Unlimited

September's Retrospect

2009-10-17T19:29:00.004-04:00

September began with a bang! Robert and I went to see Peter Frampton!!!! It was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen.... EVER! Not only did he still have 'it' (well, not the trademark 70's hair), but I think his talent has only increased over the years. I had forgotten what an amazing musician he is. I'm only bummed because I didn't bring my better camera with me. Next time I will.

Using his famous 'talkbox'

Robert and I got home very late that night, but it was worth it!

On the 12th, we brought Sarah to her first Red Sox game. We also brought our friends' son, who also was going to his first Sox game.

Jordan, Robert & Sarah

Sarah & me

We had a 2 hour rain delay, not actually for rain, but in anticipation of rain.

Josh Beckett was on the mound that night

And the boys gave him some run support

Me going to a Sox game and not getting a pic of Big Papi is like going to a game and not cheering your fav team on!

But in the 6th inning, the rain finally came down for an actual rain delay

They finally called the game just before midnight, and we won, 9-1.

What happens when William gets a hold of Mom's camera? Let's see... he will take pictures of:

Steve's car

The view from the sliding doors

His ball

The view from the side sunroom window (and even got his reflection!)

The destruction he leaves in his wake

His Star Wars sticker book

The bottom of his foot

And the rocker-recliner

Then Robert discovered he had the camera and ended his fun.

On the 19th, Robert and I entered a 5K to benefit the Brattelboro Walk-In Clinic It was a challenging course with hills but what a great way to start our day!

It's definitely a run we will do next year. You've got to love a run that after the raffle numbers are drawn, they ask, "Did everyone get a prize? If not, there are plenty left over; come pick something out. And don't forget to take a loaf or two of bread home!" The bread, by the way, was donated by The Vermont Bread Company and was yummy!

Stay tuned for October ;)

August 2009

2009-10-11T22:22:00.002-04:00

For your viewing pleasure~

William loves to draw. Imagine that, one of my kids likes to draw?!? Okay, another one of my kids that loves to draw.

Another thing in common with his siblings~ techno-geek

Mariko came in for a quick visit.

Sarah, Mariko & me

William loves having Mariko home

Mariko & me

August 13th~ William's 9th birthday!!!!

Mr. G, William's beloved aide from the past two years, came by with his daughter to help us celebrate William's birthday.

On August 15th, Robert and I ran in the Yankee Candle Company's American Heart Association's 5K. This was Robert's first 5K and how poignant a day it was. August 15th was the day William had his first heart surgery when he was 36 hours old. We ran the entire race side by side and even crossed the finish line hand in hand.

Later that day, I drove my older kids to Maine in hopes of seeing their grandmother (my ex's mom), but sadly, we found out she had died when we were 30 minutes into our trip. We visited with the rest of the family that night and the next day before coming home, then returned for the funeral. She was a wonderful woman and will be very missed.

At the end of the month, Jim and Steph came down to give William his birthday present. I think they enjoyed shopping for this year's present since William has been so heavily into Star Wars.

William, Steve, Sarah

Sarah

The kids went back to school at the end of August, but I actually forgot to take back-to-school pictures. Completely slipped my mind for the first week, and after that it just seemed too late to bother.

Stay tuned for pics from September.....

July in Review

2009-07-29T15:38:00.008-04:00

I rather like the idea of playing catch-up by just posting pictures on my blog with a few captions.

And now, I bring to you:
July 2009

Love to see rainbows

hmmmm... positive pregnancy tests?!!!

No, not mine~ my daughter-in-law Steph's....

that's right, Jim & Steph are going to give us a grandchild!!!!

Mariko came home for a break before she had to take her USMLE Step 1 boards and brought her boyfriend Chris so we could ~~interrogate~~ meet him.

The guys~ Steve & Jim in back, Chris, William, Robert & Doug

I love dinner around the table with the family. The laughter never stops

William & Mariko

July also meant another 5K for me. This was the Red Dress for Women 5k in Hartford, CT on July 11

This sign cracked me up

Sarah & me before the run

Almost there!

After my run, Sarah got ready for the kids' race

Run Sarah run!

Since then, she started Cool Running's Couch-to-5K program.

That night, Robert and I went to see Wilco in Lowell, MA. What an awesome concert!

The following week we went to Boston Children's Hospital for William's cardiology check up.

William helps Dr. Lacro

Dr. Lacro was William's cardiologist before William was born

All was well and now William doesn't have to go back for 2 more years!

The boys are out

William loves Word Searches. Especially when they have to do with Star Wars.

And that, for the most part, was July. Thanks for looking!

Whoops! I didn't blog in June!

2009-07-26T00:38:00.004-04:00

June was filled with a couple birthdays, William's dental surgery, Father's Day, our local annual Down syndrome picnic, a 5K, and the end of school.

The month in review, mostly in pictures.

June 2~ My 48th birthday. I have no problem admitting I am 48. That means I'm just two years away from getting AARP discounts.

A birthday kiss!

A few days later, William went in for dental surgery, to have some stubborn baby teeth removed. His permanent teeth had come in behind them so he had a double row. He was also getting sealants on his permanent molars, having caps checked and some replaced, full x-rays and a thorough cleaning.

Waiting to go back for anesthesia

The next day, when I asked William to show me his mouth, he opened wide!

Sarah brought home a packet of cards his classmates made for him~

June 11~ We celebrated Doug's 19th birthday. William loves helping blow out candles

Wow. 19. How did that happen? I remember when he was just a lil' guy.

At our local Down syndrome group picnic, William loved spending nearly all his time in the bounce house.

June brings beautiful blossoms and butterflies.

I've neglected my rose bushes over the past couple years, but fortunately, they seem to have forgiven me as they burst into color and filled the air with their wonderful fragrance.

On July 20th I ran in my second 5K and this one was USATF certified so it really was 5K.
This was the Sharon Timlin Memorial 5K Run to Cure ALS
My ex-husband's brother Andy had ALS and died a few years ago, so the cause is very close to my heart. Andy and I went to school together and were friends before we became in-laws so I ran this race in his memory.

Robert took William and Sarah to the kids' activities while I ran.
William waits patiently in line for his turn

Getting instructions on Ring Toss...

but William likes his way better

Getting ready to cross the finish line!

Meeting former Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin afterwards

And getting Tim Wakefield's autograph. Tim is Robert's favorite Red Sox player.

Sarah wanted to have some pictures to take to school to make the boys in her class jealous that she got to meet some Red Sox players. Mike Timlin was so sweet to pose with her!

We celebrated Father's Day a little late this year. Jim and Steph got Robert a Mr. Beer kit! Robert was so tickled~ he'd been thinking about getting something like this for awhile!

Now to get ready to recap July!

A Pirate Treasure Hunt!

2009-05-28T19:23:00.019-04:00

Today at school, William's team created a treasure hunt for him! He's been heavily into the book Treasure Island in the past few months, so his teacher, aide and therapists thought of a way to integrate his assessment with his therapy and turn it into a fun morning for William. Robert and I attended the all-school meeting, and once it was over, the hunt for treasure began!

William had to lead us to his reading specialist's room via the school elevator, where he supplied Star Trek sound effects as the doors opened and closed. Once in the classroom, the specialist showed us the first article William would collect.
William's task was to read the pirate making hat directions to all of us.

From there, William had to lead us to his physical therapist's office where he had to read his next task: bounce and catch a ball 10 times in each hand.

William collected a vest when he completed his ball bouncing challenge.

The next stop was speech therapy. His clue (task) was a scroll taped to the desk, which he had to read to us.

William had to match events to a time of day

He received a sword and instructions to go to another office where he read yet another clue, solved a maze puzzle, received a spyglass and was directed to see the Principal for yet another task.
William had to read his treasure hunt story so far and glue the matching pictures to the correct page.

After successfully completing his book, the Principal gave him another clue

The principal's clue led us to the map that showed where the buried treasure was

Following the map and counting steps

Ribbons marked the way to the buried treasure

Checking the map

Arrrrrr! Thar be the 'X'!!!

Digging for treasure!

Thar be the treasure!!!

Pirate William carries the treasure chest to his classroom

His classmates gather 'round

William had to read the instructions that were in the treasure chest

William shares his treasure with his classmates

What a great day and a fantastic way for William to show his progress through all the stations outlined in his IEP and his progress towards meeting his goals this year.

Thanks to his aide, Mr. G, for the photos today.

Friends, Fun, a 5K, and a Fabulous New Tattoo

2009-05-28T16:48:00.008-04:00

In January I made a committment to myself to get healthy and fit. I began the Cool Running Couch-to-5K program and started working out diligently with the Wii Fit and then the My Fitness Coach programs. After the first workout of the Couch-to-5K program, I thought, "Okay, I can do this. I'm winded, but I'm okay." As I looked through the rest of the nine week program, I shook my head at week seven.

"Brisk 5-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes)"

What??? Me???? Yeah, right. Yet I trusted that the program worked; my daughter Mariko had given me the link and she said it really did work.

So I followed the program, which was less daunting when you read the article instead of just skipping to the workout table.

"It's easy to get impatient, and you may feel tempted to skip ahead in the program, but hold yourself back. Don't try to do more, even if you feel you can. If, on the other hand, you find the program too strenuous, just stretch it out. Don't feel pressured to continue faster than you're able. Repeat weeks if needed and move ahead only when you feel you're ready."

Once I completed the program in 9 weeks, I moved on to the 5K Training Schedule, although I got sidetracked in April when I sprained my ankle. I took one full day off from exercise, then taped my ankle well and modified my Fitness Coach workout to keep exercising without stressing my ankle. I was amping to run again, which I finally did again after fifteen days without. After a week or so back on my running program, I decided to sign up for the ADC's 3rd Annual 5K/1mile Race. ADC sponsored Rachel's second visit to Ghana last year.
Unsure of how healed my ankle was, I signed up for the 1 mile race. A couple days before I flew out to Salt Lake City for the race, I changed to the 5K. I needed to prove to myself I could do this.

Every now and then, some of my online friends and I get together. Last year we did the ADC 1 mile race together, so we decided we could make a weekend of it again this year. This all coincided with my tattoo date, which I had set up months ago. One of my best friends, Aly, came along this year; we hadn't seen each other in 3 very long years. We had a comedy of errors just trying to meet up at the airport in Dallas, which we both Tweeted about, but all's well that ends well and we talked non-stop from the moment we embraced until well into the wee hours of the morning. On Friday we met up with our other friends for fun, food, and loads of laughter.

We were up bright and early the next morning for our race.

How fitting was it that 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked was began playing on the loudspeakers as I crossed the finish line? Completely. That blew my mind. I was 5th in my age group; 82nd overall for women. Um, we also found out that somehow the measurement was off and we actually ran 4.1 miles rather than 3.1 miles. My time was 48:13.8~ and for someone who really only began to run in January, heck, I'm thrilled. The Couch-to-5K program really does work!
My friend Cathy won her age group in the 1 mile and was 2nd overall for women in that. Whoo hoo! Go Cathy! (and thanks for the photos above)

After the race, Rachel and Hopkins performed for the participants. (Thanks for the pic Stacey!)

Went for pedicures afterwards and that felt so great after my run! The rest of the day was a blast times a gazillion, and there was laughter well into the wee hours of the morning again. Sunday was a time for tearful hugs as most needed to go home. A few of us stayed behind and went bowling before my tattoo appointment.

Sarah of Oni Tattoo Gallery placing the design for my new tattoo

Aaaaannnnddd the finished product~

Thank you Sarah~ I love my new ink!

Challenges and Goals

2009-04-07T12:47:00.002-04:00

Robert and I recently met a very nice young man. Trevor was here to set up the balloons for the cell tower balloon test~I'll blog about the cell tower in the future. Sometimes you meet someone that you can't help but like and want to help out. Trevor is in that category. He is training through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program and working towards competing in the Memphis in May Triathlon. He's never done something like this before. That's his challenge. Trevor's goal is to raise $5,000. He is nearly halfway there. If you could, stop by his fundraising page and make a donation. For more information about the Team in Training program, click here.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is dedicated to funding blood cancer research as well as providing education and patient services. You can make a difference in someone's life and help Trevor meet his goal.

Thank you!!

Great Music & a Worthy Cause

2009-03-23T16:44:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, I looked at the tour dates and found out that Dave Barnes would be perfoming in Boston on March 21. I first found out about Dave Barnes from John Mayer's blog a couple years ago. After listening to a sample of Dave's music on iTunes, I quickly bought and downloaded Brother, Bring the Sun and Chasing Mississippi. Sarah loves listening to him too, so she had me add some of his songs to her mp3 player. Since then I bought Me and You and the World, and an EP~ You, the Night, and Candlelight. You can find them here.

Anyway, when I found out Mr. Barnes would be in Boston, I asked Robert if he would like to take me to a concert. Silly question, huh? Love those grown up dates! So I bought the tickets, booked a room for the night, asked the older sibs to watch Sarah & William.

Saturday we drove over to Boston (well, Cambridge for the hotel), checked in, freshened up, and walked over to the Paradise Rock Club, a nice brisk 20-25 minute walk from the hotel.

We had a yummy meal and some cold Stella in the lounge while we waited for the club doors to open. At 8, we went in and found a nice place right at the front of the stage. Looking around, I realized Robert & I were probably the oldest people standing this close to the stage. Most of the people around us were young enough to be our kids. The opening band came on at 9~ The Gabe Dixon Band. I'd not heard them before; I really have been missing out on a fantastic band! Gabe's vocals & keyboards reminded me of a Billy Joel concert I went to 30 years ago. Amazing. Robert said I need to keep tabs on the band's site to see when they'll be in our area again, because he would love to see them again.

Before I knew it, it was time for Dave and his band to take the stage. Robert & I were every bit as excited as when we saw John Mayer play a couple years ago.

I love how it shows when someone loves what they do~ the joy, the excitement, the energy~ just shines.

A Worthy Cause~

Halfway through the show, Dave took a moment to tell us about The Mocha Club, an organization Dave supports. I have been meaning to sign up for awhile, but things kept popping up and I'd forget. I did sign up that night. Want to know what $7 a month can do?

Afterwards Dave sang 10,000 Children, from Me and You and the World.

How close was this? Well, he was right in front of me, and Robert thought Dave's guitar was going to hit my head.

These was not posed *wink wink*

Great voice, great music, great guy.

For the encore, Dave came off the stage to sing "Until You" with the crowd

Gabe, Nathan & Dave

I'm a happy fan!

Meeting Dave after the show after telling him that it may seem like it, but I'm not really stalking him on Twitter!

Dave & Robert

If you get a chance to see Dave Barnes or Gabe Dixon, go! Meanwhile, if you would, please visit the Mocha Club and make a donation.

Feeling Fit

2009-03-03T17:04:00.002-05:00

Last summer, we bought a Wii Fit to go with our Nintendo Wii Game system. I loved the idea of working out in my own home. We live in the boonies and I think the nearest gym is 15 miles or more away (I could be wrong; I've never looked). I'm not one for working out around other people. I get pretty self-conscious.

In the past year, I gained enough so that my favorite jeans didn't fit me. A few years ago, when Robert & I lost weight on the South Beach diet, I donated the clothes I'd shrunk out of and swore I would never be in those sizes again. When my favorite jeans got too tight, I started doing the Wii Fit workouts, which were going quite well until I banged my bum knee one day and workouts were too painful. Then the holidays hit and I did a lot of baking. And ate a lot of the baked yummies.

When Mariko was home at Christmas, she told me about Coolrunning.com's Couch-to-5K Running Plan. I decided that once the holiday's were over, I would make my health and fitness a priority. I realized that I could make a bunch of excuses why I couldn't exercise, but the one reason to exercise was more compelling.... I want to live a healthy long life (okay- maybe 2 reasons.... a long healthy life and fit into my favorite jeans!). Sure, there were days I didn't want to get up, or I had some aches or pains, major headaches, start of a cold, but I knew if I gave in to one excuse, the next time there'd be another excuse, etc.

So I began the Running Plan, after Robert fixed our 8 year old treadmill. Heh heh heh.. the treadmill.... I have to digress a bit here and tell you about buying the treadmill eight years ago.

When William was nearly a year old, I thought it might be time to try to shed some of the pregnancy weight. After deciding the best option to get some exercise was to buy a treadmill, Robert & I loaded the kids in the car and headed to a sporting goods store. We looked at the various models, compared features and prices, and finally decided on one that was within our price range. We went to the register to pay for it, but our debit card was declined. We knew we had more than enough money in the bank, so the clerk ran it again... declined. Bewildered and slightly embarrassed because we knew we had enough in the bank, the clerk said a code came up that we needed to call the 800 number for the card. While I kept the kids occupied, Robert talked to the customer service person for our account. Fifteen minutes later he walked over and explained what happened. Our purchase of exercise equipment threw up a warning flag on our account because we have never bought any kind of exercise anything since we opened our account many years before. The bank wanted to make sure that someone hadn't stolen our debit card, so Robert had to verify with the person on the phone that he was indeed Robert. What's more embarrassing~ that the card had been declined, or that the purchase had set off a flag because we had been such couch potatoes? Purchase completed and Robert tied the box to the roof of the mini-van. We headed home, laughing that yet again, one of our major purchases would have a great story to accompany it (oh, yes, we've got stories).

So, that's the story of our treadmill. The sad thing is, I really hadn't used it much over the years, and for the longest time, it was being used as either a towel rack or basement coat tree.

Not anymore.

I'm currently on week 7 of the Couch-to-5K Running Plan, and have only missed one or two days on the Wii Fit since mid-January, because I was away from home. Recently I bought My Fitness Coach program for the Wii. I love it and I love what all this is doing for me. I'm feeling fit, more energized, less blah about the lack of sun, and I can wear 4 of my favorite 5 pairs of jeans again! My next fitness program for the Wii will be the EA Sports Active, which is due to be released in May. I'm determined to be be down to my goal weight and size by my 48th birthday in June. I'll get there too.

Labor(s) of Love

2009-03-01T15:47:00.003-05:00

I finally told Mariko what I was making for her birthday, so I can now share it with you all. I'm excellent at keeping secrets, but not so much when they are surprises as gifts from me. Plus I knew it's going to be quite some time before this will be completed.

Some background first. When Mariko was a little girl, I used to make her a special dress for her birthday each year. The night before her birthday, after she'd gone to sleep, I would hand the new outfit on the doorknob to her room so it would be her first gift of the day. I made other clothes for her throughout the years, and always saved the fabric remnants. From the start, I had planned that someday when she was grown, I would be able to make a special quilt for her.

Someday has come.

First, I needed to find a quilt I could make from scraps, but also knew that I would need to buy some new fabrics for larger sections, borders and backing. I decided to make a queen sized quilt. Next I went through boxes and boxes of my fabric remnants to find the fabrics used for her outfits, then cleaned them thoroughly. I'd moved several times since she was a little girl, so they weren't all in one place. I remembered I had a few sheets of printable fabric, so I chose a few photos to print on them. A trip to the fabric store for the rest of the fabric I needed, some batting, and thread, and I was ready to begin cutting, piecing and sewing the quilt top. After 2 weeks, I was ready to put the quilt top together with batting and backing.

A closer look at some of the squares

The fabrics to the right, left and below this photo of Mariko are remnants from the dress in the picture.

I had such fun reminiscing while putting this together.

I printed out some fabric squares of the birthday cakes I'd made for her over the years.

Originally I was planning to tie the quilt together, but then decided I would rather hand-quilt it, and add some design stitching to the triangles. One of her cakes gave me the idea for this detail.

Happy Birthday Mariko!
Mariko & me

Signing Time on my iPhone!

2009-02-27T19:35:00.003-05:00

I'm always telling people about Signing Time and give them the website address so they can see for themselves. In waiting rooms, we usually bring a portable dvd player and have Signing Time discs to play to help William pass the time. Usually several kids and their parents wander over to watch, and I tell them about the benefits of using ASL and how Signing Time makes it fun and easy to learn. Seeing it for themselves and finding out just how quickly they can learn a few signs in only a few minutes really impresses people. Seeing how excited their children get about watching Signing Time often encourages parents to want to get a volume or two to use at home. Telling people how much Signing Time has meant to our family certainly does impress them, and invites further questions and interest, but seeing for themselves is the most effective way to get them to visit the website.

Since I don't carry the portable dvd player or my laptop with me everywhere, I was thrilled to find out that Signing Time came out with an app for the iPhone!

I love having Signing Time on my iPhone. William has been enjoying it too. This app covers the signs from volumes 1 & 2 of Signing Time, series 1. The images are sharp; the videos are clear. You can choose to view the flash cards. The front shows the image and word for the sign. Tap the card to flip it, and there's a picture of Rachel showing the sign. Need more clarification? In the upper right, you can tap 'watch' to view a video clip of Rachel teaching you the sign.

Searching for a particular sign? On the main menu, tap 'Find a Sign' and all the signs from volumes 1 & 2 are in alphabetical order. Find the sign you want or use the search function, tap the word, and see the photo of Rachel showing the sign, tap for the image; if you need to see the video, tap 'watch' in the upper right corner.

Ready to review? Tap 'Challenge' on the main menu, then decide whether you want to be tested on Volume 1, Volume 2, or both. A photo of Rachel showing a sign comes up, tap to answer and choose from 1 of 4 choices. This is one of William's favorite features.

I really love having the videos on the app. The quality of the videos is fantastic, and the sound excellent. Covered in the music videos are the 'Theme Song', 'Show Me a Sign' & 'The Good'. The ASL videos can be chosen via the alphabetical list or the search function. Once you tap a word, it takes you right to the video of the sign.

So far, this is one of the few apps on my iPhone that I haven't had any glitches with at all. The only downside is that I want more, more, more!

Oh, and please vote daily for Two Little Hands Productions in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition. Click here for their page. Startup Nation will be recognizing the top 200 Mom-owned businesses.
Also, you can vote for my friend Jana's Babysteals business at Startup Nation too.

For Cathy

2009-02-13T11:20:00.006-05:00

I've got this best friend who, although I love her dearly, feels she can bully me into making a blog post. It's a good thing I love her, or I'd have to tell her where to go. She updated her blog recently and informed me it was my turn. Okay, she's not bullying me, but she is right, it has been awhile. The other day I joked with Robert that I needed to blog that I'm on a blog break, like it's not that obvious, right?

