BBQ with friends ...

Yesterday we had some friends over for a BBQ. We really had such a great time letting the kids play and just relaxing. Our kids have been friends most of their lives and they go crazy when we get together.

Actually, I'm not sure that crazy describes it. Perhaps ... berserk?

Mason and Alex ... the two instigators ...

The craziness begins ...Chicky had to get in there too ... isn't she the cutest?!Payton cracks me up!My little fish ..

Nika was less than thrilled to be in that cool water ...

Umm ... Jillian was less than thrilled too! Poor baby girls!

Belly flop! Don't mind the wedgie!

Mason going down the slide ...

Hannah and Chicky ...

Hannah was so cute ... she kept saying, "Where's Chicky?" And then she'd say, "Where's the other Chicky?" ... referring to Nika ... so funny!

Little tanker ...

Best buds ...

Speech Therapy

{Ahem ... excuse the cell phone image quality}

Payton has had several sessions of private speech therapy now. She is warming up to the therapist and I actually am starting to like the "medical model" ... despite the inconvenience of it all.

The therapist has done a lot of bubbles with Payton, which she loves. Payton already says her version of "bubbles", which sounds like "bub-ba". And we are trying to get her to say "pop" ... as in pop the bubbles. Get it? Haha.

She has been working with her also a little bit on colors, prepositions (in, on, under, etc), animal sounds and counting 1, 2, 3. Because yes, she is three and she doesn't really know these things.

Which makes me so bummed.

So we are on a mission. Here are some color buckets I made for at home. She can easily match the colors, but the key here is to get her to say or sign the color too.


Umm ... I guess I need to learn the signs. So much to do, so little time.

Celebrating my girls.

{Image courtesy of Will Schermerhorn, Blueberry Shoes Productions}

This past Saturday, we attended the annual picnic that is put on by our local Down syndrome association. The kids had a blast, as they always do. And I had fun catching up with all the moms ... and meeting some of the new families.

I am always so excited to see all the new babies that are being born with Down syndrome. I am sure that sounds very strange, but it is true. They are all so beautiful and I love chatting with their parents, if only to just let them know that we have been in their shoes and that everything is going to be fine ... even if it might not seem that way for them just yet.

Mason Update

Mason is doing much better. Thank you to everyone who has asked about him. :)

Monday morning update ...

Kyle and Mason got home last night around 3 a.m. Sure enough, Mason has croup. I am not sure exactly what caused the vomiting ... I guess from coughing so much.

I seriously have never, ever heard someone struggle to breath like he was. It was pretty scary. It wasn't the normal wheezing that comes with croup ... I'm not even really sure how to explain it.

He also woke up this morning with petechia all over his face, which sort of freaked me out. I am so used to it in my girls, but not Mason. I think I am pretty much immune to medical stuff when it comes to the girls, but for some reason it is so different with Mason.

Crazy stuff.