Silly Nikki and reecesrainbow

I took these pictures on our looong trip to Wyoming and back. I got the greatest faces from Nichole, so I thought I would share them with you.



There is website called http://www.reecessrainbow.com/. It is an adoption site for children with Down syndrome. There is a section called, "Why Down Syndrome?"

I love what they say, so I thought I would sahre it with you too.

"Every proud birth parent and overjoyed adoptive parent who has experienced the blessing that is Down syndrome invite you to SEE the joy for yourself. If you are considering the adoption of a child with special needs, you most likely feel some sort of a "call" to reach out in this way. Regardless of your faith, there is no denying that these children are finally being CELEBRATED and RECOGNIZED for the incredibly inspirational and life-altering people that they are. These children are crafted by God's own hand, and sent here for His purpose of perpetuating light, love, healing, and spiritual growth in the world. Discover the boundless joy and purpose you will discover in your own life by CHOOSING to embrace a child with Down syndrome."

In a section full of pictures it reads...

"Look into the eyes of these children and see God's light glowing within each of them.

These children were all born with what I truly believe to be a physical marker of God's Divine Favor..

...that they might BE set apart, recognized at first glance, as a CHOSEN ONE.

Grow your soul, your faith, your purpose, in the light of these children....
Live in awe of their perpetual innocence, their inability to comprehend evil, & their God-given gift to INSPIRE THE WORLD"

My daughter is God's amazing gift to us. It is my prayer that some day, others will be able to see, what we see in her. Maybe some day, you will too.

Our Backpacking Trip!

A few weeks late, but I wanted to share some pictures form our backpacking trip.

Andy enjoyed fishing at the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. I believe the lake was called "lost Lake." He got the biggest catch of the day!!!

He also caught five fish. Total, we had 13 fish by the end of the day, and there were 13 of us! I loved eating those nummy fish!

We were supposed to look sweet in this picture, but do you know Andy?

Us girls were not as good at the "go off the trails and go down a steep mountain" thing. But we did it!
I love this picture of Lindsey (Our babysitter extraordinaire if you were wondering).
So, where is this trail?

I also love this picture, as the kids were looking at the "Raging River of death." It was pretty spectacular.

Beautiful Wyoming

Every summer Andy takes the youth from our church on a trip.

The plan was to take the kids to Montana, but because of the weather, we ended up going to Wyoming.

It was beautiful!

I love this picture. The gate is so inviting.

Come. Enjoy. Rest. Breathe.

Beauty. Peace. Calm. Breeze.

Lost Lake. we took a steep hike to get there.


On the way to WY, we watched Emperor's New Groove. Hence the name, "The Raging River of Death."

Special Blessings, Special Vocabulary

This is an article from a website http://www.benotafraid.net I take no credit for any of it. I sure hope this is not considered plagiarism!



Special Blessings, Special Vocabulary

by Kimberlee Kadar-Kallen



Kimberlee Kadar-Kallen is mother to Eliza, born with Down syndrome and AVSD. Eliza spent her first months in heart failure until her heart repair. But now at almost four years of age, she is thriving as a homeschooled child alongside her six siblings. Kimberlee blogs at Pondered in My Heart.

When a family first receives the news that they may have a child with Down syndrome, they are likely to encounter some new vocabulary not previously part of their everyday lexicon. Over time these new, unfamiliar words lose their cumbersome feel and become a comfortable part of everyday life, much like an unyielding new pair of shoes softens and grows familiar. I thought I would explain some of these terms and what they have come to mean for our family.

Nuchal fold - This is the delicious area of skin at the back of the neck that is extra thick and soft and smooshy in children with Down syndrome and therefore the perfect place to snuggle, nuzzle, bury-your-nose-in and cuddle your sweet baby. Michael says it's his favorite spot to kiss Eliza.
Very true! If you have seen me gobble up Nichole, you know it is without a doubt a favorite spot!

Trisomy 21 - Trisomy means there are three copies of each chromosome instead of two, and it has been discovered that cuteness is located on the 21 st chromosome. Be prepared for unprecedented levels of cuteness, even if you have many other children who you think are cute.
Ellie is very cute! She was the cutest baby...until Nichole. There is definitely something different, something like love, gentleness, kindness, goodness...an extra portion of God that comes along with the extra chromosome.

Hypotonia - Sometimes referred to as poor muscle tone, what this really means is that all of Baby is super soft and cuddly. Synonyms for this condition are smoosh-ball, teddy-bear, snuggle-puss, honey-love, and so forth. Squeezing and hugging Baby is a frequent and irresistible temptation.
It is!

Short stature - Children with Down syndrome are typically short in stature due in part to short limbs. This just means parents and other loved ones will have abundant opportunity for exercise in the form of deep knee bends.
I just think it is cute! And let's face it, I am not that tall to start with, so my genes are not helping in this area.