Truth is, I've been busy and limiting my time online. Ever since I got the iPhone, I check facebook, myspace, a few blogs, and twitter. I've also decided to get myself into better shape, and have been committed to working out daily, whether it is using the Wii Fit or learning to run with with Coolrunning's Couch-to-5K running plan. Mariko shared that site with me, and I just finished week 4 of the plan. I have never been a runner, and I'm not planning to run in any marathons, but I really want to get into running shape. I've been feeling more energized since I began. I've also been able to fit some of my favorite jeans, ones that I have missed wearing for months.

The most time consuming project I've undertaken since the start of the new year, though, is a birthday gift for Mariko, who turned 25 last month. She knows it will be very late, but it will be very worth it. Don't ask me what it is; when it's finished, I will post it... with photos. If you know what it is, please no hints in comments since Mariko does read this. This gift is a labor of love, just as she has been all these 25 years.

Speaking of a labor of love~

If you would, please vote for Two Little Hands Productions in the 2009 Startup Nation Leading Moms in Business Competition. You can vote daily!

The other day I downloaded Signing Time valentine cards via my Signing Time newsletter. Yesterday I made some 'ILY' hand cookies for the kids' classroom parties; Sarah had the idea to decorate the fingers like Rachel's~ so I did!

Doug, my 18 yr old, had fun decorating the rest of the cookies

So, for a blog about not blogging, I guess I found something to blog about.

Happy Holidays From Our Family to Yours

2008-12-31T15:34:00.003-05:00

This is our Holiday Card this year. I apologize if any of my friends did not receive one in the mail; I was going by last year's mailing list. You may need to give this a moment to fully load.

May you all have a wonderful New Year!

Out With the Old, In With the New

2008-11-18T17:55:00.002-05:00

I'm really not great with too much change. I like what I like. Sometimes it takes me awhile to get used to something new; sometimes I am hesitant to try something new or different. I rarely re-arrange a room once I have it a way that I like.

I had my Blackberry Pearl for a year. When I did upgrade to that last year, I was very hesitant to get that phone. My previous phone was a flip phone, but the outside screen had cracked, and I had this horrible habit of trying to flip it open with one hand, but often did not succeed and ended up hanging up on people accidentally. There were things I loved about the old phone, and it took me about a week to really fall in love with my BB Pearl.

When the date approached for an upgrade availability, Robert suggested I get an iPhone. I kept wavering, thinking I would just keep my pearl and leave it at that. Several of my friends with iPhones told me I'd love it. The ads looked cool; they sure know how to market them. I went to the store a few times and played with 'em. I asked tons of questions of the salespeople; still, I wasn't totally sold on getting one. I checked out the Apple store website, read up on tips & tricks, and was about 75% sure I was ready to get one.

Saturday, when we were at the mall for the book signing, we went to the AT&T store and I decided to go for it. I even had researched what case I wanted for it, so after the AT&T store we went to the Apple store to get the case and a car charger I wanted. For good measure, I also picked up a non-glare screen film.

I don't think I had the phone for an hour when I was most decidedly very happy I got it. And Robert now has phone envy.

While the BB Pearl fit so well in my hand, the iPhone isn't too much larger, and fits my geeky personality very well.

The Christmas Sweater

2008-11-18T16:51:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, Robert and I went to the mall to meet Glenn Beck. Glenn is touring as part of "The Christmas Sweater" book tour. We got to the mall early, before Borders opened, to wait with others to get our pass for the afternoon signing. Happily armed with our Group A passes, we bought a few copies of The Christmas Sweater for Glenn to sign later.

After breakfast and a trip to a few stores, Robert and I settled into some comfy chairs at Borders to await Glenn's arrival. Robert began reading the book and I played with my new iPhone. About an hour before Glenn was due to arrive, we got into the line that was about to start weaving throughout the store. He was about 20 minutes late, but that didn't matter to his fans. As we looked down the aisle, Robert and I wondered how many people had come to this. From the color coded, lettered passes, we figured there were easily over 400 there.

When it was our turn, I snapped a quick pic of Robert after Glenn signed his book. Robert had just told Glenn they should have passed out tissues with the book.

I read the book this afternoon, and went through several tissues. It is such a deeply moving story; even if you aren't a fan of Mr. Beck, it will touch you in a profound way.

To see if the tour is coming to a city near you, visit his site.

Dishwasher

2008-11-11T15:40:00.002-05:00

Location: My kitchen
Time: 40 minutes ago
Players: Myself, Sarah (11), Doug (18)

Scene: Doug is at the breakfast table, doing something on his laptop (college paper?)
I walk in to put my coffee cup on the counter, notice the growing piles of dishes in both sides of the sink (which, by the way, drive Robert absolutely nuts), along with expanding dirty dishes on the counter next to the sink (which, by the way drives ME absolutely nuts). I empty one side, clean the sink, rinse, plug it, start the water and add detergent. As I add dishes to the water, Sarah wanders in to put another dirty bowl on the counter.

Sarah: "Why are you doing dishes?"
Me: "Because they're dirty"
Sarah: "No, why are you doing dishes?"
Me: "Because they're dirty and they are piled up in both sides of the sink"
Sarah: "No, why are YOU doing the dishes? Notice I am emphasizing the 'YOU'!"
Me: "Because they are dirty AND they are piled up in both sides of the sink AND no one else was doing them!"
Sarah: "Well maybe you should tell someone else to do them. Maybe no one noticed. I didn't notice. I could do them"
Doug: *laughs*, well snickers, actually
Me: "Well, if no one notices that both sides are piled up so they are putting them on the counter and they still aren't doing them and it drives me nuts, then I'm going to do them. Now go do whatever and quit nagging me."

I mean, really! How could you NOT notice them?

Besides, I have a method to my dishwashing that no one else in the house seems to get. They do dishes and put them in the drainer until the drainer is full, which often means there's still a half full sink of dishes in the suds. They often walk away, intending to come back later to finish them. Of course, most times, later doesn't happen, and in the meantime, more dirty dishes are put into the sudsy water, which by then is cold. So Robert or I have to stick our hands into cold water, undo the plug, let the water out, then start all over again.

My way is to put the dishes in the sink in backwards order of how I will rinse them, which is the order in which they will be rinsed and put into the drainer to maximize the dish drainer space so that all, or nearly all, the dishes will fit into the drainer and can air dry. Big plates, little plates, small bowls, big bowls, etc. Once those are all rinsed and put in the drainer, then I do the cups. My method means I can get the dishes done, arranged nicely in the drainer, and then go do something else. Like add a new blog post.

Journaling, Part 2

2008-11-01T21:26:00.003-04:00

Long overdue follow-up to Journaling Part 1 from March.

Recently I had been going through my file cabinets and boxes and sorting through some needed paperwork, organizing as I set aside the papers I needed for some legal stuff. I sifted through and re-organized the file cabinet near the desktop & laser printer, the file drawer of the computer desk, then moved into the laundry room. Sorted and re-filed papers from the boxes of receipts, invoices, statements, and set things aside for the shredder. Re-organized the big 4 drawer file cabinet, starting from the top and worked my way down, pulling out the papers I was searching for, filing away the ones I wanted to keep but had no immediate need for.

After a couple weeks of this, I finally worked my way down to the bottom drawer. This drawer contains folders of the kids' school work: newsletters, awards, artwork and miscellaneous 'proud mommy' stuff. I had a new batch of papers to file away in there. This is a drawer I actually go through once or twice a year. Imagine my surprise as I reached Sarah's file folder to put some of her papers away and there, with a piece of artwork curled around it, I saw.... a book.

A book. Not just any book. A book with a light blue background. A book with some butterflies scattered across that light blue background.

As I pulled the book out, my face got warm and my eyes filled quickly with tears. My eyes are filling right now as I type this. This book, this 'not just any book', was my missing journal. The journal that contains the first year of William's life. The journal I have looked for, for five years. And here it was, in my hands again. I shook and cried big tears. Yes, I am that emotional.

I texted Robert immediately. I posted to my twitter page, and my facebook. I had been in that file so many times over 5 years. I swear, it was not in there before. The last time I recall seeing it was when we moved out of the house we were renting into our new home. It had been in my computer space, and I recall tossing it into one of the last boxes in the living room; a box full of items from the bathroom, and clothes from Robert's dresser. This huge box in a near empty house.

I didn't know how guilty Robert had been feeling in these past 5 years. He thought he accidentally threw it away when we moved. He admitted there were some boxes that looked like they only contained junk that he had the boys toss into the dumpster. I thought it was perhaps still in one of the boxes in the basement that I have not yet gotten to.

That night we opened a bottle of champagne we'd been saving. We put the kids to bed, then sat in bed, sipping champagne as we opened the journal and I began reading it aloud. We re-lived the moments 4 days before William's birth, and read well into the night, through tears and laughter, at the struggles and triumphs of the first year of William's life.

I should title that journal "A Year in the Life".

Oh, The Crazy Things I Do!

2008-10-30T14:54:00.006-04:00

A couple Saturdays ago, I took Steve's girlfriend out for a mall trip, just the 2 of us. It was a belated birthday shopping trip for Brittany. We lunched at Ruby Tuesday's, then proceeded to spend countless hours checking out various stores at the mall. We walked, we shopped, we talked, and we laughed... a lot!

After about 9 hours... I kid you not.. 9 hours!, we thought about grabbing another bite before heading home with our bags. While standing in line at the food court, we realized we wanted Avocado Rolls from our favorite Chinese Restaurant on our way home. So we headed up the escalator, and ready to find the car. Passing by one of the stores near the escalator, I stopped by the window and decided to go in. I can't exactly tell you how long Kirkland's has been at the mall, just that I have always walked by, gazing quickly at the window display and told myself that someday I'd go inside to check them out. I have said that for several years. There was this cute vase set in the window, with animal prints on them, that pulled me inside at long last. Of course, Brinny & I were easily distracted by all the other cool things to be found inside, all at really reasonable prices.

We worked our way from one side of the store to the other, until at last, I saw the trio of vases that pulled me in. Then I spotted a giraffe statue. Brinny loves giraffes. I offered to get it for her as the last of her birthday presents. She looked up and saw another giraffe, but this one was also a lamp, so she chose that instead. Making our way to the cashier, I spotted a hall tree/bench. I've been on the lookout for one for quite some time, and never seemed to find "The One"... you know, the one that looks really nice, sturdy and especially that comes at the right price. After looking at the tag, I really knew this was the one! I shook it, to make sure it would be sturdy enough. I debated with myself over whether or not to get it. That was a very quick debate.. this was, after all, the perfect hall tree for our home.

We went to the register, and I asked the cashier about the hall tree. They had one, just one, left in stock. SOLD! The other cashier brought it out. Hmmm... didn't look that unwieldly, so I handed my bags to Brinny and got a grip of the box and we started for the parking lot. The box weighed probably 40 pounds or so; it was just a big rectangle. Brinny & I laughed, and she stayed to the far right of me to keep the way clear so I wouldn't knock people over with this big find of mine.

As we made our way about a third of the mall, I stopped to shift the box. The cashier had ripped a part of the box when she was getting it out of the storeroom. As I set the box down, I peeked through the rip.
"Hmmmm, that's odd," I said.
"What?" Brittany asked.
"Look" I replied, "that doesn't look like the same fabric on the bench of the hall tree, does it?"
"Oh, it isn't," added Brittany. "Maybe it came in different patterns, or..."
"or it's not the hall tree I just bought!" I laughed. Brittany's eyes got big~ "you don't think... you don't suppose they gave you the wrong thing, do you? What's on the box? Oh, it says 'bench'... there's nothing on here about a hall tree"

We burst into laughter as we realized we were going to walk back to the store. I lifted the package up, and off we went, trying hard not to bowl people over as we walked fast back to the store. As we got to the entrance, we noticed the fabric on this nice bench out front. We laughed harder~ "oh, so that's what's in the box!"
I explained to the nice cashiers about the error. We were charged the correct price by the cashier, but the woman who grabbed the box didn't grab the correct one. Ah, and the hall tree came in a much bigger box! They said they could bring it out for us~ just pull around to the one entrance and call them and they'd have it for me. Yeah, after sizing up this box compared to the one I'd just been hauling around, that was the right thing to do. Really, the only smart thing to do.

Brinny & I laughed all the way back to the car, pulled it around to the entrance where I'd been directed, and I called the store. Meanwhile I folded all the seats down in my car to make room. A quick stop on the way home for our avocado rolls, and less than an hour later we pulled into our driveway.

No way I could have carried THIS through the mall!

William likes it!

Motivation, Thy Name is Star Wars

2008-10-28T08:27:00.002-04:00

I will admit, I have never been above using ~~bribes~~ rewards to get my kids to do things. I mean, don't you pay your kids an allowance to do their chores?

William needs motivators to accomplish things. He loves to read, but only if it is something he is interested in, or if there's a little reward at the end of it. At school, when he completes an assignment or task, he gets computer time, or gets to play a game he likes. At home, he does his homework, then gets to watch a favorite program or plays on the computer.

Potty training has proven to be a challenge. He's always been great about staying dry at night, even waking up just to go potty. Daytime is where he has lapsed. Every school break I would attempt training. Schedules didn't work; momma gets distracted by day-to-day things like, oh, cooking, laundry, etc., and William would get off track and it'd be 2 steps forward, 1 back, then 1 step forward, 2 back.

Three weeks ago, the substitute for his regular 1:1 aide sent home a note and asked if she could work with a training schedule for William at school, and if I would be willing to continue it at home. We worked out the details, and at the end of the week, William only had 1 or 2 wet accidents at school and the same at home. He still didn't like pooping on the toilet though, but generally reserved those incidents for home. Last week he had 2 wet episodes between school and home. I just needed to figure out how to motivate William to have his bm's in the toilet. Ah, ~~bribery~~ rewards!

I still had toys set aside from his birthday presents. I sometimes tend to over-buy gifts for the kids, so I set them aside for future presents. I had an assortment of Leap Pad books that I hadn't given him yet. So I went with the ol' "Hey, if you poop IN the toilet, you'll get a present!" Well, recently the Hasbro catalog came in the mail, and William became enthralled with the pages of Star Wars toys. (This, of course, pleased Momma since I am just this side of obsessed with Star Wars!) When I mentioned *present*, William excitedly said, "Present? Star Wars present?" Me: "No, not Star Wars this time, but a different present" Imagine how excited he was the other day when he pooped in the toilet, only to be given a Leap Pad book. Yeah, that didn't really motivate him for the next time.

Yesterday he successfully went again, and again excitely asked if he would be getting a Star Wars present. Well, no, but later, maybe next time, I promised. I called Robert who was halfway home from work to see if he could stop and buy some Star Wars toys for the ~~bribe~~ reward box. In the meantime, I gave him another Leap Pad book, but this time, he was rather happy because it was about dinosaurs, and came with interactive cards.

Robert arrived home with the goodies, but had to leave shortly after. Sarah had been having severe pain in her right side for a couple hours, and the Doctor's nurse said to bring her to the ER so they could check for appendicitis. So off Daddy went with our little girl. Luckily, it was not appendicitis~ she may have hurt it playing at school yesterday. Sarah is a bit of a tomboy and plays football and kickball and things like that with the boys, who treat her as one of the boys. She remembers lunging out and falling at one point.

As they were getting ready to discharge her, it was time for me to get William ready for bed. As is our routine, he goes potty before getting his pj's on. Guess what he did? Yep, "Mommy, I p.u'ed in the toilet! Present? Star Wars?" You bet! He went to bed with his little reward and we opened it this morning.

The funniest part of this story is that normally it's a struggle to get him to sit on the toilet for a bm. Peeing, no big deal. Pooping, hah! It had always been a struggle. Until now. This morning, before it was time to head out the door to go to the bus, he did not want to get off the toilet until he pooped. He tried, unsuccessfully, to go, but he sat there, without a fuss, wanting to go, until he realized, it just wasn't happening. But he tried, willingly.

Thank you Obi-Wan. You were my last hope, and you did not fail.

And Sarah is doing well today, so I am breathing easy.

The End of Summer

2008-10-14T16:02:00.003-04:00

The kids went back to school at the end of August. William was looking forward to seeing his teacher and aide again. His class was looping, so he would have the same teacher for 2nd that he had for 1st Grade. His aide has also remained his aide this year! Being the mom that I am, I had to get those all-important 'First Day Back to School Pictures'.

And while the kids were in school, I accompanied Robert to his company golf tournament. I do not play golf, nor have a desire to learn, but I love hanging out with Robert and the people he works with. So the only shots I took were with my camera.
Heading to our starting positions~

Love this wooden bridge

Robert

Robert & Carol watch Gordon take his shot

That weekend, we decided to visit Robert's parents. We stopped along the way to have a night with friends.
The kids had fun playing with the valet cart~ Emily, Sarah & William, Cameron

Sarah Robert & Emily

Me with my beautiful friend Julie

William & Emily say 'bye'

And on to Grandma's house. William and Sarah decided that Grandma's lap is oh-so comfy~

Papaw loves his grandson~

Sarah & William enjoyed Grandma's porch swing!

What a wonderful way to cap off our summer!

Vacation: Part Five~ The Last Day

2008-10-12T16:07:00.002-04:00

Since we weren't leaving Salt Lake City until late Tuesday night on the red eye, we spent the earlier part of the day visiting Park City. We enjoyed a scrumptious lunch at Bandits' Grill and Bar~ Rachel recommended the Tri-Tip Steak Sandwich. That woman sure knows her food... it was so good, I craved it for several weeks later.

Afterwards we walked down the street, checking out the shops. Robert spotted this moose statue and wanted a picture. William didn't know what to think of it.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Leah found this bench

Park City has some really neat shops, and I found souvenirs for my older kids. Lucy was not feeling well, so we cut the outing short and headed back to Rachel's. It's just as well because I still had a lot of packing to do. That evening, there were lots of hugs as we said our goodbyes.

What a wonderful vacation! William fell asleep while the plane was taxi-ing for takeoff. I was all snug with my Dreamsacks blanket & eyeshades, ready to sleep on the first part of the flight. I don't remember much except that Sarah was snugged up against me until it was time to land.

We had a bit of a layover in Atlanta~ time enough to grab a little breakfast before the next flight boarded. It was so good to be back home that afternoon, but we were all still excited from our trip to see our friends.

And that is how we spent our summer vacation!!

Vacation: Part Four

2008-10-11T23:02:00.002-04:00

Since my very good friend Cathy finally updated her blog with more of her vacation, she asked me to please update mine. I actually have already blogged about Day 4 of our vacation in the post "A Very Special Playdate", but if I were to leave this post at just that, Cathy would never forgive me. I love her too much to do that to her, so....

After that wonderful playdate, Robert, William and I headed back to Rachel's house. Sarah had stayed there while we had gone on our playdate, and Rachel had taken the girls to the mall. Rachel and Aaron had tickets to see Wilco that evening, and managed to get a hold of one more ticket for Robert. They were trying to get one for me, but that didn't work out. That was fine by me; it meant I could hang out with the kids! Rachel ordered pizza for us, and then she & Robert left to go to the concert. Aaron had left earlier with his buddy to set up a good spot on the lawn.

While they were at the concert, enjoying the great music of Wilco, I was having a blast with the kids. Leah and Sarah were playing games on the Wii while William, Lucy & I were singing songs from High School Musical.... loudly. Lucy and William played Webkinz on the laptops, and all I could think when I sat there watching them was "for anyone who thought that kids with special needs couldn't do the things 'typical' kids do, boy are they wrong!"

How cool is this?

After the pizzas arrived and we all had our fill, Leah and Sarah decided to be a little creative. They took the caps off their drinks, got a couple straws and made up a game of 'table top bottle cap hockey'.

Robert texted me from the concert~ they were having a great time! Leah and Sarah returned to their game on the Wii and William followed them. Lucy and I played Webkinz together, followed by more singing (loudly, of course), this time songs from Wicked. At one point, Leah & Sarah came running up to me, out of breath, and Sarah asked when we had to leave in the morning. I told her we weren't leaving until the next evening. Have you ever heard how loud two 10-yr old girls can squeal with delight? They grabbed each other by the shoulders and jumped up and down. Yeah, I was the hero that night.

The gang returned from the concert, having had a blast. They think they had the better part of the deal. I know otherwise~ my night was way better than theirs.

Today is a Special Day...

2008-10-09T18:41:00.003-04:00

Someone very special is having a birthday today. Hop on over to her blog here, or her MySpace page here, and wish her a Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday My Friend!!!

Miracles

2008-09-26T13:48:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a big deal here in our home. It was William's heart day. Eight years ago, our little baby boy went through his second heart surgery, and oh, what a difference it made. At six weeks old, William was frail, ashen, and tired. The Atrial Septal Defect in his heart was at 7mm. Pretty big when you consider that his entire heart was about the size of a walnut. William didn't cry much then... most of the sounds he made sounded like a Tauntaun from Hoth. My only concern at the time was keeping him alive until he could have his surgery. I slept 20 minutes at night, and caught a catnap here & there during the day. I felt the responsibility of being diligent... putting weight on him, willing him to live, holding him most all of the time. It was the scariest time of our lives.

Grandma holds her little William.

The weekend before the surgery we spent in the step-down unit. William was closely monitored, and I would watch helplessly as his breathing would jump from 66 to 88, to 72 and even to 108, then 82, 55 and sometimes drop to 30. With the nurses there to feed William at night, I had my first long stretch of sleep in over 6 weeks.

Journal entry...September 25~ 8:30am... They made the first incision 15 minutes ago. I haven't figured out what's more difficult... the waiting now, or watching William's respiration these last several days.

8:40am... The nurse just told us that William is now on the bypass machine. William was more tired than usual yesterday. It's been quite obvious that we made the right decision to stay here at the hospital over the weekend.

9:35am... Off bypass. They patched the hole, and didn't have to go back and put a little hole in it. So,... good news! Hopefully, we'll get to talk to the surgeon soon.

10:20am... We're up in the CICU waiting area. The surgeon had come out around 10 to talk to us~ everything went well. The pressures were good after they took William off of bypass. We got to see William around 11:30. His color looked really good. I didn't realize how ashen he had been looking the last few weeks. Robert and I looked through the medical paperwork and saw a summary from the surgeon to the cardiologist. It said that William does have mild to moderate Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. *Thankfully, it is mild enough to not require any treatment to date.

