Big Events...

I still giggle at the thought of a pre-school graduation. I can't help but feel it maybe a "little to much." Brynn requested I decorate the whole house, that we sing "happy Graduation to you" with cake and candles and we have dinner at Subway.

Do balloons and flowers count as decorating? We did have dinner at Subway. We even sang to her.

She was happy. It was worth it!

The Graduate!




NOTE: Naomi was missing. She was at her ballet recital!



Super Star. Dance fest 2011


the make up line...








Summer has started...
Karmyn loves the pool. And her big sister Jaden-look at the excitement in her face!






Tomorrow is a big day for our family as we participate in our second Buddy Walk! (A Buddy Walk is an event that promotes awareness about Down syndrome.) I can remember the hesitation I felt last year about participating. I was still unsure with how I much I wanted to be a part of "Down syndrome." I had accepted Kamryn's diagnosis, however I was uncomfortable with confronting it. Maybe I had not really accepted it...maybe I was still trying to avoid it and that was the hesitation.
Tonight, I am bursting with excitement and I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family as we come together embracing, accepting and celebrating Kamryn. There is no hesitation now. I am ready to go out and share, promote, educate and celebrate.

Tomorrow is going to be beautiful! I can't wait!

Happy New Year!

When Jaden started Kindergarten, it shifted our whole life. It confined us to a Monday - Friday schedule, with routine. Before she started school, mid-week you could find us at the zoo, beach, park or on vacation. Once she started school all that freedom seemed to vanish. Naomi and Brynn were only 3 and six months, still babies, however we could no longer venture to far off as Jaden needed to be picked up by noon.

Now, not only do I have two girls in school full time, they are all in sports and extra curricular activities, which limit us even more. During soccer season, we don't have an available Saturday. Three girls playing means we are on the field most of the day. Basketball season has us in the gym during the week, cheering for them. Then there is dance, drama club and church activities. The weeks and weekends are full. Not that I am complaining, because I am enjoying this time in our lives. As busy as we are, I realize my girls are growing and I want to embrace and cherish each moment. Even though I do collapse at the end of the day! :)

What I really appreciate (and enjoy) is the THREE MONTH SUMMER BREAK! The last day of school is more like New Years Eve, than December 31st! It means a milestone has been completed (which is BITTER-SWEET for me) and the girls will be transitioning on or up. It also means we avoid a morning rush, sleep in (OK not really they are up at 7 am), play outside, bike ride, see the beach, vacation and just slow down. It feels good, it's like a breath of fresh air.

By the time August rolls around, we are ready to get back on track and go. It usually starts off full speed and stays at that pace until the end of the school year! In the mean time, we have already started to enjoy our summer....HAPPY NEW YEAR!


I can't let the month of May pass by without reflecting on some exciting moments...
Starting with Jaden (AS THE MAD HATTER) and Naomi (AS A FLOWER) in their first Youth theater production!



Mother's Day-breakfast in bed ;)



Mother's Day Program in Naomi's Room



Mother's Day Tea at Brynn's school.



Mother's Day...WOW! I LOVE these girls!




BIRTHDAY PARTY FUN...and I only have pictures of the food! Which is disappointing because we made margaritas and played limbo!!!!



THIS IS FOR ALL OUR LAKER FRIENDS




Happy Anniversary to us! Lauren Hill concert!



Life just continues to be beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DESPICABLE ME

It makes me laugh (literally giggle) when Kamryn, my two and a half year old, pulls on my pant leg and shouts:

"Picable me, Picable me!"

She wants to watch, her current favorite movie, Despicable Me.

Part of me can't even believe I let my two year old daughter watch that movie. However, as a parent of four, Kamryn does and is exposed to many things I NEVER would have let my first child do. (McDonald's before age 3 is one of those things...she asks for that too!)

I laugh because it's adorable to hear her attempt to articulate such a big word ("Despicable"), but for me it has a deeper, more significant meaning. It's a reminder that we should not allow labels, a diagnosis, or preconceived notions limit the potential of any individual. My giggle becomes a smile and I often feel like bursting with pride. It's almost a "shake my head kind of laugh" like, "they" were so wrong about Down syndrome.

I remember reading/hearing "Children with Down syndrome have short attention spans." This is obviously not true with Kamryn. This girl will sit through a movie, at the table coloring, reading a book and church. She has shattered that stereo type. Kamryn has an attention span. Sometimes, it's even longer than mine.

"Picable Me, Picable Me" Two words. She is using two words. THREE WORDS HERE WE COME! The other day while heading out to the car Kamryn looked at me and said, "Me, (tapping her chest with her hands) Mamas house?" This translates to, "Me, Grandmas house?" I almost feel over! THREE WORDS! Not only that, but out of the blue she told me exactly where she wanted to go.

This is a classic example of how something so small and insignificant, has so much more meaning for me. My older girls development happened so quickly and I wasn't "worried" or "concerned" about them reaching any milestones, I had no reason to be. With Kamryn, I find myself overly excited about each step in her development. There have been moments I felt like racing up one of the mountains that surround our city and shouting out her accomplishments to the world. Because sadly, there was a time I thought maybe she wouldn't reach them. Recently I have noticed I no longer have the urge to shout. I know she is amazing, wonderful and perfect.

