Halloween Excitement

Tonight we enjoyed a Halloween Carnival and Trunk or Treating at the church. The kids had such a great time! Emmalee caught on to the free candy in a hurry and was practically running from one car to the next.

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

Breath of Fresh Air

Many of you will remember my Argghhh! post from last December. I was so frustrated by looks and reactions we sometimes have to endure because of Tyler's special needs. I just had to post today about having the exact opposite experience. I am still in tears just thinking about it.

I took Tyler shopping with me this afternoon. We went to two different stores and in both stores, I had soooo many people come up and talk to Tyler, say hi, wave to him, smile, etc. Many people told me what a beautiful boy I have, (of course!) and what's more, people actually spoke to him. I honestly can't tell you how touched I was by this. All too often, people look at Tyler and fail to acknowledge him. That breaks my heart. That was not the case today. He must have really been turning on the charm today because so many people -- young, old, men and women took the time to say hi or wave or smile. He was in his element waving, blowing kisses, saying ta-da! I am always proud to be his Momma and today it was doubly so. He is just such a blessing to me and to our whole family. I can't imagine my life without him in it.

Emma-isms

My sweet friend Teri is mom to Gabi. Gabi is an older version of Emmalee. We call Emma Gabi's Mini-Me. Teri often posts Gab-isms on her blog and I couldn't resist posting some Emma-isms.

Emma is trying to potty train. She sits on the potty and she wipes over and over and over. However, she doesn't get that she actually has to do something. We're working on that. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we were having a loud thunderstorm. Emma was sitting on the potty doing the usual million wipes. Suddenly there was very loud thunder. She got a strange look on her face and said, "did that come from my butt?" If only I'd had the video camera -- we'd have won on America's Funniest Home Videos for sure!

Tonight I asked her whose girl she is and she said, "I'll tell you later."

Yesterday we were sitting together on the chair and out of nowhere she said, "Momma, you making Emmy nervous."

I sure love that kid! Stay tuned, I know there will be more Emma-isms to come.

Super Cute Tyler

I just had to share this picture of Tyler. He is such a cutie!!

Hooray For Friends

We are so excited that our friend Alex is going to start hanging out with us every Wednesday. Alex is four and she and Emma get along so well. I LOVE having her here because she keeps Emma entertained. :) Here's some pictures of the two of them watching a movie this week. So sweet!

Pardon My Cynacism

Having spent all but the last year or so of my life in the west, I am more than accustomed to hearing about drought and forest fires. I've even seen several from a less than comfortable distance.

The past couple of days, I find myself glued to the internet reading the news and looking at the countless pictures of the fires in California. The images are frightening. Knowing that there is so much destruction, so much devastation, is overwhelming. (We have some dear friends that are there and are, thankfully, safe.)

Being as obsessed with the stories as I have been, I was more than a little disgusted today to see this headline..."Stars Whose Homes Are In Danger." Really? Do we really live in a society where we are more concerned with which tv, movie or music star's home may be destroyed by fire? Please don't get me wrong, I do not want to see anyone's home destroyed. I hate the thought of anyone losing their home, their possessions, their memories. The story itself didn't bother me. It's the absence of the other stories that disturbs me. What about John Q. Public and his wife Jane who worked for forty years to finally afford their dream home? What about Sara, the single mom of three children who lost the only rental home they could afford? I'm sure all those folks who could afford their $17 million or more homes aren't too worried about whether or not they have enough insurance coverage. It's the average folks who are laying on a cot in a shelter somewhere praying that they will be able to re-build. It's those people, who struggle to make ends meet, that I feel sorry for. It's those people whose stories should be headlines. I really don't care that John Travolta was overwhelmed by the smoke when he flew in to attend some awards show. Or that Tori Spelling gave an exclusive interview to Access Hollywood about how her gardener had to pack up and leave the estate. I do care about the little children who can't attend school because of the smoke. I do care about the thousands of people who have had to evacuate and don't know if they will have homes to go home to. Those are the stories that are worth reading. What a shame those stories aren't the ones being printed.

Field Trip!!