September 26~ They had to hook an external pacemaker up to William's heart last night. While he was sedated, his heart rate dropped to 90; they wanted it to be around 140. Gradually during the day, they began removing various lines and tubes. Started with the leads, then the chest tubes, followed by the stomach tube and the respirator. After he was off the respiratory, they shut off the pacemaker. William seemed so alert and stronger. He sucked so voraciously on his pacifier, the nurse gave him a bottle of breastmilk. He took 43cc's of it in record time. I was so tired, yet at the same time, I was screaming with joy inside. All the while I still held the fear that there would be an unexpected turn of events.

On the 29th, he was discharged. After that, the visiting nurse came by a few times a week to weigh him. He was steadily gaining! Within 3 weeks, the right side of his heart had gone back to regular size. We met with our Early intervention team and set up a schedule. By Thanksgiving, William weighed 9lbs6oz... he was finally ON the growth chart.

Despite a rough beginning, William these days certainly doesn't seem like a child with heart defects. He still sees his cardiologist every 18 months to be sure everything is functioning as it should. He is in second grade this year, loves math and reading, and 2 weeks ago, just for fun, he learned all the planets in our solar system... in order!!! He loves to sing... it may be off-key most of the time, but he loves to sing! He can recite movie dialogs by heart. He says things that make us laugh, like "What do you think you're doing?" He makes us cry with joy when he says, out of the blue, "I love you".
After William was born, I found the quote by Einstein that is in my blog header. Words have never rung so clearly for me than those. Everything truly is a miracle.
Happy Heart Day William!

Vacation: Part Three

2008-09-14T20:23:00.004-04:00

Rachel and Aaron wanted to share their favorite places with us on our vacation. For Day 3, we went to Snowbird.

William, on the tram up to Hidden Peak

going up to Hidden Peak in the tram.

Aaron & Lucy

From Hidden Peak

Robert & William

The Malone's & The Coleman's

Sarah & Leah on the trail down to Peruvian Gulch

Rachel, William & Robert on the trail down to Peruvian Gulch

They were quite a bit ahead of us on the trail

We'd walked down from way up there!

Sarah & Leah on the lift going down.

Aaron distracting William on the way down.

William on the Bungee Trampoline... he loved it!

He kept singing "We're all in this together" from High School Musical while he jumped!

Leah does a flip on the bungee

Sarah too!

What a wonderful day! Afterwards we headed back down the mountain and had dinner at Porcupine Pub & Grill. Yum!

More to come, but in the meantime, meet some of the children who sign in the upcoming Baby Signing Time volumes in Signing Time "Meet The Signers".

Vacation: Part Two

2008-09-11T17:12:00.005-04:00

William loved waking up at Rachel's house every day of our vacation. "Good Morning Rachel! Where's Leah?" was the question he asked her one morning. And oh, how he loved seeing Lucy! He was at times fascinated with her wheelchair, but more excited to be hanging out with Lucy.

Sarah & Lucy

There was swim time

Sarah

Lucy & Rachel

Play Time

Sarah & Leah playing video games.

Saturday afternoon Robert, Sarah, William and I went to visit our friend LeeAnn and her family. LeeAnn works for Signing Time, and I've visited with her on my trips to Salt Lake City in the past few years.

Funny~ I think that except for Robert and a few other friends, my closest friendships have come after William was born. The online friends I've made because he has Down syndrome have led me to form some of the deepest friendships I've ever known. Because of him, we found out about Signing Time, and from there we've made more lifelong friends. LeeAnn is one of these friends.

We had a great time at her house, and Sarah got to try their Wii Fit while we were there. My pictures came out blurry or dark (didn't have the camera set right) so I won't post 'em, but I have to admit... seeing how fun the Wii Fit was made me really want one! (I have since purchased one... and now exercise is a blast! But that's a whole other post one of these days)

More vacation posts to come, but in the meantime, have you heard about the Signing Time Scavenger Hunt Sweepstakes? If you haven't visited Signing Time's web site lately, what are you waiting for? Find clues
while you explore the new site, and enter for a chance to win $1,000!
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Why are you still here? Go on a Scavenger Hunt at Signing Time.com!!! Now!

Vacation: Part One

2008-08-23T12:36:00.003-04:00

Robert and I rarely go on vacations. Other than visiting family and friends for a weekend or holidays once in a while, we've probably only been on 3 actual vacations in the 13 years we've been together. The first was to Disney World in 2002, when Mariko, Steve and Shizuka (our exchange student from Japan) were there for band competition. Robert and I drove down with Doug, Sarah & William and spent several fun-filled days there. The second was last winter when we flew out to spend Christmas with Mariko in beautiful Palo Alto, California. The third was just recently. We'd been trying to arrange time to visit with Rachel and family for nearly 3 years now, but between her busy Signing Time schedule and Robert's work schedule, it just never worked out. So when I sent a prospective schedule to Rachel at the end of July, she said she had an amazingly open time frame right then. I bought the plane tickets so fast Robert couldn't believe it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, William was more excited counting down the days to going to visit Rachel than he was to his birthday!

We flew out the day after his birthday, and to everyone who said 'hi' to him, he announced he was 'going on a plane to see Rachel'. We got in late in the evening, exhausted. Friday morning I went out to get my hair cut & styled~ my favorite style to date! Rachel had a meeting and Aaron had to work, so Robert & I took the kids and went to lunch and then bowling with Leah, Lucy and their summer nanny.

Sarah, Lucy & Leah

helping Lucy get the ball ready

Go Lucy!

Even with the kid-rail up, William managed to get the ball stuck in the gutter?!

Lucy, on her way to a Spare!!!

Sarah's turn for a spare!

Way to go Sarah!

William was so excited every time he had a turn!

Robert's strike

I was getting a picture of the screen, but caught his grimace as well~ that did a number on his back!

Leah's spare!!

Looking good Sarah!

And they all fell down... all that Wii Bowling paid off!

That evening, we brought the kids over to Rachel's sister Emilie's house for the cousin's pizza and a movie night. William was so happy to see Alex and make some new friends with Leah & Lucy's other cousins. From there, Robert & I went to dinner with Rachel & Aaron at Market Street Grill which they said is one of their favorite places to eat. I know why. It was sooooo wonderful!

The new 'do

After dinner we went to pick up the kids and ended up having a songfest at Emilie's. Such fun!

*Stay tuned~ more updates to come, including our family's preview of Baby Signing Time Volumes 3 & 4, which will be coming out in October! Meanwhile, for a sneak peek of Baby Signing Time online at http://www.signingtime.com/baby-signingtime-preview/index.html and a chance to win one of the very first copies, enter the Baby Signing Time blog contest at: http://www.signingtime.com/blog/2008/09/blog-competition/

A Very Special Playdate

2008-08-22T12:46:00.002-04:00

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one" ~ C.S. Lewis

While Robert, Sarah, William & I went to Utah for vacation, we also took some time to visit some very special friends. I'd been fortunate enough in one of my previous solo trips to meet up with Christie, Brady and Tammy (Parker's mom), but I knew my name would be mud if I didn't get William and Brady together this trip out. Imagine my joy when Christie said she would bring us by to meet Tammy and Parker, the brave little hero himself!

Brady & William

Robert's new buddy, Brady

Robert & two very adorable boys!

Christie, me, Robert, Brady & William

After lunch with Christie & Brady, she drove us over to Tammy's. Parker was all smiles when he saw his impromptu playdate buddies!

Melting my heart!

Parker was all smiles and laughs

As cute as Parker and Brady are in photos, they are even more adorable in real life!

Parker pulled himself up on Robert

and they became fast friends

Robert was loving it!

and Parker looked oh so comfy on Robert's lap

Of course, I needed a Parker fix too

But Parker kept looking at Robert as though he'd much rather still be in Robert's lap

or back down on the floor with the boys

Group shot!

And before we knew it, our visit was over... for this time, anyway. I promise Christie & Tammy, we will be back before you know it!

Thanks again to both of you for taking the time to meet us!!!

William's 8th Birthday

2008-08-22T12:21:00.002-04:00

William turned 8 last week, on the 13th. While he was excited about his birthday in the days leading up to it, he was more excited about going on a plane the following day to visit friends. His countdown of days to flying to Rachel was more important than his own birthday! He did, however, inform Daddy and me that he wanted a chocolate cake, candles, and presents.

The difference this year is that he was very specific in what he wanted for a present. This, of course, was something he didn't tell me until I'd already ordered all of the presents we had planned to get him, so Daddy had to make a stop at the store on his way home one night. We still haven't given him all of his presents, since Brittany wasn't here for the birthday celebration, so we'll be having another cake and more presents sometime soon. In the meantime....

The cake, with a number 8 candle and a candle to grow on..

This is the present he wanted more than anything~ The Wizards of Waverly Place dvd! He seems very hooked on only 2 of the episodes in it though~

Carefully opening his main gift~ and by the way, he really wasn't all that interested in opening anything else after he opened his Wizards of Waverly Place dvd. Reminder to self: don't give him the one thing he has been asking for before the other presents.

The new Didj from Leapfrog. This game system is awesome! I can download spelling words or math facts into the games he has on it so he can learn while he's playing!

Happy Birthday my Big Boy!!! Your family loves you soooo much!

After 45 Years....

2008-08-08T11:56:00.003-04:00

I finally went to a Red Sox game at Fenway! When I was a baby and my Dad was stationed at the Boston Shipyards (did you know I was a Navy brat?), he used to be able to buy tickets to Red Sox games for next to nothing. I think the last game my parents brought me to was a doubleheader against the Orioles when I was 2 years old~ and the Sox won 'em both!

So finally after all these years, I decided this was the year to go to a game. In January, I joined Red Sox Nation, which gave me 2 tickets to a game. Once I decided on the game, I booked a room through Hotwire.com. Recently when Mariko was getting ready to come home for a week, she mentioned she'd like to see a game while she was here. She happened to be coming home during the time I had the game tickets for. Robert asked a buddy of his if he had any extra tickets to the game, and his friend came through. We gave Mariko and her friend the tickets I had gotten through Red Sox Nation.

Last Friday we headed off to Boston and the Westin Copley Place Hotel. I love going through Hotwire for travel~ we save so much on rooms! Robert and I had a wonderful dinner at the Palm Restaurant, courtesy of a gift card from a friend, and had THE best steak ever. EVER. Seriously. It was the best Filet Mignon I have ever eaten in my life, cooked to perfection. The service was excellent, and there I was, with my best friend in the world, Robert. We walked around the Prudential Shopping Center afterwards, checking out our favorite stores, like Levenger, Sephora and Teavana. We ended up at Barnes & Noble~ for some reason, nearly all our dates end up at a bookstore. We bought books for the kids, Robert looked at music and architecture books, and I searched for Seeds of Change, which I found out isn't out yet (you can pre-order it though!). There's a story in it by a fellow classmate of Mariko's, Blake Charlton. Blake is getting some great reviews on his story, "Endosymbiont". His own novel, Spellwright, will be coming out soon!

Saturday Robert and I slept in. We had a bite to eat at Starbucks (have you tried their bacon, avocado, cheddar, & egg wrap? Yummy!) and grabbed our coffees to finish while we walked around the Back Bay. We stopped in to the First Act Guitar Studio on Boylston. Robert was like a kid in a toy store.

From there, we walked down Newbury Street, and criss-crossed the streets of Boston until we got to Fenway Park.

We bought some shirts and a new cap for Robert, then headed back to our hotel. We stopped at the Prudential shops and bought some tea, then met up with Mariko and her friend Jessica for a late lunch. After we got back to our room, it began raining, then came the thunderstorm, and right before we were going to leave to head back to the ballpark, the rain stopped.

We found our seats at the park, then went to get some paper towels and napkins to dry them off. And get some Fenway Franks and Cracker Jacks.

From our seats, I could zoom in on the Boston dugout~

I must have taken a ton of photos of David Ortiz, my favorite~

Throwing out the first pitch~ Joey Kramer, Aerosmith's drummer!

Jon Lester pitched for Boston that night.

Wonder what he's thinking~ *oh, man, they're walking me... again...*

Sox win!

We met up with Mariko & Jessica afterwards and headed back to the hotel. We stopped at The Cheesecake Factory for drinks & some food, and then off to our rooms.

Sunday we got up, checked out and drove up to the Burlington Mall to meet up with Jim and Steph so they could see Mariko. We met up at, where else, Cheesecake Factory!

Jim & Mariko

Robert & me

Jim & Steph, who celebrated their 4th anniversary yesterday!

Jim, Robert & Mariko

Mariko visited with her grandparents in Maine on Tuesday, then off to the airport Wednesday to get ready for her second year at Stanford Medical School!

Quick update

2008-08-01T11:07:00.003-04:00

Robert and I are having a little getaway weekend in Boston and will be going to see our favorite team, the Red Sox, tomorrow night. I will blog about it next week.

In the meantime, here's a picture of us from 2 weeks ago, when he had to be in NYC for a couple of meetings. It just so happened to be the anniversary of the day we met thirteen years ago.

"What's Your Secret?"

2008-06-17T19:48:00.007-04:00

Today has been a very good day. I decided to take a trip to the mall and shop for end-of-school-year gifts for the kids' teachers, aides & William's therapists. Nothing like waiting until the last minute~ tomorrow is the last day of school for them! That's me... Ms. Procrastinator.

After stopping at the gas station to fill up the car, off I went, driving down the highway, listening to the soundtrack of Wicked, singing along at the top of my lungs. Yes, a good day.

I thought about buying the components to make some nice beaded key rings as gifts, and spent quite a long time at the crafts store, picking out just the right pieces. I had an armload when I remembered I wanted to look at the stencils. I realized the other day that it would probably be wise to have more than one stencil for the border I'll be doing in the side hall, kitchen and breakfast areas. I could set a few of them up and just move on down the line with my stencil creams. Suddenly I recalled that 5 years ago, when William was aging out of the Early Intervention program, I had stencilled some canvas bags for his therapists. Knowing that I did not want to take the time to stencil a dozen or so bags by tomorrow morning, I thought about iron on transfers to decorate bags. On my way through the aisles looking for canvas bags, I passed by the frames. Oh, right, I wanted some new frames! I loaded up with 3 nice ones, then found the bags. My arms were full, so I went back to the front of the store to the bead section and put all those components back where they belonged, then off to the back of the store where the canvas bags were to grab those. On my way to the register, I found some fabric markers and the iron on transfers. Phew!

I put the goodies out in my car and then went back into the mall, off to visit the newest store there (and one of my favorites), Sephora. Along the way I got distracted. Victoria's Secret was having a sale. I couldn't pass that up. Then I couldn't resist Express and their sale. I found what I needed at Sephora, and decided it was time to grab a coffee and head home. Well, not coffee... the Starbucks is right across from Sephora~ I had to have a Venti Soy Caramel Machiatto... yummmmmmm.

After the young man at the register helped the couple in front of me, he looked at me. The coolest thing happened. His eyes lit up, and he broke into a big smile. I ordered my drink and an apple fritter, and he passed the machiatto order on to the barista. He turned back to me and paused, smiling. "I have to tell you~ there is something about you... you have this very young soul about you, light and young. I can't really explain it, but it just surrounds you." I smiled and thanked him. Then he asked, "What is your secret?" I joked about having a portrait in my attic that ages instead of me. Poor thing looked a little confused by that answer, so I added, "I'm just truly happy." That seemed to make more sense to him.

As I walked through the mall to my car, and on my way home, I thought about what he asked... What is my secret? I had time to think about it~ we live more than 45 minutes from the mall.

It's not the first time someone has commented on the spirit about me. There was just something about the way this young man's eyes lit up when he saw me that made me want to figure this out. So as I drove, I thought.... and thought.. and talked to myself. Yes, I am happy, but so are lots of people. I love my life, really truly deeply love this life I am living.

I could not always say that. I have been to the depths of despair~ life ending despair. All I can say is there were some moments in that darkness when a quiet calm voice whispered to me to hold on... that my future was waiting for me. That voice was there again when I was preparing to take a solo trip to Rochester NY to set up and sell at a booth at a wholesale gift show. The voice told me I would find myself there. I thought it meant I would find myself in solitude. Nope. I met Robert there, and by finding him, I truly did find myself. And that calm voice again spoke to me on my way home from that trip, after Robert and I parted. I was driving along, thinking of this man I had just spent a few days with, thinking of how I finally felt like this is why I held on to life all those years ago, and as I crested a hill, the sun was coming up, and the voice told me simply, "God is Love... this is your future."

So, back to my secret. If there is one.

I am an optimist~ I don't have time for the negatives, for drama.

I let go of the stress that comes with life. Things usually have a way of working out, so why worry? If something doesn't work out, maybe it's just for this moment that it wasn't meant to be, and something better will come up.

I have an infinite supply of love, caring, understanding, and faith. Even in the tough times. Especially in the tough times.

If I want to cry, I cry. If I want to laugh, I laugh.

Set your goals high, dream big, and know that you may have to work hard for them.

Practice compassion. Be generous.

Be passionate~ about life, about love, about family.

If I think of anything else, I will add them.

Not much to my secret, is there?

The Busiest Week Ever....

2008-06-08T18:51:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm sure there will probably be busier weeks to come, but wow! What a week it has been!!!!

June 1st we had not just one, but two graduations~ Steve from college and Doug from high school! We went to Doug's, and Brittany took pictures from Steve's. It was a gorgeous day, with a nice breeze to offset the heat. I am stunned sometimes at how quickly time passes. It seems like just yesterday these boys were only just beginning their school days!

Jim and Steph had arrived before we did, mainly because I gave them the wrong time~ turns out Steve's was at noon and Doug's was at 1, but still there was no way for me to be at both, not without a transporter, anyway.
My Doug~

Doug's car~ Robert had gotten it for him at Christmas~ it's an '86 BMW... which he loves, though I laugh at him owning a car that is as old as his brother Steve!

Doug coming down the track~

On his way to receive his diploma!

The moment~

About to toss his cap up!

Rubbing his head because someone else's cap came down on his forehead~

My happy graduate!!!

My Doug & me~

Robert, Doug & Sarah

Steve's graduation~
I am still very pained that I missed this. He kept saying it was no big deal~ well, he's not a parent yet. Luckily, Brittany did get photos for us!

My new college graduate!

Steve & Brittany~ what a gorgeous couple they are~

Yeah!

I absolutely love this picture~ that is the best smile~ that's Steve's usual smile!

And the next day was my 47th birthday. I took a break from painting, which if you're wondering, no, I didn't meet my deadline... oh well.
We finally bought a lighter for the candles~ Steve & I went through so many matches when we lit Robert's candles in April, that the candles we lit first were pretty small by the time we got to the last candle.

William is fascinated~

We huffed & puffed and blew those candles out!

Kisses from my honey~

Doug & Sarah

I love this little boy! And yes, he is in dire need of a haircut!

Mud pies

2008-05-31T19:42:00.002-04:00

Not mud mud, but joint compound mud. That's what I've been doing this week~ playing with mud. The side entry hallway has been driving me nuts because of a bump-out ripple due to the house settling. We have a modular house (a 6 rectangle modular~ someday I'll blog and post pictures of when it was put together), and we had some places that have bumped out as the house settled. One such place is the side entry hallway. I've been planning to fix it for, well, a couple years now. Plus I decided it's time to re-paint the hallway, kitchen and breakfast area.

I procrastinated decided to wait until I was good & motivated. Strangely, motivation comes when I have so much going on any sane person would not undertake such a task.

I never said I was sane.

Somehow the physical work takes my mind off other things and de-stresses me, even though I set myself a deadline to get it all finished, which makes me feel pressed for time. Which was today, but the walls were not level to begin with, so I had to mud, dry, sand, mud, dry, sand, repeat... to make the two walls nice and flat. My new deadline is Monday. Tuesday at the latest, because I have to pack for a trip Robert and I leave for on Wednesday.

Two of the boys are graduating tomorrow~ Doug from high school and Steve from college. Same day, same exact time. Steve says it's no big deal since it's just the local community college. Yeah, he's not a parent. He was insistent the rest of the family go to Doug's. What a nice brother. Truthfully, Steve was going to go to Doug's too, but his girlfriend flew up to see him graduate. She's taking my good camera for pictures. Jim & Steph are coming down and Jim's bringing his camera which has a better zoom than mine. I haven't even done my nails, waxed above my lip pampered my face, or chosen my outfit.

I have a scrapbook to start and finish between now and Tuesday evening. I also have to get William's sharing book ready by Tuesday evening so he'll have it for Thursday.

I'm sure I must have a few other things to do by Tuesday evening, but I haven't checked my to-do list. I guess 'pressed for time' translates to 'Kei's motivating factor'.

I'll post pictures when I'm finished with this particular painting task. Although it won't really be completely finished. I didn't put my stencilling plans into my deadline. I'll probably wait to do the border stencil work right before I have some other big life event(s) going on.

That sounds like something I'd do.

Bringing Signing Time to Our Hometown.... OR

2008-05-26T13:04:00.004-04:00

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hosting a Signing Time Event But Were Afraid to Ask!

A few years ago, before Signing Time was on TV, we were given the unique opportunity to host a Signing Time community event. This, we learned, was not an undertaking for the meek.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

*This appeared in the May Signing Time Newsletter. I am often asked what it takes to host an event and the editors of the newsletter asked if Robert and I could share our experience. Please read the editor's note at the end of the article.

Ink me!

2008-05-26T11:56:00.002-04:00

I was recently out of town~ out of state~ to get my second tattoo. What began as a date for new body art turned into a wonderful get together with friends old & new. I'd booked my date and plane tickets months ago to fly out to Salt Lake City to see Sarah at Oni Tattoo Gallery. Yes, she's that awesome! She also happens to be the younger sister of my friend, Rachel, so my original plan was to hang out with Rachel and some local Signing Time friends while I was out there. My friend Cathy was needing a girlfriends retreat, so she arranged to come for the weekend too! We'd gotten to know each other through the Signing Time forums, weekly chats, emails and phone calls.

As fate would have it, Rachel was just returning from a second trip to Ghana. And just for something else to add to the Signing Time plate, the company was having a Baby Signing Time meet & greet that weekend. Then Cathy had found out a few weeks before that the Association for Deaf Children (ADC), who was sponsoring Rachel's second trip to Ghana, was holding a 5K/1mile race/walk while we were in town. She suggested that our group of Signing Time fans enter to show our support for them. Oh, guess who placed 2nd in women's 40-49 age division? Yes! Yours truly. Not bad for someone who is really not in shape. Cathy placed 1st in her age division~ way to go Cathy!!!!