I have let go of most my fears with regards to her development. We all grow, learn and develop at our own pace. And we are all different. Most important, I have discovered the joy in watching my children be and become who they are. I am not "worried" or "concerned" about what that will be. (However, I do hope they are strong, confident, compassionate, honest, courageous women).

As for Kamryn, she is in the very stereo typical "terrible two's." which we refer to as the "terrific two's!" Climbing, she loves to climb.

The other night, while upstairs, I heard, "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom!"

I came down to find this.....




Naomi said, "Mom, I was calling you because she climbed onto the table!" That was not nearly as scary as finding her alone in the bathroom yesterday....

"I wish that I could have

this moment for life, for life, cause in this moment I just feel so alive"...I love that chorus in the song by Nicki Minaj. If I knew how to play music on my blog you would have heard that song as soon as you opened this up.

One day, when I have time (ha ha), I'll figure out how to play music on my blog. If I was playing music tonight, here is a sample of my play list (just to name a few):

Katy Perry-Fireworks
Kanye West-All of the Lights
Mary J Blige-Just Fine
U2-It's a Beautiful Day
Cold Play-Viva La Vida
Beyonce-Halo
The Temper Trap-Sweet Disposition

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Moments in Life.

I wrote this in a blog post from APRIL 3, 2010 (If I could link to that post I would, but I haven't learned how to link to posts yet)...I promised myself if I was going to blog, I was going to be honest and real. We had a great day yesterday afternoon. The girls made cut-out sugar cookies and dyed Easter eggs. Then my mom came up to stay with them while Diondray and I went Easter shopping and out for a late dinner. It was a great day. As Diondray and I were getting into bed I began to cry. It was a soft cry and he only heard because my nose started to run and I began to sniff. He asked me what was wrong and I said "at this moment I feel sad." Then he asked me what I was thinking about and I said "don't say she will walk and next year she will be walking....because I know that. I just never thought that I would be taking our 20-month old to an Easter egg hunt tomorrow and she wouldn't be walking or running to collect eggs."

It's a moment that comes from out of the blue. I feel this sadness that I don't want to feel. But it is real. I haven't had a moment like that in awhile, a moment when I actually cried. He put his hand on mine and said, "it's OK to be sad." I laid there for awhile before falling a sleep.

I titled that post: a moment of sadness

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Moments in life, some are tiny and affect us for a few seconds. Some are enormous and can alter the way we think, feel and live. I had a life altering moment when I received Kamryn's diagnosis. It was a moment, that change my life forever. It changed my life. Who I was. What I believed. It was an up close and personal realization that life is uncontrollable, unpredictable and all about choice.

This year, Kamryn was walking and hop-skipping (she has made that move up) as she collected eggs. (Which, honestly she collected about two eggs and was happy and done.) As I watched the girls collect eggs, smiling and running with that carefree child-like bounce to them--I paused and took in the moment, which is something I try to do often. I think we get so caught up in life, we forget to enjoy, soak-up and feel the moments that exist through out the day, some so tiny you could miss. I felt the happiness and I remembered the moment I had last year, the moment of sadness. And because of what I experienced last year, this moment was twice as sweet.

Moments make up our lives. The tiny moments, BIG MOMENTS, happy, sad, exciting, horrible, wonderful, amazing moments add up to the life we are living. My life is full of wonderful moments. I have also experienced a few not so wonderful moments, and I soak them up too...because all moments can lead to something beautiful.



Easter Egg Hunt 2011










Easter 2011

What a Day! And a year of Blogging!

The girls began Spring break today and the weather has decided to co-operate with their time off. It was 85 degrees...off to the beach we went! I don't have great pictures, but we had a great day, with great friends!







Just last week we had rain for several days in a row and then...


As soon as the rain stopped, we headed out. As busy as we are, we hadn't been on a bike ride in some time. There is nothing like a good old-fashioned bike ride.






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5 Reasons I Smile....I started my blog in March of last year. I wish I new how to put the link here for my first post. I titled it Starting Somewhere. (you can go back to it at the side bar)

Wow, I am somewhere.

My children have given me so many amazing, precious gifts. I continue to grow, discover and transform because of them. I feel like I am the luckiest mom in the world to be blessed with my four girls.

One of the gifts Kamryn has given me is the gift of clarity. It is so clear to me that I need to focus and put my energy into today. Before I had her, I thought I was doing that. I was, however not in the more simplistic sense that I do now.

I used to assume that all my children would go to college, find an amazing man to spend and enjoy their life with, discover a career they are passionate about, have children and live happily ever after.

Now, I hope all my children will live happily ever after.

I don't know or assume what that will be. I just put my energy into raising strong, polite, compassionate, confident women. With humbled hearts that are full of love and joy.

And I enjoy every day. Rain or shine, because I want them to.

I blog because of Kamryn. I wasn't blogging before her. I am not a writer. I don't have extra time. It is not a hobby and even though it still scares me to share my life, our life with whoever wants to read it, I have a reason. She is it and she is pretty amazing.

A Kamryn update.

She loves Yogurt Creations!




She is great at independent play. She took that toy from the play room and set it up right there to play!



She had the stomach flu :(
Gosh, she is so cute!


She is determined!




She can do this in 2.2 seconds.


It was a great day and it has been a beautiful year.