Tyler had his first field trip today to Gro Moore Farms. It was so much fun!! The best part was seeing his reaction when he realized I was there. He laughed and clapped and cheered for several minutes! So nice to know how much I am loved.



The tractor ride started out kind of boring.....



A little better now that we're actually moving....



Holy cow, this is so fun!!!



I LOVE IT!!!! YAHOOO!



Down the slide with Miss Carolyn



Check out my perfect pumpkin!!

Feeding the goats was a blast!





Walking through the straw maze with Miss Carolyn

21 Things About Tyler....

October is Down syndrome awareness month. Down syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21. In honor of this, I am following the lead of my fellow bloggers and posting 21 things about Tyler.

1. Tyler is generally very, very happy! He is easy going and super mellow most of the time. He is the easiest three year old I have ever known!

2. Tyler has very beautiful chocolate brown eyes. I love them!

3. Tyler's smile can light up a whole room. It is impossible to be sad once he flashes that smile.

4. Tyler has silly little laugh when he is truly happy. We call it the "W" laugh because it sounds very similar to George W. Bush.

5. Tyler is adopted and yes, we chose to adopt a child with special needs. (We get this question a lot!)

6. Tyler had cataracts in both eyes when he was born and had to have them surgically removed. Because of this, he now has glasses.

7. Tyler gives the best kisses ever!

8. Tyler is learning new words all the time. He is also learning to combine the words with the sign which is awesome!

9. Tyler loves to sleep on his tummy with his hands tucked under him. He does a little sort of shimmy to get into a comfortable position.

10. When Ty wakes up from a nap or in the morning, he rarely cries. He usually just starts "talking" until someone comes in to get him. Once we go in his room he either claps or yells, HEEEYYYY!

11. Tyler loves to go, go, go! He will ask to go about a million times a day. He really doesn't care where we go, as long as he's invited along.

12. Tyler loves to pull hair and thinks it is really funny when we tell him no.

13. Ty loves his Daddy!! He is a Daddy's boy through and through and will spend hours laying on Daddy on the couch watching TV.

14. We are all in the habit of calling him Bo Bo because that's what Emma has always called him. Now he will pat himself and say "BO BO!" It's adorable!

15. Tyler LOVES music. Any kind of music but especially Brent playing the piano. He will stand next to the piano bench and dance and clap. He is Daddy's biggest fan!

16. Tyler love the Doodlebops and gets really excited when they are on TV. Again, I think it is all because of the music.

17. Tyler loves to stand on the couch and look out the window. He likes to wave to all the cars.

18. Tyler loves the cold! He is truly a winter boy. He loves the cold wind on his face. He really dislikes being too hot and that is one of the few things that will make him really unhappy.

19. Ty has a huge crush on his speech therapist, Tasha. When he gets home from school I always ask him, "did you see Miss Tasha?" and he always giggles and gets really shy. I love it!

20. Tyler can make even the crankiest person smile and giggle. He can melt the hardest heart.

21. Tyler is perfect in every way and we are truly blessed to have him in our family!!

And Then There Were Two....

Tyler's little fingers continue to heal. He got his cast off on Friday. I must say, it is a good thing the doctor prepared us for how they would look. They were really scabbed over and sort of yucky looking. However, as the days go by they start to look better and better.

I still find it strange to see two separate fingers. He is using them more and seems to be getting used the idea. He is so amazingly resiliant and easy going. Such a good boy!

What's Your Name?

Stephanie over at Adventures in Babywearing had this meme posted on her blog and I thought it was too cute not to play along. You all should do the same. :)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Freckles Chevy Malibu

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Cookies and Cream Thin Mint

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) Jgar

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal), Chocolate Brown Polar Bear

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hospital where you were born), Lee Lander

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first), Garjo

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),The Burgandy Diet Coke

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers), Donald Harold

9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ), Loretta Lee

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter), Hunzie Houston

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower). Spring Daisy

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)Mango Socky

13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree), Cookie Crab Apple

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”), The Reading Snow Storm Tour

October Is.....

Just a reminder that October is Down Syndrome Awareness month. It is a great time to ask questions and get to know someone with Down syndrome. So, if you have any questions, please ask! I am always happy to share stories about Tyler and information on Down syndrome.