It was a whirlwind trip, and I admit I didn't go crazy with my camera, having decided to leave my really good camera at home for this trip, but it was awesome to see some of my longtime Signing Time pals and finally get to meet others face-to-face. So for pics, hop on over to Cathy's blog.

For my T21 friends who live in SLC, I must apologize for not letting you know so we could meet up. My schedule became so full there was no way to fit everything in I had planned to. However, there will be another trip in a year, if not sooner. I have another tattoo to get.

Oh, and for those who wish to see, my new body art:

She was based on a faerie I had done 13 years ago:

I love how Sarah added her own touches to her. The best part is, I can see this one any time I want. Last year's ink is on my shoulderblade and sometimes I forget she's there!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2008-05-26T11:42:00.003-04:00

Do you see it?

Yes, I'm playing a game on William's Leapster while he is playing a game on my Blackberry Pearl.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T19:23:00.008-04:00

I've been celebrating Mother's Day all weekend. Jim & Steph came down yesterday and I made a huge batch of Tonkatsu, rice and Inari-zushi for dinner. Just as I was finished with the cooking, Steve's buddy Josh stopped by and we invited him to stay, teasing him that he had perfect timing.

There's nothing better than having a big dinner around the table, good food and the company of family. The only thing that could have made it a perfect dinner would have been if the entire family had been here. The laughter that accompanies our family dinners is such an endearing sound.

Today I went shopping with the girls... Brittany & Sarah. We needed to go to the craft store to buy some jewelry supplies, and somehow we spent about six hours out & about. Fun fun!!!!

Mariko called me while I was out shopping. It was great to hear her voice~ it's been too long. Med school sure keeps her busy. I'm so proud of her.

Friday William brought home some papers from school. Among them, his paper on reading a clock. I was so happy to see how he did!

He also brought home the Mother's Day card he made for me~

and the inside~

It's been a great weekend.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies reading this!

I am interrupting my flu-induced blog absence due to some BIG news!

2008-04-30T20:58:00.007-04:00

The Daytime Emmy Award Nominations were announced today.

Outstanding Performer In A Children's Series:

BINDI THE JUNGLE GIRL
DISCOVERY KIDS
BINDI IRWIN, AS BINDI IRWIN

JACK HANNA'S INTO THE WILD
SYNDICATED
JACK HANNA, AS JACK HANNA

JOHNNY AND THE SPRITES
DISNEY CHANNEL
JOHN TARTAGLIA, AS JOHNNY

SESAME STREET
PBS
KEVIN CLASH, AS ELMO

SIGNING TIME!
PBS
RACHEL COLEMAN, AS RACHEL

Now, is that awesome or what!??!!!!

The Daytime Emmy Awards will be telecast June 20, 2008 on ABC at 8:00 p.m. (ET), Live from Hollywood’s’ Kodak Theatre.

Congratulations Rachel!!! You know we're rooting for you!!!

Sophia's Tiny Hands

2008-04-18T14:52:00.004-04:00

Dear Blog Readers,
Those of you who know me are familiar with my love of Signing Time! I hear Signing Time! success stories from friends often, but here is one I felt compelled to share with you. Inspired by Rachel Coleman, Signing Time!, and her own daughter, this blog is for a mom who has found a way to help others.

I've known Bridget for over two years through the Signing Time! forums and finally got to meet her in October 2006 at the Signing Time! event in Harrisburg, PA. Bridget is as sweet in real life as she is online.

Not only is Bridget an authorized retailer for Signing Time!, but she and her husband Chris have founded The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation (TSTHEF), a 501(c)(3) Non-profit charity. Their mission is to provide opportunities of higher education to Deaf children and to future ASL interpreters. Please read their mission statement here. She kindly agreed to let me interview her for my blog.

Chris and Bridget

K: Where did the idea for The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation originate?

B: The idea for TSTHEF originated from our retail business, Sophia's Tiny Hands. We are independent retailers of Signing Time!, the DVD series created to teach American Sign Language to children. Rachel Coleman was an incredible inspiration to us and the Signing Time! video series changed our life as it gave our youngest daughter, Sophia, her "voice." From there, my husband said, "I want us to start a non-profit granting scholarships to deaf students nationwide for college." For the full story of how it all started, visit http://www.sophiastinyhands.com/.

Shiori, Rachel (with Sabrina), Bridget (with Sophia), and Chris at the Buddy Walk of Northern Virginia, October 2006

K: In 'Our Story' on http://www.sophiastinyhands.com/ , regarding the decision to start a home-based business, it states that 'Bridget could think of no better way to thank the company who gave her daughter a voice than to become an Independent Authorized Retailer of Signing Time!'. I know that as a retailer, you've heard many success stories about using Signing Time! with children of all abilities, but not many of those parents go out and accomplish what you and your husband have. Why you?

B: The best answer I have is "Why not me?" Honestly, I have been through a lot in my life and it has made me into an incredibly strong-willed woman. However, there are others out there whose life circumstances have done the opposite. When Sophia was first diagnosed with hearing loss I wanted to learn everything I could and went into an almost survivalist mode. It was a "now what do we do?" type situation. We found Signing Time and watched what it did for our daughter. It's one thing to hear or read about a person's experiences. It's quite a different one to experience it and go on. I watched my daughter totally blossom. I saw how Signing Time quickly became Family Time as well as creating an even more immense bond among all of us. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want to share that with everyone. Going to events and talking to people about both companies and our experiences is something I love to do.
Rachel and a beautiful pregnant Bridget at the October 2006 Buddy Walk in Northern Virginia.

K: Are there many organizations out there like yours?

B: No, not that we have found anywhere. There really are not many organizations like ours. There are some that will grant small scholarships, say approx. $3000, to students but there are geographical restrictions. Our foundation is looking to grant full scholarships and we do not limit ourselves based on geographic location other than being in the United States or one of it's territories. Because our foundation is so specialized, it has actually made it difficult to find grant money. There are no specific grants for what we are doing and even the department of education is at a loss for how to assist us.

K: How much of an education did you get while researching what it would take to start a non-profit foundation? ;)

B: We have actually gotten quite a bit of an education in the process. It's quite a scary figure to find that 80% of deaf children worldwide never see a classroom, let alone college. That's honestly been quite a bitter fact to accept and we hope to help change that. I think some of what we have learned has been overwhelming at times, but the information is so valuable. The more we are learning, the more we can really help others.

K: Do you feel that maybe the foundation will enlighten people in the Dept of Education that there is a void here that needs to be addressed?

B: I really hope that it does. The people in the Dept. of Education don't know what to say. They all realize that this is an incredible foundation we have, but just aren't sure how they can help. A statistic is just a statistic, but when you think of the 80% that I mentioned previously and put that into people with the thought that 1 of every 1000 children is born deaf, that's a lot of people that never see a classroom. We are proud to be at the forefront, trying to change that statistic.

K: I see that Linda Bove (of Sesame Street) is on the Board of Directors. How did she become involved with TSTHEF?

B: Yes! We are very pleased that both Linda and her husband, Ed Waterstreet, are on our Board of Directors. When we started the foundation last year we needed a list of potential people for the Board of Directors. I told my husband, Chris, that we should ask Linda Bove to join the board. His challenge to me was, "find her." Little did he know I already had that information! We contacted Linda and Ed through their theatre company, Deaf West Theatre , and they accepted.

And in addition, we didn't stop there. Greg Gunderson is an honorary member of our board as well. Greg is the first deaf race car driver whose mission is to prove that, "deaf can do anything but hear." Greg is definitely doing that and we support him! He is an honorary member as it is one of our foundation's objectives to help to sponsor his race car in the future. By helping with his sponsorship, we will be able to really spread the word about the foundation as well.

K: How did it feel when The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation was granted the 501(c)(3) approval? Did you scream with joy, because I would have!
B: I was at work when the approval came through. Chris sent me a text message in all caps to let me know we were approved. I was screaming with joy on the inside, jumping up and down with excitement, and was so thrilled that I couldn't work for the rest of my shift. My mind was going a million miles a minute with all of the things that we needed to get started.

K: The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation provides the opportunity to help Deaf children pursue higher education or people who would like to be an ASL interpreter a chance to realize their dreams. What was your dream when you were growing up?

B: I wanted to be an astronaut. I also wanted to take on the world, in a good way, and help bring about world peace. I also loved languages, so I wanted to do something with that as well. I have always had an incredible passion and zest for life. That passion carried over into adulthood and I still want to take on the world and bring about change. In addition, I wanted to be a mom of 4 kids. Little did I know I would be blessed with 5 children!

K: Do you ever pinch yourself?

B: Yes, quite frequently. My kids help too! All joking aside, we are living a dream. Both Chris and myself are very passionate about the foundation and have made some incredible contacts. Friends of ours were so inspired by our children that they started a "Silent Night" once a month at their store for ASL only time, inviting customers to come learn to sign. They have a donation jar at their front counter and on the event night we play Signing Time for any of the kids that come.

K: If someone wanted to help but did not have the extra money, in what other ways can they support you?

B: There are many wonderful opportunities to help other than only donating money. Some of these are:

- Use http://www.goodsearch.com/ for all of your internet searches and list 'The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation' as the charity you search for. This is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of it's advertising revenue to listed non-profits. For every search, GoodSearch will donate $0.01 to your listed charity. While that may not seem like a lot, if 100 people make just one search a day that's one dollar already generated.

- Use http://www.goodshop.com/ or http://www.igive.com/ for all of your online shopping needs. Both of these organizations have teamed up with over 600+ merchants including Apple, Old Navy, ebay, Staples, etc in which a percentage of your purchase, up to 30%, will be donated back to your charity of choice. All you would need to do is list 'The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation' as your charity of choice and start shopping!

- Spread the word! Help spread the word about our mission to family, friends, and acquaintances via email, blog posts, word of mouth. You can even refer them to any of the above listed websites! The websites themselves have a standard email that you can send out to everyone.

- Add our chip-in widget to your website, myspace, facebook, blogger account, etc. Log on to our website http://www.thesthef.org/. Each page has a chip-in widget placed on it. By clicking the "COPY" icon on the widget itself, you can copy the code right onto your site/page. This will allow others to make donations to our foundation directly from your site/page.

- In-kind donations or consignment: Donate or put on consignment, items that we can use in one of our silent auctions or on ebay. We do a tremendous amount of auctions through ebay and all of the events we are currently planning will have silent auctions. Items for auction are always welcomed and needed.

- Become a direct seller on ebay for The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation. If you are an ebay seller, you can donate a portion, starting at 1% up to 100%, to the charity of your choice through ebay's Giving Works partner Mission Fish. Just log on to http://www.missionfish.org/ and find our charity, The Sophia's Tiny Hands Education Foundation. Follow the instructions and you can be set up within minutes as a direct seller for our charity.

- Keep your ears and eyes open for corporations or grants that may be a good fit for our mission. As I said before, because of the specialization of our foundation, finding grants to fit our mission has been difficult. If you find/see something, email us directly at sthef@sophiastinyhands.com.

I would also like to add that many large corporations, such as Bank of America, offer their employees gift matching contributions where the corporation will match dollar for dollar, starting at $25, every donation that their employee makes to a non-profit up to a specific amount per year. This type of program most likely varies from corporation to corporation, so I would encourage people to look into their company's policies on charitable giving. Some corporations also have volunteer policies in which an employee's volunteer time to a non-profit may qualify that charity to receive a check from the corporation itself. If you become a direct seller for our charity, or you are finding grants or corporations for us to contact, that counts as time you have volunteered to our company.

If you think of any other ideas or have questions regarding the foundation and ways to help please do not hesitate to contact us via email at: sthef@sophiastinyhands.com.

Sabrina and Rachel

Shiori (holding Calvin), Sophia, Sabrina and Emily.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions Bridget.

Blog friends, please stop by Bridget's retail site and the foundation site. If you can, make a donation. And please, let others know about their charity.

Thanks!

Happy 50th Birthday to My Best Friend, Love, Soulmate, Husband....

2008-04-17T08:53:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Dearest Robert.
I can't believe you're Fifty! You certainly don't seem it. Yesterday I was browsing through photos, trying to decide which ones to use for today's birthday blog (and William's sharing book!).

Robert in the Bunny Suit when he was a little guy. What's up, Doc?

Robert & his Dad~

5 years old, all dressed up.

Birthday number 43~ Look how young Sarah was!

For his 44th birthday, I got him the Rookie Experience from the Richard Petty Driving Experience

Zooming right along!

I wasn't thinking when I picked out the candles for his 45th birthday~

I am quite surprised we didn't set the fire alarm off! One should never alternate long thin candles with mini champagne bottle candles.... remember that!

His next birthday was in our new house!

Last year we went to our friend's house for his birthday

William helped blow out the candle.

Everyone asked if we were going to have a special party for his big 5-0, but we're just having a quiet dinner and some cake with the kids.

Last weekend, however, Robert & I went to NYC! He had meetings in the city so I tagged along.

The view from the hotel restaurant~

And on Saturday morning, we stood in line for the Wicked lottery . Click here if you don't know about the lottery. They drew Robert's name out third! Which meant.... front row seats at $26.25 a ticket! We were stunned, happy, excited!!!!

We went back to the theater for the matinee, still pinching ourselves!

The show was AMAZING! It was the first Broadway show ever for Robert. Afterwards the cast members were collecting money for Broadway Cares.

Later we had dinner with one of the architects Robert is working with, and he gave us a tour of his favorite architectural places around the city.

We had such a fabulous weekend. No wonder we don't need to have a big party tonight~ we are still recovering from the wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Robert! I love you more than words will ever express!

Where we spent our vacation......

2008-04-10T13:50:00.003-04:00

money!

Well, part of it anyway. We had considered going to Disney World this year, since Doug is a senior and will be there for band competition over the April school break. I found a great vacation package for the flight and hotel; the problem was I was having a tough time accepting what they charge for the "Magic Your Way" tickets. My way was not to spend that much!

I had a few other vacation ideas in mind, but sitting in my chair one day, the ideas shifted. Robert was in the kitchen, getting something out of the refrigerator. Correction: Attempting to find something in the refrigerator. We have this side-by-side refrigerator, a large one, water & ice dispenser, very nice..... in theory. In day to day practical use, well, let's just say about a month after we bought it (right after we built our house nearly 5 years ago), we both wondered what we were thinking. If I had a nickel for every time Robert or I cursed the thing, I think we would have had enough to buy a new fridge. Or pretty close to it.

So as I sat there thinking about going on vacation, I listened to Robert grumble, saying things I have often thought. Then, as often happens, William came up to me and asked me for some goldfish crackers, and I thought no more about the refrigerator.

Later that day, I went to the basement to get some more ice cream bars from the big freezer down there. When I came back up, I told Robert that I thought the freezer was on its last legs~ the bars were softer than they should have been. I then said we should look at getting a new freezer for the basement. Robert agreed the freezer was not going to last much longer (we had gotten it quite a while back from friends). Suddenly this look of joy came across his face. "I have a better idea," he said. "Let's take this *#$%&*!@ piece of *&#*$&^ refrigerator and put it downstairs and get a new one for the kitchen!"

Have I ever mentioned how I like the way my husband thinks? He's brilliant! We had been considering someday replacing the side-by-side with a french door, bottom freezer refrigerator. It arrived today!

Wait, that doesn't look right... let's try this~

Yeah, that's more like it!!! Photos, magnets and more... just the way it should be!
I wonder if William will take much notice when he comes home from school?

And, though we didn't really spend all our vacation money on it, I did finally decide the perfect place to go for our vacation! We're going up to Maine to spend some time with my Dad!

America's Favorite Mom

2008-04-08T14:26:00.006-04:00

Have you heard about the 'America's Favorite Mom' contest by Teleflora? It's going to be a primetime special on Mother's Day on NBC, 7/6c May 11, and hosted by Donny & Marie Osmond.
What a great opportunity to celebrate one of my favorite moms, Rachel Coleman of Signing Time! 15 Semi-finalists, as chosen by a panel of judges, will appear on the Today show the week leading up to Mother's Day.

In addition to the chance to win the title of America's Favorite Mom, you could help Rachel win the online contest for the month~ Most Popular Mom! The prize for this month is $25,000 ~ imagine how that would help the Signing Time Foundation!

Although the button says, "Vote for my mom!" it will take you to Rachel's nomination page. Once you register, you can vote once a day. Let your friends and family know too! Voting for the online contest ends April 25th.
Thanks!

Friends and Blessings

2008-04-03T13:01:00.002-04:00

My friends are such blessings to me. I have many blogs bookmarked in my favorites and try to take time each day to read them. There are days where I don't have time to check in on them all, but this is one that I am so glad I checked just now.

I have yet to meet Cathy in real life yet hope to soon, but we have become online friends through the Signing Time forums and the weekly Signing Time chat.
Cathy posted about Dimes for Down syndrome, and she is doing a fundraiser at her school to benefit the Down syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada. I don't know if this is an event for the program there or if it's national (I just Goodsearched it and it came up for the DSOSN), but wouldn't it be cool if it was a national fundraiser for each state or local Down syndrome group?

Thanks for blogging about it Cathy, and thank you for bringing the fundraiser to your school. You are a friend and a blessing.

Searching for a Cause....

2008-04-01T12:48:00.004-04:00

Do you do a lot of searching on the Internet? I do. In fact, even William finds the search engine on the kids computer and types in things he's interested in.

I've begun using GoodSearch as my search engine. It uses the Yahoo search engine, and the great thing about GoodSearch is that I can help raise money for The Signing Time Foundation each time I use it to search for something online! I went to GoodSearch and typed in "The Signing Time Foundation" as my non-profit charity of choice. While 2 cents per search may not seem like a lot, it does add up, especially if you search as much as I do! You can set it as your homepage, or add it to your browser toolbar.

Family and Laughter

2008-03-30T13:30:00.003-04:00

Mariko was home this past week on break. Knowing that as the kids get older, the opportunities for all of us to be together at a family dinner will become rarer, Robert suggested meeting up for dinner out. Jim & Steph live about two hours away from us, so we met up at the Olive Garden half way between us. Robert was working close to home that day, so our plan was to meet up part way and he would take some of the older kids with him the rest of the way.

In the twenty-five minute drive from home to the parking lot of the local grocery store, I laughed so hard. William is currently hooked on Johnny and The Sprites from Playhouse Disney. For Easter, he received a Johnny and The Sprites dvd. For twenty-five minutes, I was in the car, listening to William singing along with that, and with his older siblings making up their own lyrics. They also compared the Sprites to the Muppets and the Fraggles. Nothing makes a car ride pass more quickly than laughter. Laughter that brings tears to your eyes, which prompted my comment, "I'm so glad I wore my waterproof mascara because you guys are making me laugh so hard I'm crying". Which then prompted Mariko to say, "That is such a Mom comment~ only you would say that!", which of course, brought more laughter from everyone.

After we arrived to meet Robert, Mariko, Steve & Brittany quickly got out of my car and got into Robert's. For the rest of our trip, I was tempted to call Robert's cell phone and have him put it on speaker so the kids could enjoy listening to the songs from Johnny and the Sprites from our car. I didn't, and it turns out there was no need. Robert told me that when there was a quiet moment on their ride, Steve would suddenly burst out into a Johnny & The Sprites song.
We had a nice big table at the Olive Garden, set into this little alcove so we could have a rousing good time together.

One thing I've realized in going through the photos~ it's not a good idea for me to take pictures when I'm laughing so hard; despite the anti-shake feature on my camera, it's not very effective when I am laughing and trying to snap a shot.

The sound of laughter is very common in our home, and usually wherever we go~ it's one of my favorite sounds in the whole world.

I'd like to thank Christie for this award....

2008-03-30T11:47:00.003-04:00

My dear friend Christie at Brady's Bunch has given me this Friendship Oscar! Christie and I travel the T21 path together, and had the opportunity to meet in real life last year. She's a wonderful person, fantastic momma, and has some of the most beautiful children you will ever see. Click on over to read her blog and see why I adore her.

I would like to send this award over to a few friends that I love dearly. Nicole, who helped draw me out way back when on our T21/Down syndrome messageboard and is such a joy to talk to.

Monica, for finding a wonderful new online home for our T21 board five years ago. She has shared her heart, wisdom and humor time and again.

Aly, my Aly~ we'd met online through Signing Time, and when we finally met in person, it was like we had always known each other. Her calls always brighten my day. She is more than a friend~ she is a sister of my soul.

Rachel~ for not only helping William shine, but helping me shine too. Thank you friend, for all the laughter, tears and memories. I know we will have many more!

Reflections

2008-03-21T09:12:00.004-04:00

I've been working on this post for a year now. Yet every time I sit to write it, or edit it, I cannot finish it. This is my fourth attempt ~ the first was last year, the second was last Mother's Day, the third was on Mom's birthday in January. So this is my fourth, on the anniversary of her death.

Another year gone by. It has been four years since my Mom died of sudden cardiac death. A few years before, I had given my parents our old computer after we'd gotten a new one. Dad had been using his old electric typewriter for years and I thought it'd be neat for him to be able to save things to disc on the computer and print out at his leisure. Mom asked him if she could keep her memories in it for whenever she remembered things so we could all share it someday. She dictated her memories as Dad typed, and I am so grateful to them both for these recollections. Maybe one day I'll share some of her memories here. For now, I will share some of mine.

Mom was beautiful~ a natural beauty. Her idea of makeup was a little powder from her compact and some lipstick. On special occasions, she would apply mascara, but she told me she wasn't crazy about it because it made her upper & lower lashes stick together. I, on the other hand, rarely leave the house without applying everything from foundation to eyeshadow, mascara... the works. When I was little, I would watch Mom apply her lipstick~ she had this lipbrush and I would gaze in awe as she dipped the brush into an often-used stick of lipstick, and then across her perfectly shaped lips. For as long as I could remember, she used that one lip brush and as an adult I searched for one similar. Even now, whenever I use my lip brush, I always think back to watching my Mom with hers.

She often told me of growing up in Japan. Her father, a civil attorney, had a house built incorporating both Japanese and Western features. Part of the house had traditional Japanese furnishings: tatami floors and futons. The other part, which housed his home office, had hardwood floors, desks and sofas. As a young girl, she and her siblings would sneak into his office and jump on the sofas until her Dad would catch her. That never stopped her for long. The image of my Mother as a young child, bouncing along the couch to see how high she could jump always makes me smile.