Speech therapists- This is another word for siblings. These are the children who will spend countless hours teaching your child with Down syndrome to talk and speak clearly. They will mimic sounds, invent oral exercises, play word games, demonstrate proper mouth movements, repeat key phrases, practice letters and numbers and loads more ad infinitum. Some therapists have unique methods such as requiring the client to say, 'Guard, release the faun!' in order to have the car sear unbuckled or repeating unusual words like 'gastrovascular', but you have to just put up with their quirks.
Have you met Ellie? She is everyone's speech therapist!

Developmental delays - What this really means is that for once you don't have to say, 'Oh, they grow up so fast!' The delight of babyhood and toddlerhood is prolonged and there are ever so many more moments of it to savor. Baby will grow and learn in a slow and gentle manner and there will be plenty of opportunities to practice cheerleading along the way. You will also marvel and appreciate each little milestone that you may have taken for granted in all of your other children.
Yes, yes, yes!

Congenital heart defect - This is really one of several code phrases for an intensive training course in learning the true meaning of Jesus, I trust in you. This training involves great spiritual growth and opportunity for deepening and greatly magnifying one's prayer life. There may even be a special retreat involved where one can really progress in prayer. The special code term 'open-heart surgery' is often used for this unique retreat that takes place in a hospital.
The greatest blessing. Makes me think of what our friends, the Glandon family commented to me at some point, "Everyone should have a person with Down syndrome in their family."

Special needs child - All children are special and all children have needs. Both of these facts can sometimes be taken for granted, but that is less likely with special needs parenting. This child will force you to see things more closely to the way God sees things, which is very, very contrary to the way the world sees things. The 'special needs child' instantly and unequivocally obliterates the blather of the world's view of life. Each and every life is a precious gift from His hand, of equal value in His sight, and the special child makes that especially clear, every moment of every day.
So true.

(Italics are my personal comments)

Silliness

Without a doubt, one of Ellie's favorite activities right now is to have her picture taken...making a silly face. She loves it! She thinks of the funniest things to do and likes to get her sister involved. I can imagine this is only the beginning, as the girls keep getting more creative (well, Ellie, Nichole is not that creative at only 8 months old.)

Ellie loves Nichole's toys. Even more when you can play with them, bounce in them, and have your picture taken being silly.

No matter the day, no matter the time, it is always a perfect moment for...picture time!

"Mama, mama!" which is Ellie's choice of name for me now a days, "Look at Nichole with my glaces on! Take our picture!"

I am thankful she did not poke Nichole's eyes.

Nichole has a silliness of her own, not intentional, but she makes some pretty funny faces!


"Goodbye!!!!!"

She Can Sit!

Every parent knows how exciting it is when your baby starts reaching milestones. We smile, we clap, we say, "good job baby!" And we are so proud. We even hope that our child will rach those milestones earlier, somewhat, we take pride, maybe ownership, of their accomplishments. And maybe, it will be a building block for their future performance and ability in life. We want our children to be the best. Therefore, every little accomplishment is greatly celebrated.

I was that parent, beaming with pride as Ellie was able to do many things earlier than other babies. My super baby, sitting on her own at only five months old.

Well, today I can say, that the pride I felt for Ellie, had a lot to do with how it made me feel (yes, I know, selfishness...once again). Nichole has once again, taught me a precious lesson. She works so hard to reach those milestones, and finally, at eight months old, SHE CAN SIT! I am not only proud, I am amazed. Because the pride that I feel has nothing to do with me, and it is pure joy at the fact that my daughter has accomplished a milestone. This excitement is so much more than I thought was possible. My heart sings and cheers (as well as my mouth!) for my baby girl.

Some might say, what is the beauty of Down syndrome when Nichole's sitting was so delayed? The beauty is this...we have celebrated it, cheered it, applauded it, savored it, and tresure it like we never did before! And believe me, it is AWESOME!

Milestones are so much more...rich. So much more...MEANINFUL.

So today I get to brag about Nichole. I get to say, "Look at her!"

She loves to play sitting up. "No more laying down for me!"

"Just wait mom, soon I will be good at balance and I will get that camera from you!"

Flood

Who said life in Iowa is boring? Just the last couple of weeks we have had tornado watches, tornado warnings, and a tornado destroy the town of Parkersburg, IA. That same day, our family waited in the basement praying that the "toy-nado," "potatoe," or "tomatoe"--as Ellie calls it--would not come our way.

Along with the tornado, we have had flood warnings. AND THEY WERE NOT KIDDING! Our town is under water! We are thankful our house is not in the flood zone, and the amount of water we are getting in our basement is nothing compared to what some of our friends have experienced. One family from our church has lost their home, others are dealing with up to 3 feet of water in their basements.

I took the girls around town (as around as we could get) to take pictures. The Charles City hanging bridge is gone, and the other "car" bridges are closed.

Look at the boat...car.
Our main intersection in town (well, according to me).
The water was almost to the bridge.


This used to be a praking lot, and a street, and an appartment complex.
How would you like this to be your house?