doesn't matter to God.

So all of this has got me thinking about Down Syndrome. If the Lord wants to use me and my perspective into the world of special needs to bless others, does that mean Down Syndrome is a blessing?

In what ways would you consider Down Syndrome - or any disability - a blessing?

And I really want to know. What are your thoughts on this?

A Reason to Celebrate

This weekend was pretty special for us because it was the 1 year anniversary of Beth working at Little Caesars! It's the longest she's ever held a job.

Some jobs were too difficult for her to do, like cleaning the dining area at a McDonalds. I think she could have done it, but this was quite a few years ago and the only reason she wanted to work there was because she got to have french fries while on break. So that job didn't last long. :)

When she worked for Auntie Annes she had to stand in one place for over an hour and ask people if they wanted samples. She struggled to stand that long - without being able to move very much - and she was so shy it was hard for her to speak loud enough for people to hear her.

She did laundry at a group home for a while and did really well, but the manager began treating her unfairly, then wouldn't show up for meetings that she scheduled with me and the job coach. The last straw came when she accused Beth of taking a mop out of a bucket that was in a room Beth didn't even know existed. (Beth would go into the home, go to the laundry room and do laundry for a few hours. Why did the manager think she would go into a different room and take a mop?) That's when the job coach and I agreed to submit Beth's resignation.

But Little Caesars has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!! They love Beth, they stick up for her, they fight for her, they love having her there. Boy that does my heart good.

Beth decided she wanted to make some cooking to take to everyone at work. She said everyone loved them! I asked her job coach if her coworkers new it was her 1 year anniversary and she said that when Beth got there, 'C' announced to the crew and they all cheered and clapped! I just know Beth was beaming.

 

 

 

 

Then, at the last minute, we decided to drive up and surprise her! It's a 30 minute drive so we went over and picked up Sharaya and Allie and headed north. We walked in and one of the workers came over and asked if he could help up. When I told him we were Beth's family, he went to the back to get her. We could see her manager telling her it was okay, she could come say Hi and when she came out, there was a huge smile on her face and she yelled, "Bobbin!!" (That's her nickname for Sharaya, who was taking her picture.) :) Allie ran up and gave her a hug, it was awesome!

 

 

I'm SO thankful she has found a job that she likes and gets to work with people who like her and treat her well. One thing we noticed while we were there; the place was packed. So many customers, it was always full. And the crew was movin'! They were hustling and yelling orders and packing... there were probably 8 or 9 of them. And they were all guys. Beth was the only girl.

 

No WONDER she likes working there so much! :)  

Driving Miss... Bethy

Monday is the only day Beth doesn't have somewhere to be. It's the one day of the week where she can stay in her jammies if she wants; watch movies all day, do laundry and just hang out. (I usually crave a day like that.)

But not Beth. Monday's the day she prefers to go shopping. She loves Mother-daughter shopping days. (And I have to admit, they are kinda fun!)

So for the last few months it seems, I get off work and her and I go out. Even if it's just grocery shopping, she wants to go!

This week it was Fred Meyer and Bartell Drugs. Her head phones died last week so she got a new set at Freddies. She has ear buds but prefers the bigger kind that cover her ears with the cushion.

 

 

After buying a few groceries at Fred Meyer as well, we then headed to Bartells for new markers. Since it was only a few dollars I let her use her debit card instead of her cash. She loves using that card. Too much, sometimes. It's gotten her into trouble in the past because she tries to get out more money than she has in the bank, but she's really matured over the last year or so and we haven't had any issues. She asked me to wait in the car, so I did. But she did let me take a picture when she came out! 

 

 

He Calls Me Friend

Allie was here yesterday. We played outside, she rode her bike, we played Barbies and we colored Easter eggs.

 

 

 

There were a lot of stickers and Allie wanted to use every one! That girl loves her stickers. :)

 

 

 

 

The finished product.

 

 

 

 

I was able to talk with Allie a little bit about the real reason for Easter. Last week she came over and showed me her palm branch she had made at church. She told me the whole story, then I took her out to the backyard and showed her our palm tree. I told her that these were the real branches that they waved when Jesus rode in on the donkey. She was amazed! When she came yesterday, she ran out in the backyard and told me, "This is the real tree, Nana!"

 

We talked about how on Good Friday we remember that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He did it so we could have a relationship with God the Father. Then... on Sunday we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead! He's alive and wants to be our friend!

 

What a blessing that simple message is. We can have hope because He loves us. We can have peace of mind because He is our Creator and knows us better than we know ourselves. We can have an anchor in the storm because He is our Rock. He's written every day of our lives and we can go to Him with things get tough.

 

Most of all, He calls me friend.

 

I pray you have a very blessed Easter.