Her wartime memories are poignant, and those are absolutely something to share another day.

Journaling, part I

2008-03-13T11:59:00.007-04:00

My absence recently from blogging was due to a fountain pen. This fountain pen

I saw it on Levenger and thought, "With a nice pen like that, maybe I would take the time to write in my journal again" so I ordered it. This photo, and the photo on their website don't capture the beauty of this True Writer Sea Glass fountain pen. Turning it in my fingers, the flecks of blue, green and amber glimmer in the light.

When it arrived, I couldn't wait to put it to use. I picked up my journal, my very neglected journal, and began writing. And writing. To the neglect of my blog. There is just something so cathartic about putting pen to paper and letting your words flow through the ink. I definitely can type faster than I can write, but I so enjoy the flow of the pen on paper.

I kept diaries as a little girl and wrote some of the silly things little girls write about like petty squabbles with friends or the stars we idolize. I have no idea where any of those diaries are. Long since destroyed, I hope. Either that or they are in a box somewhere in my basement. Chances are, they were mostly filled with drawings though; I drew and doodled a lot. As an angst filled teenager, I kept a handmade book that I filled with all those teenage egocentric thoughts. I didn't start journaling again until I was hospitalized with severe depression and generalized anxiety disorder a few months before I turned 31. The counselors at the psych unit in the hospital encouraged the patients to write our thoughts and feelings out in notebooks. That was extremely helpful for me, but when I returned home, I realized I needed to hide those notebooks. My husband at the time felt that he should be the one I shared all my feelings with, not some private notebook. Reading what I wrote made him feel bad. So I bought another, and wrote a mock journal, the one which contained the things which satisfied him and hid my real journal in a public area of the house, but put the fake one away where he'd snoop and find it. Anyway.....

After I met Robert, but before he moved here to be with me, we wrote back and forth, and poured our thoughts out on paper. A few days after he moved here, he bought two notebooks, one for each of us. He thought it'd be a wonderful keepsake to someday look back through and reminisce about our first years together. For me, that was the first journal of several. For a while, I was going through them one a year. Sadly, I have misplaced the journal that covers William's first year; the last time I saw it was right before we moved into our new house. Hopefully it is just in one of the bazillion boxes in the basement I have not yet gone through. I had copied some of the text online before that which is why I still have William's birth story & second surgery details.

Somehow, as I spent more time on messageboards, the entries in my journal lessened. I was sharing our family life online, and just did not take the time to write it in my journal. This journal was begun July 19, 2002.

I am disappointed in myself~ for the first six years together, I went through 6 journals. This one has covered nearly six years! I am at the end of it, though, and will probably begin my new journal in the next day or so.

I imagine one of these years, Robert and I will sit down and read the old journals. I quickly glanced at the first one this morning. My initial entry sounded like a giddy schoolgirl in love. Funny. One of my current entries evokes that identical impression. Maybe that's because I still feel that way about Robert.

Baby's Got Book!

2008-03-10T15:22:00.003-04:00

I was absolutely delighted to see this on the Today show! Baby's got book! Tot shocks parents by reading. This story emphasizes what I have been saying about all the benefits of using Signing Time! with all children. Here is an excerpt from the article on the Today show site, but please go there, read the article and rate it high!
"Katy Barrett and her husband, Michael, are speech pathologists, and when Elizabeth was born, they said on Monday, they started teaching her sign language along with spoken language. They read to her often, and her favorite television program — the only one her parents let her watch — was a PBS show called “Signing Times,” which teaches kids sign language."

See this remarkable toddler for yourself

Are you and your child a fan of Signing Time and do you have your own story to share? I encourage you to share your Signing Time! story with the ">Today Show.

Seven Things

2008-03-09T19:16:00.003-04:00

Back in early January, AZ Chapman tagged me to write 7 things about me. Sorry it has taken me so long to get to this, my friend.

1. I have never been skiing (nor have I wanted to), despite having lived most of my life in New England.

2. I love Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat - 3. Allegro It is brilliant.

3. I have finished several scrapbook projects and given them as gifts, but have never finished one for me.

4. I've been known to geek out and have several programs running on 4 computers simultaneously, yet when we bought our first computer 12 years ago, I didn't know how to shut it down.

5. I worked as a cocktail waitress when I was pregnant with my oldest child.

6. I collected comic books growing up and into my adulthood.

7. I can sing quite well.

I have no idea who to tag, so if you read this, consider yourself tagged!

Well, Why Didn't They Say So?

2008-03-09T17:09:00.003-04:00

We bought a new front loader washing machine last year, after my Maytag Neptune stopped working. We decided on a GE Adora, with a wonderful sanitize setting, which I love. The washer worked perfectly.... for a while. After several months (keep in mind there are seven of us who live here and we go through a lot of laundry), the final spin cycle was taking longer and longer, and was not spinning enough of the water out of the clothes. A one hour fourteen minute wash should not take more than four hours and leave the clothes dripping wet.

Two weeks ago, I couldn't take it any longer and Robert was ready to call a repairman. Not really wanting to spend money on a service call, I googled "GE front load washer troubleshooting" and clicked on one of the links. It brought me to Fixya.com where I found others with the same problem I was having. The solution, someone suggested, is to take off the front lower panel and empty the filter that is there, and to check the hose that leads to it for backed up gunk too.

Could it be that simple? Actually, it should have been simpler. The washing machine owner's paperwork should have that listed in the troubleshooting guide, but it doesn't. The panel should have a flip-down access panel over that area rather than three screws that are difficult to line up afterwards to screw back on, but it doesn't.

After Robert came home from work that day, we got towels, a shallow pan, a screwdriver and a flashlight. He took the panel off, unscrewed the filter plug slowly, letting the excess water drain into the pan, closing it while he dumped the water and repeated until the water was completely drained. When he pulled the filter plug out, we laughed at what we found. Lint, a pencil, a few paperclips, a hair tie (possibly two), some screws, a zipper pull, a toy ring, change adding up to a couple dollars, a Big Y coin (local grocery store), long dark hair (mine & Doug's), a bra wire, a Nintendo DS stylus, and a flat washer. He clipped a wire hanger, bent the end and grabbed more lint, then got his long needlenose pliers so we could grab the rest of the gunk in the hose. He reconnected the hose to the filter, screwed the filter plug back in, and we struggled to align the front panel back into place and screwed the three screws back in.

Voila! The next load of laundry took one hour, fourteen minutes start to finish, and was not even close to being sopping wet. The washer worked as perfectly as the first load we had washed in it. We will now be checking the filter every two to three months to keep our washer running as good as new.

Honestly, though, why didn't GE just put this little tidbit of information in their owner's guide?

A little less than a foot...

2008-02-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

That's about how wide the space I was sleeping on last night amounted to. In a king sized bed. "How does that happen?", you may be wondering.

William came home early last Tuesday from school. He was miserable with this cold that finally got a hold of him. He had completed his classroom work in the morning, nibbled a little at lunch, and then after he got back to his classroom, proceeded to remove his name clip from the 'home lunch' side of the white board to the 'home' side. Then he told his aide he wanted to go home. The nurse called me, so I quickly ate the lunch I had just prepared for myself, then zipped down to school. I voted in the primary since it was set up in the school gym, and then saw the school nurse. We chatted, thinking William would be right back from fetching his coat and backpack from his classroom. After 5 minutes, we realized he might still be down there, so we walked down the hallway together. I peeked into William's room, and there he was, jacket on, sitting on Mr. G (his aide)'s lap, working on something on the laptop computer at William's work area. The nurse and I opened the door, but William was quite engrossed in whatever was going on in his computer world to notice. Mr G told William, "Your mom's here!" and William turned to me and said, "Oh, hi, mom" The teacher told the nurse there were about 5 other students in class who wanted to visit her because they were feeling under the weather, and hoping their moms would come get them, lol.

I got William's things, he said 'goodbye' to everyone, then happily took my hand and trotted down the hallway, chatting constantly to the nurse, who understood much of what he was saying even though I needed him to repeat a few things. It's a very good sign when people at school can decipher him when I can't. They really are in tune with my boy.

The rest of the week was spent handing William tissues for his nose, watching movies, reading books, snuggling. Not a bad week, really. He was coughing pretty bad for several days there, and quite congested overall. Yesterday was much better. Most nights William wakes up part way through the night, knocks on our bedroom door and announces, "Mom, Dad? It's me! Yiyam Wayyace Ma-wone" and Robert or I get up to take him in to our bathroom. If it's early enough, we take him back to his bed. Last night it was early enough, and I took him back to his room after he pottied. We snuggled for awhile, until he was breathing easy, and then I slipped back to my room. Sometime a few hours later, the knock came at the door again.... "Dad? Dad? It's me... Yiyam" Robert was solid out, so I got up and opened the door. Even in the dark, William knew I wasn't Dad, and he let me know it. "Mom, no, you're not Dad!" Yeah, thanks kid. I couldn't help but chuckle. I took him to potty and wash afterwards, and he climbed up into our bed. Snugged right up to Daddy. Then when I crawled in, he slipped into my arms, all snug and comfy. He was congested though, and kept waking up to readjust his position. I got him turned on his side, facing away from me, and I rolled over away from him. He is such a warm little guy, and I am peri-menopausal... not so crazy about too much warmth at night at times. The next thing I know, he is pushing against my back with his back, and there I am, at 3am, realizing I am now delegated to a swath of just under a foot on my side of the bed. No matter how many times I move him over, in less than 10 minutes, I am suddenly back to that 10-12" swath, and all I could think about was what I would title this post.

A Trip to the Ophthalmologist

2008-02-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

Nearly every week I put together a Sharing Book for William's sharing day with his class. For the longest time, I would procrastinate and put his book together the night before Sharing Day, which meant I was multi-tasking during the Signing Time Chat on Wednesday evenings. Finally in the past month I've gotten it completed well before chat time. Cathy asked me to scan them sometime so I could show her, so here you go, Cathy!

William's sharing books are put together with my Creative Memories supplies. The book is a PicFolio Minutes album and I use Storybox Photo Mats or Milestones Album Kits to mount the photos and help William tell his story. I can change the pages of his book each week, and then can take the previous ones and mount them onto album pages for one big sharing keepsake album that we will be able to enjoy for years.

Monday Robert and I brought William to see his ophthalmologist in Boston. This is always an adventure, since William really dislikes people messing with his face or head in any way. After his exam with the Orthoptist, William's eyes were dilated in preparation for his visit with the Ophthalmologist.

William surprised us when he climbed up into the chair and was fairly cooperative with the doctor. He paid close attention to what buttons she pushed to raise the chair.

William's prescription hasn't changed very much since last year. His left eye is only slightly nearsighted with a tiny bit of astigmatism (previously it needed no prescription at all), and his right eye is very nearsighted with a lot of astigmatism.

Is that the best smile ever? He loves this display in the lobby of the hospital.

William reads the pages to his class, and at the end, always asks them, "Questions? Comments?"

Get a great deal while you donate!

2008-01-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

Looking for a good deal on Signing Time?

They still have some of the VHS tapes on sale for $5 each!

And while you're there getting that great deal, how about donating to the Signing Time Foundation for Rachel's Trip to Ghana? Rachel leaves for Ghana Africa on Monday and is nearly at her fundraising goal. If you could even just donate $1~ that would help. For information about her trip to Ghana, check out her blog and if you can, chip in and help!

So you could purchase Signing Time VHS tapes (great for gifts) AND donate and help make lots of people happy!

Heart and Soul

2008-01-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

Last Friday was William's cardiology check up. His previous one was eighteen months ago. After his post surgery checkup at a few months old, he had a follow up every six months, then once a year. Some of the appointments went smoothly; others took an agonizingly long time, due to William's reticence. Since these check ups have always been such a big deal to us, Robert takes the day off to attend, as does Sarah, who has proven to be a great help to keep William distracted.

This year, our appointment was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. I apparently was not thinking clearly when I chose the time eighteen months ago. Either that, or I thought we might spend the night before in Boston so we wouldn't have to wake up before the crack of dawn to make the drive. We were making great time on our drive over, until we got to the next to last toll booth on the turnpike. What was easily a fifteen to twenty minute drive to the hospital from that point turned into more than double that. Ah, traffic. 'nuff said.

We checked in at the Cardiology Outpatient desk with over fifteen minutes to spare. Yay me! William immediately went to investigate the kitchen playset. By 9:30, William's height and weight were taken, and shortly afterwards we were in an exam room getting him ready for his blood pressure readings and EKG. He was resistant at first, but then relaxed with some diversions from his Leapster.

They actually managed to get blood pressure readings from both arms and both legs~ this was a first!! In the past, he has always fought this and the techs were lucky to get the readings from one arm and one leg. It also used to take an unbelievably long time to get those readings too!

On to the EKG, which William still did not like; we had to hold him firmly to get all the leads on him.

He was fascinated with the monitor and printout during this though.

When we finally got to see the cardiologist (who has been his cardiologist since before William was born!), William was hesitant to let him listen to his heart. So the doctor let William and Sarah listen to everyone else's hearts with his stethoscope.

William even listens to his Doctor's heart
before letting the Doctor listen to his and perform the rest of his check up.

Everything came out great, and we don't have to return for another eighteen months!
And at that time, the Doctor will try an Echocardiogram on William, since he hasn't 'seen' his heart since William was two or three months old.

One of the really neat things while we were there in the waiting room between the EKG and seeing the doctor was being able to communicate with each other from across the room. Robert would be in one area while William was playing, and Sarah and I would be in another. We could sign, "What's William doing?" or "Does he need to potty?" or any number of things without being obnoxiously loud to the other families there. I did notice something missing there though. Although there was a tv and a movie playing, the kids didn't pay much attention to it. So I think I'll be ordering some Signing Time! Volumes to donate to their waiting room. The families could pass the time together, in such a fun way!

Speaking of donations and matters of the heart, have you made your donation to Signing Time! yet? Rachel and crew leave in less than a week! Chip in today!

Motivation

2008-01-09T00:36:00.000-05:00

My friends, family and blog readers probably notice I mention Signing Time! often. Some people know the reason, others might not. So this post is to let everyone know just why Signing Time! means so much to me (and my immediate family), and why I want to share the story of Signing Time and the dvds with people.

Right from the start, I knew I wanted William to learn sign language. I wanted him to communicate in case his speech was not clear enough. His speech therapist also firmly believed in teaching babies ASL. She supplied me with books and videos, and I ordered several of my own. As a family, we practiced the basics we were teaching William. At 6 months old, what more did he need than 'milk', 'more', 'want', and 'eat'? So we would model the signs, and would do hand over hand with him as he got older.

By 2, he had some signs, many utterances and verbal approximations, but I knew that he could learn more signs and that some of the problem was because of me. I couldn't remember what I was seeing on the videos I had bought, and I was forever forgetting what I just looked up in the books. Shortly afterwards, one of the ladies on our Down syndrome messageboard mentioned this great new video she found, called "Signing Time!". She said it was fun, easy to remember what you learned, and her daughter loved it. I ordered it, and was hopeful that this might be the one to hold the attention long enough to learn for both William and myself. By the time he finished watching it the first time, he was already copying the signs being shown, and he was remembering them. More importantly, I was remembering them! We were so impressed with how quickly we all learned and how much fun we had watching the Signing Time! videos that when 2 new volumes came out, we bought them right away. It amazed me at how quickly William learned everything that Rachel was teaching. The rest of us were learning right along with him.

When William was 3, he transitioned out of Early Intervention and into Pre-School, and in his IEP we had stressed the importance of continuing to sign with him. Not long after he began pre-school, he was diagnosed with apraxia. With that, I knew that signing would be even more important in helping William communicate and speak. While signing helped William to clarify his needs, it was also helping his fine and gross motor skills, as well as his cognitive abilities. That came through quite clearly after he learned the manual alphabet with Signing Time! Volume 5: ABC signs. He began spelling words from the Signing Time series with his alphabet letters. He also started to point out words in books and reading them. William was 4½ at the time.

With each new volume, William's signing takes off. His clarity of speech improves. Between speech therapy at school and Signing Time! at home and at school, he has made amazing progress with speech, signing, and reading. Several weeks ago he was frustrated with me because I didn't quite understand what he was saying. It sounded like, "May I have my freafrrrr please" After several attempts to find out what 'freafrrrrr' was, and seeing him become totally exasperated with me, I asked him to fingerspell it for me. William's face lit up and he began finger spelling as he said, "L... E... A... P.... S...T.." OH! I exclaimed! You want your 'Leapster'! "Yes", William said, "May I have my 'llllleapfrrrr' please?"

A couple of years ago, Robert and I won an essay contest to have Rachel bring Signing Time to our town. William's entire school became involved, as each classroom learned a few songs from the series. They performed onstage with Rachel at the school in front of parents, and later at the high school in front of the community. Many people traveled from several states away to see Rachel perform onstage. Everyone in the audience signed and sang along. Nearly 2½ years later, people still talk about what a wonderful time it was.

Since then, Rachel and I have become pretty good friends, and I have thanked her many times for the gift of knowledge she has given to William. She has given me some amazing gifts as well: friendship, empowerment, and self-confidence. After the Hometown Show, Signing Time! started doing more live performances and outreach events. I volunteered on several of these trips, flying to Texas, Florida, North Dakota, and driving to a few others. I have worn the Hopkins costume and have taken hundreds of photos. I have talked to people about the story behind Signing Time! and I have shared our personal story. I've listened to countless stories of what Signing Time! means to families~ I've cried a lot, listening to them. I have also, most of my life, suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Traveling to unknown places would send me into panic attacks. Talking to people, to strangers, would usually make me nervous, tongue-tied, and ready to dart for the nearest exit. Yet seeing what Signing Time! has given William, and knowing that there are others out there who could benefit as we have, outweighed my fears. So I pushed through the panic attacks, and in a short time, they were gone. I conquered them. I have even, with only what I'd learned from Signing Time!, had a conversation in ASL with a deaf woman in a grocery store.

That is why I share Signing Time!, not only here and in real life, but by writing letters to magazines, tv shows, and companies, in hope that more people will tell the story of Rachel and her family.

And that is why I am asking people to donate money to aid their fundraising effort to send them to Ghana. Rachel and Leah are going there to teach the children in the deaf schools and the teachers ASL. The teachers have no Deaf ed background. Rachel said that when organizations have supplied the kids with hearing aids and glasses, they are taken away and sold within a few weeks because adults there think it's a waste to give these kids anything.

So Rachel and Leah are going to give children something that cannot be taken away ... knowledge.

Our family has sent our donation in. Will you help too? Every little bit helps. Let your friends and family know too. If you have connections to news stations, shows like Oprah, The View, Ellen... let them know. There's always so much in the news about the bad things going on... let's have them cover something positive.

A challenge for me, a challenge for you.

2008-01-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

I've been challenged.
Typically, I'm not the type to take dares; well, not often anyway. Last night in our Signing Time! chat, Rachel threw in a little bit of Signing Time! trivia: that her daughter Leah, sneaks into parts of the Signing Time! episodes that she is not typically in. In most of the shows, Leah and Alex only are shown in their treehouse, and not in other parts. So I said that I would have to go back through the episodes and see if I can spot Leah in with the other kids. Whereupon Rachel says to me, "How about if you take note and report back here next week with your findings?" Someone else called it the Signing Time! challenge, and those of us in chat are going to be watching all our episodes this week and see how often and where we spot Leah in the shows, and let Rachel know next week in chat. That's my challenge.

I have a different challenge for you.
Rachel and Leah are going to Ghana Africa on January 21st. The deaf schools there teach ASL, but they have limited resources. They have been using Signing Time! to learn ASL. When Leah found out more about the deaf schools in Ghana, and the limited rights and opportunities for them, she told her mom they had to do something about it. So they are going to Ghana in partnership with Signs of Hope International.
Here's my challenge to you:
1) Read Rachel's blog about going to Ghana.
2) Watch this interview with Leah

3) Make a donation to support their effort. Every dollar counts! Skip your coffeehouse coffee today and donate that money to the Signing Time! Foundation. My daughter Sarah donated money she made from the handmade items she sold at the local craft fair to support the fund and was only sorry she couldn't send more! So far the Foundation has received over $11,000, but they still need more!
Click here to donate
or mail your check to:
The Signing Time Foundation
623 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Suite 202
Midvale UT 84047

The Signing Time Foundation is a 501c3 Non-profit Organization. Your donations are tax deductible.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

2007-12-30T17:35:00.000-05:00

This has been a Christmas to remember. An adventure, really. Grab a cup of coffee, or tea, or a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy the tale and photos.
Our adventure began on the evening before Christmas eve, when we decided to drive down to stay the night at a hotel near the airport we were departing from. On the way down, I realized we (okay, *I*) forgot to pack William's Leapster (I did remember to pack the charger for it!). Usually we cannot survive a happy restaurant experience without the Leapster. After thinking about dropping everyone at the hotel and going home to get it, Robert convinced me just to stay put. William didn't seem to miss it. We had a restless night, because for some reason, William didn't really want to sleep which of course, means Mom & Dad didn't get much sleep. I think I finally fell asleep at 2am. My alarm was set for 3am, so I could wash up and get my makeup on before we left.... I am that vain~ I do not want to travel without looking my best, no matter how I feel. We woke the kids about 3:45 and we left the hotel shortly after. I dropped everyone except William off curbside with the luggage, so they could check the bags while I parked the car. I found a great spot, got William out and we walked to the terminal together, meeting up with Robert, Sarah & Doug.
William was awesome going through security, and happily held Daddy's hand walking to our gate. He was excited sitting in his seat on the plane, thinking we were going to Scooby Doo's Spooky Island.

Sarah loved being at a window seat, and thrilled to be on her way to see Mariko.

After an uneventful flight, we landed and looked to see what our next departure gate was, only to see that the flight had been cancelled. The post below goes into that.
Doug & William while we waited to find out about another flight

Passing the time, watching a movie

While having a bit of breakfast at an airport restaurant, William completed this drawing Daddy started

William finally got tired enough to nap while we waiting for another flight

Which made for a grumpy boy when we finally got to get on the airplane, where we waited for takeoff

It was great to see Mariko again; we've all missed her.
Mariko & Robert got some snuggle time in

On Wednesday we met up with some friends of ours from an online Down syndrome board, and after lunch we went to a nearby park.
William loved the slide

William & Riley try to figure out which way to go

Riley & Andi

Emily & Sarah

On Thursday we met up with Mariko and Sarah at the Stanford campus so she could give us a little tour.

