We have been ...

enjoying snow days.

the kids' charlie brown christmas trees they each decorated

yup, hay bales still left sitting from nika's birthday bash

taking time to enjoy real breakfasts.







doing science experiments.





cleaning and purging.

left over garage sale stuff being donated to a local adoptive family ... makes my heart happy

cuddling.



contemplating ... and designing.



playing.







drummin' (him) and strummin' (me).



sharing love.



eating too much left over candy.



potty training.





wholesaling out inventory ... everything 50% off ... email me with your wish list for details.



wishing it hadn't taken me four days to write just this measly little post that is getting published incomplete. Ha.

Loving life.

This is my favorite time of year. Spring. It just makes me so happy and excited for what is to come. Windows are open, breezes flow, the kids play and I breathe in their happiness.

Someone else in our house is particularly fond of spring ... and the outdoor time that comes with it. Hi Zoe. If you don't stop running after everyone who walks past the house, your outdoor time will be limited. Mmmkay?



We bit the bullet at Christmas and bought Mason a pocket rocket ... he loves that thing. He has been itching to get it outside and today was the day. The kids and I went for a walk and he zoomed all around us. I'm pretty sure I sounded like a broken record -- Mason! Be careful! Don't go so fast!

He only kissed the pavement one time ... and I watched it happen in slow motion from behind. It looked painful, but in true 6-year-old fashion ... he jumped up and went back to business. Had some neighborhood kids not been looking, his reaction may have been worse.

And the broken record screeched -- I told you to slow down!



I feel like we are in the middle of an infinite speech therapy marathon. Monday - 1 hour private PROMPT therapy, 30 minute public school PROMPT therapy; Tuesday - 30 minute private speech therapy; Wednesday - day off; Thursday - 30 minute private speech therapy, 30 minute public school PROMPT therapy; and Friday - day off.

Speaking of ... I finally heard back from Payton's teacher regarding her wanting to transfer Payton off her caseload, regardless of Payton's apraxia diagnosis and regardless of the therapist's PROMPT training. Hmph. I ended up having to call the head of speech therapy within the special education department ... and of course after that I got what I wanted. 

Sort of sounds like a neener-neener-boo-boo chant, but whatever -- I should have never had to deal with this to begin with.



Have I mentioned this chick is full of attitude and sass? Hello dirty look!



Nika is Nika ... just hanging, chilling, loving life. This chick attracts people everywhere we go. She is notorious for blowing kisses when we leave places ... although I'm not sure she realizes she is really signing thank you -- and smacking her lips -- when she does so.



Her adjustment continues to be amazing ... she is like a little sponge soaking up her new world. Today Mason and I were practicing her colors with her on an iPhone app that I have ... she did great knowing the colors -- if only her fine motor skills allowed her to accurately touch each color.

After attending a meeting this evening, I went to eat because I was starving ... Baja Fresh. It was funny because I had to convince myself that it was okay for me to go take a few minutes to eat. By myself. Alone. With no children and no distractions.

Clearly I was in my own little world.

I got there at 9:02 p.m. and walked in, sort of surprised to see they were still open. I ordered my food and decided to eat it there, rather than take it to go. I deserved this time, yes? 

After about 27 minutes, I realized I was enjoying my time a little too much. I looked up to see I was the only customer there. Garbages had been emptied. Cash registers closed. The kitchen almost clean. 

They had closed two minutes before I even got there and I didn't know it. What is even more remarkable is they never said anything, they allowed me to eat my meal in peace and they went about their business. While I drooled over my chicken nachos.

Thank you Baja Fresh ... I needed that. Even if I did look like a complete dork without realizing it. I guess that probably happens way more than I realize, huh?

It makes me happy.

Spring is in the air. And it makes me smile ... just like my favorite new song -- Smile by Uncle Kracker -- as is playing in the background. I usually am not a fan of music on blogs, but for today ... it makes me happy.

Spring means we can play outside again. It means we can enjoy the warmish air. It means we can resume walking to Mason's bus stop, rather than driving -- the warm weather allows us to get out the door timely without having to bundle everyone up.

And that makes the momma happy.

Payton loves to walk her brother to the bus. She gets so excited to hang out for a few minutes with the neighborhood kids and 9 times out of 10 ... she stands in line with the rest of the kids. She is waiting for the day that she can get on the bus with her brother and all the other kids.

I hope that day comes, baby girl. Yes ... I'm having a sentimental, poor me moment where I can only pray that she will be able to ride the regular bus when the time comes.

But for today ... she just wanted to push her baby doll in her stroller ... and so she did.

And I smiled. 

Because this is the life I always wanted ... Down syndrome or not.

It makes me happy.

*

A few days ago, I went outside to find Mason standing in the driveway armed with a can of spray paint. I surveyed the area and found that he had made his mark on a Little Tykes car that we have ... and then his little sister smeared her hands through it and wiped them all over her coat.

Graffiti tagged coats are in right now, yes?

The next day, I noticed that I had missed some of Mason's tagging.

Me: Mason, what is this?

Mason: *buries head in my side* I forget.

Me: No you don't forget.

Mason: But I was just trying to make it colorful.

Me: Uh huh. Get in the house ... now.

*

A weekly favorite around here is pizza ... it is a bad vice, I know. Along with that typically comes boneless buffalo wings for my husband ... sometimes one for me too.

Mason: What's that, Mommy?

Me: Blue cheese.

Mason: Well how come it isn't blue?

Me: I don't know.

Mason: It can't be blue cheese if it isn't blue.

Don't they say that if you were stranded on a desert island, that the one food that would offer you the most food groups is pizza? See ... exactly why we love it. Mountain Dew falls in that category too, right?

*snicker*

But the children continued to play.

We have been living life in the fast lane ... and we need to slow down.

Three kids in three different schools. A broken phone. A photography business. A tonsillectomy and adnoidectomy. A baby boutique business. Two broken computers. A new venture with Juice Plus. An apraxia diagnosis. Treatment of H. pylori for three of us. A hunt for a PROMPT trained therapist. Selling a car. Four therapy sessions a week -- make that six starting next week. Treatment of ongoing skin problems for the little man. Volunteer work. And the list goes on.

We are all tired.

When we started this school year, Payton had to give up her afternoon naps. She definitely was not ready to stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all day ... alas, her school schedule required it.

As I stand at the door of the bus to get Payton each day after school, I witness her stumbling down the aisle with her eyes half open -- the bus aide holding her up.

School exhausts her.



So much so, that I can collect her from the bus, carry her into the house and lay her down -- backpack and all -- with not a flinch. Makes me chuckle, really, because she is so dang precious.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I usually can't make it into the house with her without her hearing the screams of the neighborhood children. She perks up out of nowhere and can't get down to play with her friends fast enough.

She loves her friends.

Today the neighborhood children and I gathered in the driveway and danced to Alvin and the Chipmunks blaring from my car. They each had chairs and a CapriSun to fill their hands.



They loved it. They ran around and enjoyed each other's company.











Until ... the music stopped. And as I tried to figure out why, I realized my car battery was dead. Dead as a dog. 

But the children continued to play.

I love days like today. Days where I can forget about all those things in the fast lane and just live life. Dead car battery and all.