The church there is impressive

We walked a little loop, from the oval to the medical center and back, and then headed out for lunch and shopping. We met back up at our hotel.
Mariko & me

Robert & WIlliam

Robert and I did get the chance to go to dinner with Andi and her husband Jeremy, but I totally forgot to take any pictures because we were having such a good time laughing, eating and chatting. It won't be the last visit we make to Palo Alto, so there will be pics of us together in the future.

No visit with Mariko is complete with a game (or several) of Scrabble, so I packed my travel Scrabble. Mariko laughed as she put down the word 'doctors'

Doug won that game; I won the other 3, thank you very much.
William was so pooped the night before we left, but he still has to sleep with his best buddies, Buzz and Woody

Saturday morning, Mariko brought Sarah back to the hotel (Sarah had stayed with Mariko at the dorm the night before), had breakfast, and then it was time to load the car up and head to the airport. It was wonderful to see Mariko and spend time with her, but the week passed by so quickly!
We returned the rental car, checked our bags and went through security. William decided to take the opportunity to run when Robert was trying to put his own sneakers back on, which had a few of the security personnel chase after William as he ran, laughing, in between the screeners. After Robert retrieved him, the rest of us gathered our things, we headed to our gate, only to find out that our flight was going to be delayed. Oh joy.

Luckily, we were right next to the kid zone, where there were plenty of interactive things to keep the kids occupied. William was totally fascinated with the tornado machine.
When we were finally able to board, we knew the window of time to make our connecting flight was going to be really tight. William didn't care... he was happy to be flying again

After landing, we hurried out of the plane, found the departures board and saw that our next flight was boarding. We ran as quickly as we could, with Sarah and William laughing, the 10-12 gates to get to our gate. I am out of shape. The kids think it's great fun. Doug is not ready to fly anywhere anytime soon, and Robert probably doesn't want to fly on United again.
But we made it. And on our way home

We got home just before 1am, and it's true... There's no place like home. Our house was clean, thanks to our son Jim & his wife Steph, who came to housesit for us. And they put clean sheets on our bed, which felt wonderful after a nice hot shower.

Next year, we're having Christmas at home. I think I'll go overboard with decorations and food. Who knows? Without the adventure we had this year, next year's might not be so memorable. This one's gonna make me shake my head and chuckle for years and years to come.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

Christmas in California~
We are at the hotel here in CA... finally. Our flight to Boston yesterday was delayed over 2 hours because of mechanical issues, so they had to bring us another plane. We were originally due to arrive in Boston by 4:30pm and our connecting flight to San francisco was slated to depart at 6pm. We touched down in Boston at 6:18. Luckily, since there were 19 of us going on to San Fran because of cancelled flights, they held the plane... and we were only 6 gates away from where we arrived. Yay!

Our baggage had arrived hours (and hours) before we did, so was neatly set aside when we finally arrived in San Francisco. Another Yay!

Picked up our rental car which turned out to be a brand new toyota sienna (7 miles on the odometer) so has the nice new car smell. A private yay for me, since I am soooo weird about driving cars that: a) I don't already own, and b) brand new cars I am unfamiliar with.

Got to the hotel only to find out that there had been a water line break so we were going to be without water for a couple hours while they repaired it. But they offered to put us up tonight at a different property but to come back for the rest of our stay... yeah, right. So we came in the room only to realize this annoying humming, mechanical droning sound which was part of the repair. and my head was already ringing before from having been up for over 24 hours straight with little sleep the night before because a certain little boy named William was being so disagreeable about sleeping so I got 15 minute catnaps all night. I had 5 minute powernaps on the plane so I've had maybe 3 hours of total sleep since waking up Sunday morning.

Oh, and to make matters worse, I'm perimenopausal ~ let's just say I am SO ready for menopause.

On a good note, Robert & I did get to extend our anniversary by 3 hours because of the time change.

And that blasted noise only lasted a couple of hours... so I was able to wash up before bed.

And I got pretty close to 5 hours of sleep.

And we got to see Mariko. She looks great and I can't wait to see her today.

It doesn't really feel like Christmas; we didn't get much for presents... well, we didn't bring presents except for what we got Mariko. And I think Santa was very confused about where to leave stockings, because of the cancellations and flight delays. Plus I didn't set out the stockings at home before we left. We never even put our tree up this year.

Our gifts came in other ways. Safe travels for all who were going somewhere... Steve, Brittany and her sis arrived safely at Brittany's family's home. Despite the inconviences of the travel day, we are safe and snug here in this nice 2 bedroom suite at a Marriott Residence Inn, staying free for our visit per Robert's Marriott Rewards points. Jim & Steph will be house sitting for us while we are away, which they were looking forward to.. kind of a little get-away for them this week.

Merry Christmas all!

Happy Anniversary Baby

2007-12-24T12:42:00.000-05:00

Today is Robert & my anniversary. We are currently sitting in an airport, waiting for our flight. Despite the few little things forgotten before we got here (William's Leapster, Robert's watch... and something else that I can't remember now), all was well. We got to our airport early this morning, having stayed at a hotel near by. Although William was fussy & wriggly all night & we didn't get much sleep last night, all was well. The flight this morning was smooth and quick, and William loved it, although he thought we were going to Scooby Doo's Spooky Island. We arrived in DC to change planes for the rest of our journey to San Francisco, only to discover that our flight was cancelled. After more than 20 minutes on the phone with an agent, she had us booked on the next open flight... for tomorrow morning. Robert then got in the customer service line to get a hotel voucher for tonight. When the counter agent asked if we could split our group up to get of here tonight, he said no because we have children traveling with us, one of whom has special needs. She sent him to another desk where it was discovered they could indeed get us out today, by sending us to Boston first. So we will arrive in San Francisco 9 hours later than originally planned, but we will be there, and will see Mariko shortly after.

11 years of happily married life, loads of adventures, and this one starts off with yet another tale to tell. Wouldn't have it any other way. I love you Robert. You are my best friend, my love, my confidant, and my husband. I've got the best of everything.

Happy Anniversary!

Sisters

2007-12-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

Annette left her body this morning. I will remember her beautiful and compassionate spirit, her twinkling eyes, her joyful laugh, and her wonderful smile. I see her in her children; the way Ryan's face lights up when he smiles. I see her in the way Kurtis looked at Sarah when we were in Indiana in October together.

I remember when she and another friend from our Down syndrome board came to visit us over 3 years ago, and we shared stories of our kids, our lives, our hopes and dreams, over glasses of wine. She was my sister, not sisters raised, but sisters of the heart, bonded through being blessed by having a child with Down syndrome. Her Ryan, my William, they gave us a connection. I have many of these sisters (and brothers) on this journey, and we've lost some along the way. There are some that are different, so much deeper, having been nurtured over time and meetings in real life, and through phone calls and emails.

My heart goes out to her family~ my prayers are with them. And for many of my online sisters, who were closer to Annette than me, I send you love, prayers and cyber-hugs.

Annette, you will be greatly missed. I am thankful to have known you.

Perspective

2007-12-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

Forget all my bitching yesterday. Sadly, things like yesterday seem petty.

My dear friend Annette can use your prayers. Her husband informed our friend Jan that Annette is home with Hospice care, with just a few days left on earth.

My heart is breaking for her family... her wonderful husband Tom, and their sons, Kurtis and Ryan.... and all of us who love her.
Please keep Annette and her family in your prayers.
Thank you.

Home Sweet Home

2007-12-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

I am finally home. I've had a nice hot shower and Robert made us some sandwiches and hot tea.
My hands hurt from gripping the steering wheel all the way home; it's been a long time since I had a white knuckle drive, even though I have an all-wheel drive. It took me about an hour to get to the dealership this morning, cruising along the highway (we live in the boonies, remember.. and I don't like the local dealership or service department that is closer); it took over 3 hours to get home once they put a new clip on to connect the fuel line to the fuel filter. I had to stop a few times to get the ice build up off my wipers. I went slow and steady, and scoffed at the signs that warned about ice and snow ahead and that the maximum speed limit for the time was 45mph. I never even got above 35 on the way home... half the speed I was going on the way down this morning. I think those that were going the 45mph maximum were the cars I saw going off the road down into the medians.

I'm home. Safe. Warm. Still pissed about the clip. Hey, they fixed it, and then gave me certificate for a free oil change next time. And they apologized profusely. While I was in the waiting room, the tow truck guy came back ~ he brought back the bag I accidently left in his tow truck. That was nice. I wonder if he would have if I hadn't have given him a tip when he dropped me off at the service office? Probably.. he was a nice kid.

Oh, and the last time I stopped to wipe the ice off the wipers, a couple guys across the street from the gas station wolf-whistled at me. I told Robert when I got home. He said, "Why not? You're hot". okay.... except at the time I had a scowl going that was as deep as the Grand Canyon. He laughed and said my scowls are never that deep. And he was tickled that a couple young guys whistled at me. Men!

And finally, William was thrilled when I came home. He was soooo happy I was finally home.

Because he had left his Woody doll in my car and he missed him.

I'm home.

It could be worse

2007-12-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

I'm standing here, watching the snow fall. Just waiting. Watching and waiting, for the tow truck. Watching the snow add up; over 4 inches since I stopped at the mall almost 3 hours ago. 3 inches of it since I talked to the dealership 2 hours ago. I could wait inside the mall, where it's warm, but then I'd have to listen to the cheery holiday music and I am in no mood for that.

And now I'm in the tow truck where this nice young man is bringing my car and me to the dealer. The clip holding the connector for the fuel filter broke. Did I mention I was at the dealership just before I went to the mall? I was getting the seasonal service done on it; oil change, tire rotation, fuel filter, etc. Did I mention the connector clip broke? The one that had to do with the fuel filter?
There's a winter storm going on too. My plan this morning was to get to the dealership, get the work done, make a quick stop at the mall, and be home before the snow, before the kids because they were getting out early. Because of the storm. It was barely flurry-ing when I went into the mall.I would have made it. Except my car did not start. Because the fuel connector hose came off. Because the clip broke. Did I mention I had just come from getting it serviced? Can you tell how pissed I am?
Luckily, I have older kids at home. They're taking care of the younger ones right now. Because I'm in the tow truck heading back to the dealership. It's taking forever because the roads are crappy.long enough for me to type a post on my blackberry.
This is not a 'oh, someday I'll look back and laugh about this.' Post. This is a 'I'm going to look back and get pissed all over again post'
It could have been worse. I could have been on the highway when it broke. But it shouldn't have happened at all.
It's bad enough- I have to pee.

Tagged with a Christmas Meme

2007-12-10T10:04:00.000-05:00

by my good friend at Mauzy's Musings. Thanks Jan... and I do not say that in a sarcastic way. This will be fun to do.
What is your favorite thing about the Holiday Season?
Reminiscing over the past years, and knowing that it is getting close to my anniversary! Taking time while decorating the tree to remember when, where and who made the special ornaments.

What is your favorite Holiday Memory?
In my childhood, the thrill and excitement of getting gifts, the noise of our family, and one year, having to explain Christmas to my Japanese cousins.

What is the best gift you ever gave?
So many! I try to pay attention during the year to find that special gift for each person, and from the looks of joy on their faces, I think I hit the mark pretty well. I think I did well a couple years ago when we gave Mariko a sky-diving trip for when she was in Australia.

What is the best gift you ever received?
A Christmas Eve wedding eleven years ago. I was so busy making my wedding gown and veil, decorating the tree was the furthest thing from my mind. So one night while I was busy in one room sewing, Robert and Mariko came up with the idea of decorating the living room with Christmas lights instead of getting a tree. With all the colorful twinkling lights strewn along the walls and diagonally across the ceiling, it was easy to forget there wasn't a tree in there! When they had me come look, I was so choked up!

A close second is the Christmas I was pregnant with my first child. Unmarried, living at home, not sure just how my parents felt (were they just accepting the idea because they loved me, or were they genuinely supportive of my situation?), and they let me know in the most subtle way. I unwrapped an empty photo album~ Baby's First Photo Album.

What is your secret Holiday Wish for this year?
If it's a secret, why should I tell? Hee hee hee...

My wish is that those of us who are traveling over the Holidays arrive safely at our destinations, have a grand Holiday, and then arrive home safe and sound.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now I'm going to tag.... Big Dawg, Cathy, and Snuggle Puppy's mom.

What is your favorite thing about the Holiday Season?
What is your favorite Holiday Memory?
What is the best gift you ever gave?
What is the best gift you ever received?
What is your secret Holiday Wish for this year?

Days Go By

2007-12-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

They go by so quickly now. I've been sitting here, working on getting a digital scrapbook ready to upload for printing. I've been trying to do this the past couple of years, as a keepsake to sit and look at and just reminisce from time to time. I marvel at how the kids have grown, the funny things they do, the changes made.... and just how quickly time flies by. I wonder what the new year will bring besides the anticipated~ another college graduation, a high school graduation, birthdays, etc.

All I know is~

I love the life I am living and the people I am living it with. Bring it on.

Speaking of Signing Time!

2007-12-06T17:16:00.000-05:00

Rachel, Leah and Aaron Coleman will be going to Ghana Africa at the end of January to teach the deaf. You can read her post here. If you can contribute to the Signing Time Foundation to help offset the cost, that would be wonderful! If you can contribute $1000 or more, you can help sponsor the trip.

Why are they going? Read Rachel's post to find out. Let me just say... Leah Coleman is an amazing young lady. And why not? She is part of an amazing family.

Daughter inspires mother to create Sign Language videos

2007-12-06T17:08:00.001-05:00

I love this article about the Coleman's story and Signing Time! My friend Kitty shared the link to the Deseret News on our Down syndrome board.

Another friend shared the digg link with me. Go and let them know you digg it.

Leah Coleman was born deaf and her mother, Rachel became frustrated that others couldn't communicate with Leah. In an effort to help others be able to communicate with Leah, Rachel and her sister created a video series called Signing Time which anyone can learn from. This now airs on Public Television across the country.

read more digg story

It's Monday

2007-12-03T09:43:00.001-05:00

Due to this New England winter storm, it's a snow day for the kids.

William is happily riding his trike through the house, saying, "Okay pedals, it's time to pedal."

Sarah is crafting a gift for a friend.

Me? I am sitting here, sipping coffee, balancing the checkbook, and surfing the 'net.

The new Signing Time! Series 2 that I ordered should be shipping today so I am anxiously awaiting their arrival this week! Until then, I have been enjoying sneak peeks from the Signing Time! YouTube site.

Signing Time! has a holiday special going on right now:
20% off with the code: holiday20
valid on:
Signing Time Series One: Volumes 1-13
Signing Time Series Two: Volumes 1-3 only (not valid on Vols. 4-7)
Practice Time: ABCs & 123s
Baby Signing Time: Volumes 1 & 2

The sale ends December 31st.

What are you waiting for? Order yours today!

An important message....

2007-12-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Do not strike out - News
Gabe Kapler, best known as a 2004 Boston Red Sox outfielder, is now using his name to champion his own cause: preventing domestic violence.
The Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, welcomed Kapler and his wife, Lisa, to the Curry Student Center Wednesday night to speak about The Gabe Kapler Foundation and to sign autographs.
Janet Actis, a member of the sorority's programming committee, said the Kaplers would grab the attention of students because of their ties to the Red Sox.
"Now, people will know that there are things that can be done about this kind of violence," Actis said.
Since 2004, the Kaplers have been lecturing on domestic violence because, at age 14, Lisa was abused by her high school boyfriend. She is now committed to spreading awareness through the foundation with her husband, she said.

Gabe began the evening by recounting the events of July 24, 2004. Jason Varitek had shoved his catcher's mitt into the face of Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees' third baseman.
However, this kind of behavior shouldn't translate to the real world, he said.
"On the field, in the heat of battle, sometimes violence is unavoidable," he said. "When you're with someone you care about, violence is always avoidable."
Kapler then began to conceptualize the meaning of being a strong man. Gabe, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches and weighs 210 pounds, wasn't talking about physical strength, but rather the bravery of inaction.
"My ability to not … react physically is what makes me strong," he said.
Gabe said he has learned from his wife that one act of violence can quickly escalate into something more terrifying.
The first time Lisa's boyfriend abused her was after an argument at school, Gabe said. He took her by the throat and shoved her up against a locker."All the kids [who] saw it were walking past … nobody said anything to me," Lisa said while starting to choke up. "It's 18 years later and it's still affecting me."
She said her boyfriend promised it would never happen again, but things continued to spiral out of control. At one point, Lisa's boyfriend held a gun to her head and asked her if she was ready to die.But he would always apologize and she would go back to him, she said.
"I learned to be a victim. … There's a very big piece of addiction that goes along with abuse," Lisa said.
She said she was abused for almost three years.
However, the hardest part didn't come until six years later. Lisa was at a stoplight when she looked to the car next to her and saw her former boyfriend in the driver's seat with a baby car seat in the back.
She said she felt by not turning him into the police or getting him the help he needed, she allowed the cycle to continue. Now Lisa said she fears he could be hurting his children.
"I passed the baton for someone else to be abused," she said.
The Kaplers agreed the best way to prevent violence and promote a healthy relationship is through communication, which is something they said they still work on constantly. The trick is just finding the best way to communicate, they said.

Although they spent the majority of the evening talking about violence prevention, Northeastern students addressed the rumor that Gabe wants to return to the Red Sox outfield next season."I think there's a little crack in the Red Sox door, and I'm going to try to bang it down," Gabe said with a smile.

I'm a geek

2007-11-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here, with both laptops going, a few programs running on each, but took a break for a quick bite while waiting for something to transfer from one to the other, and checking my email on my Blackberry.

This is not quite like the time I was sitting at the desktop, with one laptop on my lap while the other laptop was next to the desktop, running anywhere from 2-5 programs on each. Or the time after we got a new desktop and I was going between that one, the old one, and both laptops, getting them all to network to each other, etc.

Today I am grabbing music from my big laptop to put into my little laptop so I can have it in the little one and upload it to my sansa player. I'm also downloading pics from my camera to the computer so I can print those out (and upload them online later). Plus I'm editing some videos so William's shows aren't cluttering up the DVR and he can have them in the car. And also converting them onto the VideoNow media disks so he can use the VideoNow player he got for his birthday.

And I wonder where my kids get it from. Okay, I do know.

Shop Therapy

2007-11-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

There are times when I do feel a bit overwhelmed by things. I admit it. It comes at times when I get very little sleep and there's a lot going on. Like doing TONS of laundry to get rid of an itchy situation. The times when I have been feeling like the Energizer Bunny, but need a little 'me' time. Robert says that I need 'Shop' therapy vs 'Shock' therapy.

So when I needed to get out of the house after doing countless loads of laundry the other week, I decided to head out to the mall. The mall is a forty-five to fifty minute drive. We live in the boonies, you see. The nearest large grocery store is a good twenty-five minute drive. So I have to really need to get out of the house to want to shop at the mall vs shopping online.

I parked and went into Macy's and checked out the sale & clearance racks. I love a good bargain. I went over to the handbags, as I recently decided that I am rarely happy with one for long. I giggled to myself, since my Mom had a handbag fetish and I realized that maybe it is some hereditary thing~ after my Mom died and my Dad was going through things, he came upon dozens and dozens of handbags, purses, pocketbooks and shoulder bags (they are not all the same thing, you know). He went through each one, finding mementos in each; paystubs from work, letters, notes, bank statements, buttons, shopping lists or photos. When he had told me that, I smiled because I have always done the same thing. I didn't know Mom did too.

It takes little time for me to find the clearance tables. I sorted through bags, unzipped them, checked to see how many compartments within and without, and would consider how quickly would one bag drive me batty when I was looking for something. Then I'd toss it aside. Too many buckles on this one, too little space in that one. This one was too tiny, this one big enough to substitute for a diaper bag. Oooohhh... a leopard print one (I have worn leopard print items before they were in style and I plan to wear them long after they've gone out... so there), but the bag style... neh. Still, something to consider.

I then put my hand on a bag, to move it out of the way, when something strange happened. I could not let go of it. My fingers touched this buttery soft leather, and as I grasped it to move it, I found that my hand would not release it. Wow. So I examined it; unzipped it (zipper moved flawlessly), one large compartment inside, with a little zippered pocket and a couple open pockets. Hmmmm.... no outside compartments. I look at the tag. Originally $168, now $84. Ouch~ still more than I wanted to pay. I remembered I had $40+ left on my Macy's gift card, one of those credit card point rewards I had recently redeemed points for. I held onto the bag after seeing that there were no more of this exact bag on the table. I walked around the other clearance tables, looking at bags that might supplant this one. As I passed a mirror, I laughed. I looked like a sitcom sketch~ like Elaine on Seinfeld~ I had that bag so tightly against my body, as though afraid some other bargain hunter might try to pry it from me. I also found myself caressing the leather as I walked around. After a very brief 'should I or shouldn't I?' discussion (in my head), I walked to the register. It rang up, not at $84, but at $58.80. Further discount on the clearance. After tax, and my gift card, I paid $21 for it.

I, of course, relayed my tale to each family member later, as we all laughed together, picturing me looking at myself grasping this bag. Yet when I held it out for everyone to feel how soft it was, their response? "Oooooohhhhh, that's really soft!"

My shopping trip yielded some other things, crafty things for Sarah to make, but that will be another post in a few weeks.

In the meantime, here's my new Fossil bag~

Just for fun

2007-11-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

I got this from Blake's blog and I just had to share it! So, which one are you more like?

The Calvin and Hobbes Test

Your Score: A Bit Of Both

You are 50% Calvin and 50% Hobbes

Calvin & Hobbes, like a scruffy yin and yang, are in perfect balance within you. Like Calvin, you're weird, a bit insecure, and can be a trouble-maker. But like Hobbes, you're down to earth and sensitive. It's a risk to say it here, after just a ten question test, but I'll bet you're smarter than most. Both Calvin and Hobbes are crafty, clever characters, and any one made from equal parts of each is a force to be reckoned with.

Link: The Calvin Or Hobbes Test written by gwendolynbooks

This one will make you scratch your head...

2007-11-18T11:54:00.001-05:00

Seriously. It will. I am not kidding... you won't be able to help yourself.
My friend Cathy told me I needed to update my blog, so here I go.

I know I've been neglecting my blog, but I do have a good reason. Sarah received a most UN-welcome birthday present from one of her classmates. Head lice. (And at that, how many of you readers are just reactively scratching your head?)

I have lived in this town for 19 years, and all of my kids have attended the local elementary school. I have had at least one child in the school every year during that time. Often two, and occasionally three. Every year in the fall, there comes a notice home one week that a child in the school has head lice. This is the first time in all those years I ever remember the notice coming home every week for a few weeks. In 19 years, none of my kids have gotten them. Until 2 days after Sarah's birthday. The call came from the school nurse just after 10am. "Hi Kei, this is Deb (the school nurse). As you know, we've been dealing with head lice in school for a few weeks now, and there are a few classrooms that I've been checking daily. I just checked Sarah, and I found 2 on her scalp. You'll need to come get her. I'll check William's hair before you get here." Hmmm... okay, after I get over being mortified, I remembered that at some point during the night, William got up and crawled into bed with Sarah and spent the remainder of the night sleeping snugged up with her on her pillow.

I got to the school and the nurse came into the office to give me the CDC handout about lice. She said she checked William, and there are no signs of any on him. She had checked Sarah the day before and she had no signs of lice. Sarah's classroom is one that she has been checking daily. I brought Sarah home, she took a shower & shampooed her hair, then I checked through her hair as I blow-dried it. I found 2 live buggers. I had never seen one before in my life. IN MY LIFE!!! Ew ew ew. Afterwards I slathered her hair with olive oil... thoroughly, put it up in a little bun, then put a shower cap on her. I rounded up all the bed linens and pillows... hers, William's & ours. Sarah's stuffed animals went into a big plastic bag, sealed, and labeled 'quarantine'. The laundry was piling up.. I laughed as I walked into the laundry room ~ it was piled up to my chest... pillows, sheets, blankets, comforters, clothes, towels. I was very thankful for having the 'sanitize' setting on our washer. Then I vacuumed the carpets and sofas.

Sarah was a great sport during all this, and we set out to learn more together. Google 'truth and myths about head lice' for some great resources. She said a number of kids had been out of her class with head lice. Mostly the girls. After about 8 hours of the olive oil treatment, we shampooed her hair with tea tree oil shampoo, followed by tea tree conditioner. Afterwards I combed through her hair and found one dead lice. She went to bed that night on nice clean sheets~ but I was still only a third of the way through the laundry pile. I checked her hair early the next morning (I had checked William's head the night before & found no signs of little buggers), found no signs of lice. I checked William's hair again, found nothing and sent them both off to school.

When Sarah came home after school that day, she said she had gone directly into the nurses' office first thing in the morning, checked thoroughly and then off to her classroom. For the next week, I checked Sarah and William twice a day, morning and night. I also checked Robert & me. I had gotten a lice/egg comb, which did find some eggs in Sarah's hair. They were so much tinier and darker than I thought they'd be. I always put Sarah's hair in a ponytail in the morning before sending her off to school. After several days of no signs of lice, eggs or nits, I finally felt confident enough to check once a day. Meanwhile, Sarah still has a classmate who keeps getting sent home after the nurse checks. This is going on a month of dealing with this at school. The nurse keeps sending notices home, that with everyone's cooperation, we can get rid of these critters once and for all. It will just take committment from the parents to thoroughly check their own child's (children's) hair daily. Until those notices stop coming home, I know I'll be diligent checking my kids.

The time together during checks has been fun though. Sarah & I have had some pretty interesting discussions, from fun things like Webkinz to serious topics like how some people being biased against people with disabilities. I have to say~ Sarah is a pretty amazing open-minded person. She has such a pure heart.

So that's what's been keeping me busy. I did need a day of 'shop' therapy though, after doing all that cleaning and laundry.

Ten years ago...

2007-11-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago, my day began like this:

We had been to the OB the day before and since it was around my due date, the doctor looked at me and said, "How'd you like to deliver tomorrow?" Since I'd already begun having some contractions, was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced, I figured, "YES!!!"

The morning of November 5, Robert & I got up; he took this picture of me and off we went. First stop was his office to take care of a few things (he now says, "Why didn't you just tell me to forget work?") and then off to the hospital. The doctor checked me out, said I was 5cm dilated, broke my water at 8:25am, and the contractions started more frequently, but still very mild (to me at least). We walked the halls, talked and listened to music. Kenny Loggins' The Unimaginable Life CD... we kept it on repeat play. It was so soothing and calming~ it helped SO much!

Sarah arrived at 5:15pm, a head full of hair. She weighed 7 lbs, 10oz, and was 19½" long. My second biggest baby!

Her older siblings came to visit us at the hospital, and we got to go home the next day.

Sarah's first birthday~

2nd~

3rd Birthday... I used to have plenty of energy to make cakes like these!

For her 4th birthday, I made 2 cakes... the top of one explains why~
Fifth Birthday... and now as I find these old pictures I wonder why I stopped making these pretty cakes?!

My 6 year old! The first birthday celebrated in our new house!

For her 7th birthday, we invited lots of her friends over for a big Aloha Birthday party!

Birthday number 8, Sitting like a princess~

Last year, getting Birthday hugs from Mariko

And finally, this year!!! We celebrate one day early because her brothers were going to be busy tonight. I don't think she minded celebrating one day early....

Do you?

Happy 10th Birthday Sarah!!!!! You are very loved!

Happy Birthday to a Dear Friend!

2007-11-02T11:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Annette! Click on over to her blog and leave some birthday wishes.

Annette has been a longtime online friend, but also one that I've had the privilege of meeting in real life on 2 occasions. She is one of the most caring, loving, upbeat people I've ever met.

Happy Birthday Annette~ We love you!!!!

Happily Exhausted!

2007-10-15T13:33:00.000-04:00

Less than a week ago, Robert convinced me the kids could miss a couple days of school so we could drive to Indiana and back to meet our friends and attend the IDSF Buddy Walk. We left home Thursday and stayed at a hotel in Erie, PA that night, because we knew we needed to get some sleep before meeting everyone Friday.
I've known many of the families we were meeting for over 6 years online. This was the first time that many of were meeting face to face! Thank you to Jan, Jeff and Nash for hosting and opening your home to us. I have tons of pictures on my flickr site so I'll just share a few here~

Friday night~

In the back row, l-r, Lisa, Marley & Nicole, Nash & Jan, Tara Marie
Front~ Beth, Stephanie, Annette, Me with Stephanie's Katie, Rhonda with Tara Marie's Emma Sage, and Beth's Patrick.

Sarah and Annette's Kurtis lead the group

William & Ryan shake hands

The gang at Jan's house

Ryan & William

Some of us were staying at Jan's so we stayed up way too late Saturday night. We went to breakfast with almost everyone Sunday and then we headed home from there, thinking we could make the drive straight home without stopping for the night. About 4 hours from home we were thinking that wasn't such a great idea, as William didn't like the lights from cars (and construction) and city areas. We got home at nearly 3am. After everything was in from the car, we plopped ourselves onto bed. That's when I realized that although drinking 2 venti caramel machiattos is great for keeping me awake for my driving shift (the last half of the trip), the caffeine kick had not worn off yet so it was another hour before I fell asleep. William was up & running at 8am.

The trip was worth every minute. Thanks again everyone who was there~ I can't wait to see you all again!!!

I've been tagged again

2007-10-05T13:01:00.000-04:00

My friend Stephanie at A is for Aiden tagged me. Stephanie says that when Aiden was born, she started buying "Life Rings" for her necklace. One side is for the things she's learned since having Aiden; the other side are things she wishes for Aiden in the future.

I have learned from William:

Prayer
Self-sacrifice
Potential
Persistence
Unconditionality

What I wish for William's future:

Happiness
Courage
Patience (with others)
Love
Dreams

And now I'm tagging Nicole, Jan, Rhonda, Connie, Laura, and Michelle

NYC Buddy Walk

2007-10-01T14:47:00.000-04:00

We arrived in NYC on Saturday afternoon. Not a bad drive at all. Checked in at the hotel and relaxed a bit. Rachel called once she got to the hotel and said she & Renee were going to freshen up and then come to our room. William was soooo happy to see Rachel! There were hugs all around since Doug hadn't seen either Rachel or Renee in almost 2 years, and Sarah & William hadn't seen them in a year. William promptly slipped his hand into Rachel's and down the hallway they went, with the rest of us following behind. We went to Rockefeller Center (had to stop to get some Teuscher Chocolates!) Then off to see what we could do for dinner~ we ended up at Ruby Foo's and had a wonderful dinner. Headed back towards Rockefeller Center for some window shopping, and along the way Rachel & William were signing and singing the Happy Birthday to You song from the new Signing Time series as we walked. We checked out some stores and then parted company (the ladies were off to see a show) and checked out the American Girl Place on our way back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, we kicked off our shoes & relaxed. Robert, Sarah & William fell asleep, Doug read, and I played Sudoku. Rachel called when the show got out, so Doug & I went out to meet them and have an after show bite & dessert.

There's something quite stunning about Times Square at 10:30pm. It's such a contrast to being here in Western MA. There, it's bright with all the city lights, marquees lit up, a din of voices. Here, it's a night sky filled with flickering stars and the moonlight, with the chirping of crickets, the rustle of wind through the trees and an occasional roar of the train passing by across the river.

We met up with them at Carmine's, shared some bread and Chicken Scarpariello on angel hair pasta, followed by Strawberry Shortcake. The food was excellent, the company was even better. It was probably 12:30am before we got back to our hotel, and we figured out what time we would meet in the lobby in the morning. I am not used to the noise of a city~ the cars going by, the honking, the voices in the wee hours of the morning, the really really loud voices outside at 4am!

Sunday we met in the lobby, checked out & had our luggage stored and caught a couple cabs to take us to Central Park to set up for the Buddy Walk.

Rachel, William and Robert
It was a beautiful day! While the families were walking, I put the Hopkins costume on. Not long after, it was Showtime!!!

That's me, signing 'Wait', as they worked out the little problem with the sound system.

Signing Time!

Thank you

Robert and the kids have never seen me in action as Hopkins before, but they got a kick out of seeing 'me' very animated. It's always fun to be Rachel's sidekick/mascot, and so touching to see so many people signing along with her through the songs. This time was particularly special as I watched William with a smile on his face the entire time, signing and singing along with Rachel. Whenever Rachel performs, she saves her special 'Grown Up' songs for the end. When she sings and signs them, Hopkins steps off into the background so the focus is purely on Rachel. I always take this time to scan and watch the kids and their families. Yesterday when she was doing Caterpillar Dreams, I watched William. The tears streamed down my face as I watched him sign and sing everything along with Rachel. He had the biggest smile on his face, and he signed with so much confidence. He signed words I didn't even know he knew. As I stood there, watching him, and watching Rachel, I felt so much gratitude for these two people. Because of William, because he has Down syndrome, I got to learn about Rachel and Signing Time. Because of Rachel and Signing Time!, I found a way for William to learn and to communicate. Because of the two of them, I had the opportunity to be up on stage, performing in a big green Hopkins frog outfit, watching William signing along with Rachel. It became hard to see, as the tears made my glasses fog up inside Hopkins' head. But the moment was already in the snapshot album of memories in my mind.

Family picture~

William, Robert, Rachel, Sarah and.... uh... Hopkins, hee hee.

William and me~ he was quite puzzled when he heard my voice~ Hopkins does not usually talk~ and he was trying to figure out where Mommy's voice was coming from. Once I convinced him it was me inside the costume, he was surprised and happy.

While there, I got to meet up with some of my T21 board buddies~ Doug kept busy taking pictures yesterday

me, Julie & Laura. Laura has a great slideshow on her blog. I also got to see other online friends~ it was so awesome, but sadly such a short visit.

We went back to the hotel, and while Robert & William sat & took a break, the rest of us split up & went to pick up some things~ Rachel & Sarah checked out the street market that was going on outside the hotel, Renee was off shopping, and Doug & I made a mad dash back to Teuscher's for some chocolates, and dashed back, laughing all the way. Then it was time for goodbye, as Renee & Rachel had a car waiting to take them to the airport, and our car was being brought 'round.

Renee, me, Rachel

We loaded up our car and headed home. We got home, unloaded, put the kids to bed, and showered, watched the Cowboys game we had DVR'd (even though Aaron, Rachel's hubby, had told Robert earlier on the phone how it came out) and just collapsed into bed. The quiet never sounded so good.

Never a Dull Moment

2007-09-27T23:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to some generous donors, we have fence posts to put in for our Personal Ponies. Thanks to the company Robert works for, we had the use of a Toro Dingo Compact Utility Loader with an auger attachment to dig the post holes. This morning after the kids got on the bus, Robert & I went out to start working on getting the post holes in

We have the area for two paddocks laid out

We'll be able to see the ponies from the house. Our master suite is the top right section, and we'll have a nice overlook of the paddocks. The room under it is the breakfast room.

So, we were going along at a pretty nice pace, Robert operating the machine; I was guiding him and getting the extra dirt that fallen into the holes out with a regular ol' post hole digger... we make an awesome team. We knew pretty much where the conduit for our buried lines were, and had some holes we were very planning to go lightly on and use the manual digger on. The first questionable hole was fine~ the second, well.... I was checking every hole after Robert got the auger out, to make sure they were deep enough and that not too much dirt had fallen back in. When he pulled the auger out of this particular hole, I peeked in and looked at him and signed "water". Poor guy! his eyes got so big! We were digging pretty shallow in comparison to the other holes, so there shouldn't have been. Robert said it meant the conduit was close, and hopefully hadn't nicked it. Often water will run alongside a buried conduit. We grabbed the sump pump & hooked it up to drain the water. He checked it out, and saw that the pipe was quite intact~ YAY!!!

After all the holes were dug, Robert returned the machine and I went around to a few of the holes that needed more cleaning out; there were rocks in those that needed to be manuevered out before digging deeper. After Robert returned home and the kids got home from school, we started putting in the fence posts. Tada!!! Our cornerstone post!

We got nine of them in before we had to go get cleaned up and eat so we could go to open house at Sarah & William's school. I will update on that later, but it's all good.... great even.

It's William's Heart Day!

2007-09-25T09:22:00.000-04:00

Seven years ago, William had his second heart surgery (the first was at 36 hours), an open heart surgery to repair his Atrial Septal Defect. William was 6 weeks old, and barely weighed 5 lbs, 9 oz. Story and pictures are towards the end of his birth story post, but I can't resist posting the picture of him post-op 7 years ago.

And last month, on his first day of first grade~

Every day I run my finger lightly over his scars and thank God for the chance at life they represent. William has a great life, and because of him, the rest of us have an even greater life and purpose.

Last night before bed, he was reading one of his Thomas the Tank Engine books to me~ Blue Train, Green Train.... and he was only stuck on a few of the words.

It's a wonderful day.

9 Volt

2007-09-19T09:24:00.000-04:00

You know how they say you should change your smoke alarm batteries when you set your clock back? (or is it when you set it ahead?) Last night/this morning I discovered that's a really good idea!

I am a night owl. Last night, after I played my mind clearing game(s) of Sudoku, I turned off my book light, set my ear buds in my pillowcase, set up my Sansa mp3 player to listen to Kenny Loggins' "More songs from Pooh Corner" (helps me drift off sweetly to sleep, what can I say?), and fell asleep. How long before William came in to go potty, I'm not sure, but I got up to help him to the bathroom, washed hands, climbed back into bed with my little snuggle-buddy who settled nicely next to me, and began drifting back off.

CHIRP! ~ I thought something was messed up with my Sansa, or that the song switched, so I turned it off & set it on my night table. I snuggled back down with William, and drifted off again.

CHIRP! ~ Hmmm... maybe I didn't turn off the player. Nope... it's off.

CHIRP! ~ wow, awake, that is really annoying! Pierce your ear annoying.

CHIRP! ~ crap... it's probably one of the smoke detectors' battery. I got up, found my glasses, walked to William's room.

CHIRP! ~ Nope... not William's

I stood in the hallway, trying to pinpoint which of the 4 or 5 detectors upstairs it could be.

CHIRP! ~ hey, that sounds like my room! So I go back to the bedroom, stand under it and listen....

and listen....

wow, maybe I could just go back to bed, and just about the time I lifted the covers up...

CHIRP!!!!!! ~ No, I definitely cannot sleep through that! I look at the clock... 2:15am

I cursed quietly all the way down the stairs, turned on the dining room light and searched through drawers for a 9 volt battery. I turned on the kitchen light and searched through drawers for a 9 volt battery. I turned on the family room light... well, you get the idea. None to be found.

I cursed maybe not so quietly as I grabbed a chair to bring upstairs with me. I readjusted the battery that was in the detector, set the chair aside and waited. Waited. Waited. cool. Not wanting to have William trip over the chair when he wakes up, I carry the chair back down the stairs. Then I return upstairs to my room, pull back the covers, lay my head down.

CHIRP!!!! ~ I am not frakkin' kidding you! I fetch the chair again, pull the blasted battery out, move the chair to the sitting area of the master bedroom, and wait. Yeah, you'd best not chirp now, you bugger.

I slid back into bed, snuggled again with William, and drifted off. Until this morning when I heard Doug leave for school. Which means my alarm didn't go off.

Oh, Robert, my love, could you pick up a package of 9 volts on your way home? We're changing all the batteries. This evening.

The moral of the story is... Don't wait until the chirping starts... change at least once a year (not cough*almost4*cough). The sanity you save might be your own.

Passing some savings on to you!

2007-09-19T09:06:00.000-04:00

I had pre-ordered the Signing Time! Series II volumes 1-3 dvds. They arrived last week and we LOVE them!!! William's favorite is volume 2: Happy Birthday to You. You can preview it here.
Part of the pre-order deal was a coupon for $10 off my next purchase over $15 at Signing Time! ~ my e-coupon arrived yesterday and says that I can pass the savings on to friends & family!!! The code expires January 15, 2008 and may be used once per customer. Use coupon code 10offs2 to save $10 off your purchase over $15 at Signing Time!

The Almost Perfect Weekend

2007-09-17T08:56:00.000-04:00

We woke up early Saturday to go to the dentist, which is over an hour away (amazing how far we'll drive when you find the perfect dentist) so he could fill a little cavity in Robert's tooth. Robert grabbed his John Mayer signature guitar to show Dr. H, as they share the love of guitars, Nascar, Golf, etc.... I brought my computer so William could play a game while we waited. The drive there was uneventful, but still a very cherished time as Robert & I chat away and brainstorm ideas, and listen to the kids singing along with Rachel (our new Signing Time! DVDs came in last week!!!!) and William calling out to Daddy to see each sign he's practicing.

We arrived a few minutes before Robert's appointment, but they took him right in. It seems William barely got to start playing his game on the computer and Robert was finished~ amazing how quickly it goes when you don't need Novocaine. Robert got the guitar out & Dr. H started playing it, getting the feel for it. (Yes, we have THE coolest dentist) We chatted for quite a while and then it was time to go.

Afterwards we stopped for lunch, then bought groceries and came home and had a laid back, casual afternoon/evening. I checked my email and found out that we could visit William's pony on Sunday!

Yesterday we got up early again (me up early on a weekend is rare), Robert got the kids up, fed and dressed. I double checked my little camera~ good thing... the batteries were dead & the memory card was nearly full, so I took care of that and off we went. 2 hours later we were at Penzance, where Frosty is receiving some training before he gets to come live with us. Frosty is part of the Personal Ponies organization~ please visit the Personal Ponies website to find out all about this incredible program!!! Gwen at Penzance has three Personal Ponies in residence; they are Ambassadors for the program, as well as teach other little ponies how to behave with children.

Our first meeting with Frosty yesterday went very well~ I think he knows he was meant to be with us. There is this noble spirit about him, and when you look into his eyes, you see the intelligence in him. Yes, we were all totally in love! Here are some pictures; the rest are on my flickr pages.

Frosty

Sarah brushing Frosty

William hugging Frosty

William's turn to brush Frosty

Frosty & Me... he is sooooo sweet!

William and Amahl, the resident Sicilian Donkey (and soooooo soft!)

There are lots of pictures on the flickr site, so be sure to check them out!

We should be bringing Frosty home in a few weeks!!

On the way home, William kept telling us how cute Frosty is, and how happy he(William) is. Sarah was in absolute heaven.... until we stopped for an early dinner and her loose molar split vertically and she wrenched part of it out. I need to call her dentist today to see what we should do about the rest of it. The kids don't have the same dentist as Robert & me; theirs is closer to home. William has a different dentist than the rest of the kids~ he has one that specializes in special needs dentistry. So we go all over the place for our family's dental care!

So, except for Sarah's tooth (and that our beloved Red Sox lost last night), it was an almost perfect weekend.

A Cup of Coffee

2007-09-14T08:34:00.000-04:00

I want to go back to bed, pull the covers up and sleep. Then I want to wake up and start the day my way. Yet I am sitting here, typing, waiting for the coffee to brew. Ready to change the course of the day.

I thought it would be a good day. William was snuggled in my arms~ he got up, went potty, then downstairs. I followed along, stopping to make sure Sarah was awake (she was, playing with her Gameboy), told her the time. I came down, turned on my computer, checked a few blogs, checked my email, then went to make William's lunch for school, just going about my usual school morning routine.

Sarah came down, I took one look at her and told her she needed to change clothes. Then the drama began. Did I ever mention she is so full of drama? Yeah, she's going to be soooo much fun when puberty hits and those hormonal mood swings & PMS hit. I'm not really picky about the styles she chooses, the colors, etc. but I am when she puts on dirty clothes. The skort she was wearing was pink, looked new (I had gotten it for her last year, but she doesn't wear it much) and across the yoke of it... dirty. Of course, right away I get the excuse "It's NOT my fault!" Hmmmm... I don't recall telling her anything was her fault, all I said was it was dirty and she needed to go change. "What's wrong with it?", she asks, as though it's not obvious.
"It's dirty. There is a stain on it. You are not wearing it to school, you are going to put it in the hamper."
"What am I supposed to wear?"
"Um, clothes that are clean... you have enough of them"
To which she turns and stomps up the stairs, as though asking her to change her skort is asking her to bear the weight of the world on her shoulders.
She comes back down, wearing shorts and a tank top.
"Doug says it's supposed to be warmer today. Is this any better?"
"No, the top is dirty and you wore those shorts the other day and I know I haven't washed them since"
Sarah, looking down, missing the stains because they are at the neck of the shirt, "I don't see anything wrong with it"
"It's got stains across there. Go change please."
"It's NOT my fault! There's nothing to wear! What am I supposed to wear?"
"Yelling at me is not helping anything. Go find something"
And away she stomps. Each step an indignant emphasis of her mood.
She stomps around her room.
I make William's oatmeal.
She yells from the top of the stairs, "What do you expect me to wear?"
"Something clean!" I respond
She starts down the stairs. She goes back up the stairs. She starts down again. "What about this?"
"That's just fine. Now, do you need lunch money?"
"What's for lunch?" She's looking at the lunch menu~ I am in the next room. "Yes, I guess I'll have school lunch" Spoken like Eeyore. Remember, Wednesday's child is full of woe. Today it really fits.
"I'm hungry, do I have time for a toaster strudel?"
"Yes, if you put it in now"
"How long does it take?"
"I don't know, just put it in now"
"I want to know how many minutes it takes so I'll know if I have time"
"Just put it in now or you won't have time"
And the hysterics begin. Again. This time she stomps off, yelling, "If you had woken me up earlier, we wouldn't have this problem! That's it, I'm not going to school!"
"If you had come downstairs instead of playing the Gameboy, you would have had plenty of time"
"It's (c'mon, say it with me) NOT my fault, YOU should have told me to come downstairs!"
She comes back down, says she's hungry, goes through it again about time. Finally I told her to just put them in! Meanwhile, William picks up his bowl of oatmeal and his spoon and carries them in to her. "Uh, Sarah, want hot cereal, William's?" Oh, my stars..... he was going to give her his oatmeal!

Finally, the drama behind us (this one. this day at least), it's time to get them down to the bus. Sarah does not want to talk to me. After all, this is all MY fault because certainly none of it is hers.

And they're off. Off to school. I can come up and enjoy a nice, quiet, peaceful house. Steve came downstairs, and I jokingly asked if Sarah woke him up. "Yeah, but that's okay, it kept me from trying to fall back asleep" and off he went to his classes this morning.

I decide I want to make a pot of coffee instead of just a cup. Ready to dump out yesterday's coffee grinds, I discover the garbage pail is full. Ugh. So I pull the old bag out, set it on the floor, ready to put the new bag in. Except the pail is all wet on the bottom. Meaning the old bag must be too. So the old bag goes in the new bag, and I get to clean up the mess.

The coffee is finished brewing, and I am going to get a cup. I am going to enjoy that wonderful aroma (chocolate caramel), and I am going to savor every sip. The events of the past two hours are purged, and I plan to get on with my day. I'm going to do some more sewing. I'll post pictures of my projects later.

For now, I am going enjoy a cup of coffee.

Head Blogging

2007-09-12T12:45:00.000-04:00

I write blogs in my head. That is to say, I come up with entire blogs in my head, while I'm doing things that of course, are inconvenient to stop doing so I can grab my computer and type them out. Things like: washing dishes (no way is my computer getting that close to water), driving the car (I dislike even talking hands-free on my cell phone), snuggling with one of the kids or laying there next to William as he falls asleep, taking a shower (again.... the whole... water... thing), putting my makeup on, or in those moments of trying to fall asleep.

Naturally, by the time I have the free time to access my computer, all those wonderfully written thought-blogs have been filed away (maybe not filed so much as tossed into a pile) in the clutter of my mind. So, today, on my way to town, I thought about my kids. Okay, I think about my kids nearly ALL of the time, but driving along today, the old Mother Goose rhyme popped into my head~

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child born on the Sabbath Day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay.

I began thinking about which days my kids were born...

Monday's child is fair of face ~ Doug, my 4th child is a Monday child. Handsome young man he is too.

Tuesday's child is full of grace~ Jim, my oldest was born at 2:01am on a Tuesday. He is charming, forgiving, and has been a blessing.

Wednesday's child is full of woe~ Oh, that is soooo Sarah!!!! She thinks she has it so tough (most kids would love to have it as tough as she does, lol).

Thursday's child has far to go~ hmmm, I didn't have a child on Thursday!

Friday's child is loving and giving~ This would be Mariko, my 2nd child. The one who is going to medical school.

Saturday's child works hard for a living~ My 3rd child, Stephen~ fits this perfectly. When I offer to pay for something, he turns me down and says he has enough that he earned. Well, he lets me pay for his college and he lives here rent-free.

But the child born on the Sabbath Day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay. This would be my youngest, William. My happy-go-lucky, smart, loving, little boy.

How funny is it that I never had kids born on the same day of the week?

By the way... I was a Friday's child. Robert was a Thursday's child... did he have far to go? Yes, when he drove from Texas to Massachusetts to be with me!

What about you? Your kids? Find out here

5 a.m.

2007-09-11T08:30:00.000-04:00

Most nights, when William wakes in the wee hours to go wee (sorry, couldn't resist), he knocks on our bedroom door and announces, "Mom? Mom? Dad? It's me, William...." Often he gives his entire name, as though it's the secret password.

This morning, I heard, "yay!!!!!", muted as though by distance. I rolled over. I notice the stairway light on.

"ALL RIGHT!" I hear William yell excitedly. I got up, went down the stairs, noticing that both sets of family room lights were on. William glanced at me quickly, said, "Oh, Hi, Mom.." and went back to what he was doing. Just what was he doing? you may be wondering.

He had come down the stairs, turned the lights on, booted the computer up, and started playing his Harry Potter Quiddich Cup game. The computer, laden with games and other stuff, is 5 years old and, like some of us older, outdated beings, takes a bit longer to get going in the mornings. Between the time for that, and where he was at in his game, he had to have been up for at least 15 minutes, if not a little longer.

I convinced him it was really not time to get up yet and exited his game, turned out the light, and brought him upstairs to go potty & then snuggle in the big bed. I glanced at Robert's clock, which he sets at least 5 minutes faster than actual time. 5:11. William had been up before 5. We snuggled, and we both nodded off until my alarm went off at 6:30. William didn't get up until after 7.

yay!!!!

Who has this kid been listening to?

2007-09-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

This morning I asked him where something was. William responds with "I hae no idea!" He's not always good at enunciating words with a 'v'. He is, however, great at the intonation associated with saying I-de-Ah! just the way he's heard it once or twice around here.

When confronted with "William, why did you throw the toys up in the air like that?" or other things he knows he ought not to do, William responds with "I don't know!"

Overheard while he and Sarah were playing, "Uh, Sarah, knock it off!"

The ones that crack me up the most are when he's playing a game, particularly a computer game. These range from "Oh no, try again" to "Game over, dya wanna quit?" to "Oh, dammit" That one makes me glad we don't say anything more than that in this house. At least while the kids are awake.

And William sounds so cute when he tries to say, "dag-nab-it!"~ he kind of says it in a coarse voice!

I am not too proud to beg...

2007-09-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

The voting for the Mannington Awards ends tomorrow, September 7th. Please, please please please please! Please help me and vote for Rachel Coleman of Signing Time!

The Mannington 'Stand On a Better World' Award honors those who strive to make difference in the world around them. By creating the video series, Signing Time!, Rachel and her sister Emilie set out to make a difference in the world of Rachel's daughter Leah, who is deaf. In doing so, they've helped children of all ages and abilities communicate with others. This includes our William~helping in his communication needs and with helping him learn to read.

Your vote will help Rachel win $10,000 for the charity of her choice, The Signing Time Foundation. Of course you can always donate to The Signing Time Foundation (501c3) as well. The Signing Time Foundation’s mission is to enrich the lives of children of all abilities. The Foundation is the main sponsor of the Signing Time television show, seen on many Public Television Stations across the country.

You can only vote once per valid email address, so please pass this along to your friends and family. Once you vote for Rachel, you will receive an email with a link to confirm your vote. If you have more than one email address, or share the computer with others, make sure you clear your temporary internet cookies between votes.
PLEASE? and Thank you! (Did you know William has been signing those since he was 2½? Rachel taught him to use his manners!)

Back to School, Part II

2007-08-30T14:22:00.000-04:00

Back to school fun..... FORMS!!!! Paperwork times three! Wow, I forgot what writing cramps felt like!

Miracles

2007-08-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

Last week, my friend Ashlee's husband had an accident at work. He's a window washer and fell over 75 feet.
Miracle 1: He survived.
Miracle 2: Despite his numerous injuries, he did not sustain any head injuries.
Miracle 3: Other than a punctured lung, he did not have any injuries to internal organs.

He's had several surgeries already, including a very long day of them yesterday. If you pray, please add Andy to yours. He and Ashlee have 3 young children. If you don't pray, please send positive thoughts.

And if you can, please donate to a fund set up for them.
You can send a check in the mail made out to:
Gudmundson Donation Fund
Send the check to:
US Bank
3580 S 2700 W
Salt Lake City UT 84119
Enclose a note asking them to deposit it in the Donation Fund account for Andy Gudmundson.

Ashlee is one of the sweetest, nicest people I've ever met (and an online friend that I have gotten to meet in real life!). She's one of my Signing Time! friends and her son is in Baby Signing Time! during the Diaper Dance.

If you visit her blog, let her know you're thinking of her & Andy. The pictures might be a bit too much for those who are squeamish about post op images.

An Interesting Start

2007-08-28T15:37:00.000-04:00

The school year is off to an interesting beginning. Specifically, William's school year. I admit, I did know this was coming, as I had a bit of a hand in it.

The school is looking for a new 1:1 aide for him. The amazingly awesome aide he had this past year is not returning. Maybe it had to do with the fact that when the principal of a local school called me recently to follow up on the letter of reference Robert and I wrote for Miss M, I told him that he, his school and the students would be very lucky to have her. Or maybe it was when the principal asked what other thoughts I had and I told him that I was jealous because I really would have loved to have her stay to be William's aide forever. Or it could have been when he asked me if I had anything else to add before he offered her the job and I told him that he'd better do right by her because she deserved only the best.

So, alas, our principal called me this afternoon to tell me that William had a great day in school (she was in his classroom for a little while), and that she had some other news for me. Miss M would not be William's aide this year because she took the position of being a full-time preschool teacher (the school that had called me)! Congratulations M!!!! The regular classroom assistant/aide will be overseeing William's needs until they hire a new aide for him. I trust that the principal and teachers know William well enough by now to hire the right fit for him.

5 Minutes for Mom Has Another Giveaway

2007-08-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

I love to click on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and read their blog. They've become one of my regular stops when I'm on the internet. Today HP is launching their newest Photosmart Compact A626 Printer, and 5 Minutes for Mom has one to give away!

I have an HP Compact Photosmart printer, which is great when you scrapbook away from home (like when you're putting the finishing touches on a scrapbook for your daughter's college graduation and want to give her the completed scrapbook that night!), but the one I have only goes up to 4x6 inch prints.

The new one from HP can print 4x6, 5x7, panoramic 4x12, 4x8, photo stickers, etc. Sounds so versatile & a definite upgrade from the one I have. I'm entering the drawing ... How about you?

Back to School

2007-08-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Where did the summer go? I had all these plans, and whoosh! did I ever do them? I don't even know. Oh well, I guess it's just one of those things that comes with age~ time seems to speed up and fly by.

Doug is a senior in high school this year! When did my little Snuggy Dougy grow up so big? It seems like yesterday he was starting kindergarten. Wow.

Sarah is now a 4th Grader. She has a new teacher this year; new to the school. I have had at least *ONE* child at this elementary school every year for the past NINETEEN school years!!! I moved here in November of 1988, and Jim transferred into the second grade here. There were years I had two children in the school, and sometimes three! William had the same kindergarten teacher that Mariko, Steve, Doug and Sarah had. This year William is in 1st Grade, and he will have the same 1st grade teacher that Steve, Doug and Sarah had. I can't wait to find out how his day is going. The kids have a half day today, so just a few more hours left!
The first day of school is incomplete without pictures, so without further ado....
Sarah

The oh so cool William

This one cracks me up!

I thought if I let William use my small digital camera, I might get a few more pictures of him with Sarah, but no.... silly me!

Need to teach him not to put his finger over the lens.

I LOVE this picture of me that William took!

I must admit, I feel a little lost without the kids home. I'll get over it, lol.

Robert's New Guitar

2007-08-28T09:38:00.000-04:00

I saw this in one of Robert's catalogs, and told him he should get it. Who is he to argue with me? Well, since we've never argued (the kids joke that we almost did- once, years ago.. I'll tell ya at the end of this post), he ordered it.
This is why I wanted him to get it~

It sounds sooooo sweet!

Okay, so about the one time the kids like to joke about. I was pregnant with Sarah, and we were all packing into the truck to go somewhere, and Robert said it was cold out and I should put my coat on. Well, being pregnant, I had my own little furnace going, so I was quite warm, so I declined. He sweetly suggested again I should put it on, and again I declined, at which point he asked if I could at least bring it with me, just in case. The kids laughed loudly and said, "Oooh, you guys are almost arguing!"

Have I mentioned how much I love Robert? Yes, there really is 'and they lived happily ever after'~ we are proof of that.

Nice Matters Award

2007-08-28T09:19:00.000-04:00

My dear friend Nicole has sweetly honored me with this award.
We've known each other online for six years now, but have yet to meet in person. Meeting her face-to-face will be wonderful one day, and I know that when we do, the hug will be long and the tears plenty.
"The Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award.”

Only 7? Just how am I supposed to choose 7 out of all the blogging friends I know? They are ALL nice and good friends and inspire good feelings. Truthfully, I only visit the blogs where the people are nice, because, well, I have no time for the negative ones.

And since I really don't like making choices (it is the Gemini in me), I am awarding this to you, my blog reader. Accept the award and pass it on to 7 people. Unless you're like me and: A) either only have 7 blog-readers, B) are a Gemini too, or C) You only have nice friends too.

Heroes

2007-08-26T13:03:00.000-04:00

No, not the show on NBC, which, by the way, is a favorite here in our house.
I'm talking about the other type~ the kind of person who advocates for others. With the school year getting ready to start, this seems the perfect time to re-visit a speech that made the internet rounds earlier this year. I give you a speech by Soeren Palumbo, followed by the video of the young man himself:

I want to tell you a quick story before I start. I was walking through hallways, not minding my own business, listening to the conversations around me. As I passed the front door on my way to my English classroom, I heard the dialogue between two friends nearby. For reasons of privacy, I would rather not give away their race or gender. So the one girl leans to the other, pointing to the back of a young man washing the glass panes of the front door, and says, "Oh my gaw! I think it is so cute that our school brings in the black kids from around the district to wash our windows!" The other girl looked up, widened her slanted Asian eyes and called to the window washer, easily loud enough for him to hear, "Hey, Negro! You missed a spot!" The young man did not turn around. The first girl smiled a bland smile that all white girls – hell, all white people – have and walked on. A group of Mexicans stood by and laughed that high pitch laugh that all of them have.

So now it's your turn. What do you think the black window washer did? What would you do in that situation? Do you think he turned and calmly explained the fallacies of racism and showed the girls the error of their way? That's the one thing that makes racism, or any discrimination, less powerful in my mind. No matter how biased or bigoted a comment or action may be, if the victims can defend themselves and effectively convert their aggressors, the discrimination will not perpetuate. What would be infinitely worse is if we discriminated against those who cannot defend themselves.

What then, could be worse than racism? Look around you and thank God that we don't live in a world that discriminates and despises those who cannot defend themselves. Thank God that every one of us in this room, in this school hates racism and sexism and by that logic discrimination in general. Thank God that every one in this institution is dedicated to the ideal of mutual respect and love for our fellow human beings. Then pinch yourself for living in a dream. Then pinch the hypocrites sitting next to you. Then pinch the hypocrite that is you. Pinch yourself once for each time you have looked at one of your fellow human beings with a mental handicap and laughed. Pinch yourself for each time you have called someone else a "retard". Pinch yourself for each and every time you denounced discrimination only to turn and hate those around you without the ability to defend themselves, the only ones around you without the ability to defend themselves.

If you have been wondering about my opening story, I'll tell you that it didn't happen, not as I described it. Can you guess what I changed? No, it wasn't the focused hate on one person, and no it wasn't the slanted Asian eyes or cookie cutter features white people have or that shrill Hispanic laugh (yeah, it hurts when people make assumptions about your person and use them against you doesn't it?). The girl didn't say "hey Negro." There was no black person. It was "Hey retard." I removed the word retard. I removed the word that destroys the dignity of our most innocent. I removed the single most hateful word in the entire English language.

I don't understand why we use the word; I don't think I ever will. In such an era of political correctness, why is it that retard is still ok? Why do we allow it? Why don't we stop? Maybe students can't handle that – I hope that offends you students, it was meant to – but I don't think the adults here can either. Students, look at your teacher, look at every member of this faculty. I am willing to bet that every one of them would throw a fit if they heard the word faggot or nigger – hell the word Negro – used in their classroom. But how many of them would raise a finger against the word retard? How many of them have? Teachers, feel free to raise your hand or call attention to yourself through some other means if you have. That's what I thought. Clearly, this isn't a problem contained within our age group.

So why am I doing this? Why do I risk being misunderstood and resented by this school's student body and staff? Because I know how much you can learn from people, all people, even – no, not even, especially – the mentally handicapped. I know this because every morning I wake up and I come downstairs and I sit across from my sister, quietly eating her cheerio's. And as I sit down she sets her spoon down on the table and she looks at me, her strawberry blonde hair hanging over her freckled face, almost completely hiding the question mark shaped scar from her brain surgery two Christmases ago. She looks at me and she smiles. She has a beautiful smile, her face lighting up. Her two front teeth are faintly stained from the years of intense epilepsy medication but I don't notice that anymore. I lean over to her and say, "Good morning, Olivia." She stares at me for a moment and says quickly, "Good morning, Soeren," and goes back to her cheerio's. I sit there for a minute, thinking about what to say. "What are you going to do at school today, Olivia?" She looks up again. "Gonna see Mista Bee!" she replies loudly, hugging herself slightly and looking up. Mr. B. is her gym teacher and perhaps her favorite man outside of our family on the entire planet and Olivia is thoroughly convinced that she will have gym class every day of the week. I like to think of it as wishful thinking. So she finishes her cheerio's and grabs her favorite blue backpack and waits for her bus driver, Miss Debbie, who, like clockwork, arrives at our house at exactly 7'o'clock each morning. She gives me a quick hug goodbye and runs excitedly to the bus, ecstatic for another day of school.

And I watch the bus disappear around the turn and I can't help but remember the jokes. The short bus. The retard rocket. No matter what she does, no matter how much she loves those around her, she will always be the butt of some immature kid's joke. She will always be the butt of some mature kid's joke. She will always be the butt of some "adult"'s joke. By no fault of her own, she will spend her entire life being stared at and judged. Despite the fact that she will never hate, never judge, never make fun of, never hurt, she will never be accepted. That's why I'm doing this. I'm doing this because I don't think you understand how much you hurt others when you hate. And maybe you don't realize that you hate. But that's what is; your pre-emptive dismissal of them, your dehumanization of them, your mockery of them, it's nothing but another form of hate. It's more hateful than racism, more hateful than sexism, more hateful than anything. I'm doing this so that each and every one of you, student or teacher, thinks before the next time you use the word "retard", before the next time you shrug off someone else saying, "retard". Think of the people you hurt, both the mentally handicapped and those who love them. If you have to, think of my sister. Think about how she can find more happiness in the blowing of a bubble and watching it float away than most of will in our entire lives. Think about how she will always love everyone unconditionally. Think about how she will never hate. Then think about which one of you is "retarded".

Maybe this has become more of an issue today because society is changing, slowly, to be sure, but changing nonetheless. The mentally handicapped aren't being locked in their family's basement anymore. The mentally handicapped aren't rotting like criminals in institutions. Our fellow human beings are walking among us, attending school with us, entering the work force with us, asking for nothing but acceptance, giving nothing but love. As we become more accepting and less hateful, more and more handicapped individuals will finally be able to participate in the society that has shunned them for so long. You will see more of them working in places you go, at Dominicks, at Jewel, at Wal-Mart. Someday, I hope more than anything, one of them will be my sister.

I want to leave you with one last thought. I didn't ask to have a mentally handicapped sister. She didn't choose to be mentally handicapped. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have learned infinitely more from her simple words and love than I have from any classroom of "higher education". I only hope that, one-day, each of you will open your hearts enough to experience true unconditional love, because that is all any of them want to give. I hope that, someday, someone will love you as much as Olivia loves me. I hope that, someday, you will love somebody as much as I love her. I love you, Olivia.

Thank you Soeren.

Don't Laugh... Part II

2007-08-26T12:56:00.000-04:00

Maybe you read Don't Laugh at the beginning of the month and did get a laugh. There is an update to this tale of the Starbucks craving I had.

This morning I was making one of our favorite slow cooker meals, one that actually takes some prep work. I went into the corner cabinet to find some whole wheat pastry flour to dredge the beef in; lo and behold, in the back of the corner, were my little four-cup serving filters of Starbucks that I spent way too long looking for a few weeks ago!!! Thing is, I had searched that shelf at that time; I even had taken the things off that shelf when I was searching for Starbucks. Dang mischievious house elves~ I hate when they hide things on me.

He got me..

2007-08-25T12:31:00.000-04:00

Robert got me! He has been dancing around and gloating about it too. He's just a couple steps ahead of me today.
See, twelve years ago today he arrived in Massachusetts. We had met each other five weeks before, at a trade show. Love at first sight. We corresponded over the five weeks, and one day he loaded up everything he could fit into his extended cab truck and made the drive from East Texas to Western Massachusetts. Straight through, stopping only to get gas (and to pee). He made the trip in 27 hours. Determined man, my Robert.

Today I slept in, something I do on the weekends, as Robert is an early bird and I'm a night owl. He plays with the kiddos and surfs the net whilst I get my beauty rest. When I came down this morning, he was in the kitchen, cooking, and going on about how great it's been for the past twelve years, how he can't believe he's lived in New England for twelve years, etc.

That was my "D'OH!" moment. Oh, right. Today's August 25th! The day he came to be with me forever. And when he realized that HE remembered this important date before me, well, that's when his dancing started. And the gloating. He is cherishing the feeling.

Then when I sat down to enjoy the perfectly round, hot, whole wheat pancakes he'd made for breakfast, I reached for the smart balance spread and began to get some out with my knife.... Only to discover he'd already put some on my pancakes. Ahhhh, he is soooo perfect for me.

Gosh, I love my husband. So much that I'm going to let him gloat as much as he wants.