I won! I won!

I can't believe it but I actually won something and I wasn't even trying.

Rachelle at Take a Walk with the Riedmiller Family gave me my very first blog award. First, I would like to thank my parents, without them I would be nothing. I also need to thank my husband for being there with me from the beginning, laughing at my jokes and encouraging me. Then, of course, I can't forget my boys. Without them, what would my life be like. My life would be so boring, nothing to do but relax, watch TV, go out to eat, sleep!! And, I also would like to thank all the people who knew me when - before I had a blog and GOT AN AWARD!!!

Okay, enough groveling. Thank you, Rachelle, for giving me this award. I haven't been doing this for long but I have gotten so much out of this. I love being able to take a peek into the lives of others and see how they handle the challenges that have been given to them. It is so encouraging and uplifting. I look forward checking on my new friends daily.

Here are the rules (I didn't come up with these:)

1. The winner can (and should, really) put the logo on his/her blog
2. The winner must link to the person from whom they received their award.
3. The winner must nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award.
4. The winner must place links to those blogs on their own blog.
5. The winner must leave a message on the blogs of the people they’ve nominated.

Now come the problems. First, I can't figure out how to get the logo from Rachelle's blog to mine. Then, I'm not completely sure about the linking thing. I have everyone on my blog list so hopefully that works. The big problem is that I don't know 7 other blogs besides the ones that Rachelle nominated! But, here's who I do give awards to:

Sean, Natalie and Evan at The deMello's. Evan deMello is the little boy that introduced me to the blogging world. He is from my hometown and was born with a heart defect which required him to have a heart transplant. His parents had a COTA site to keep everyone updated on his condition. He had the transplant at the end of June last year and, sadly, lost his battle in October. His parents were so brave and inspiring throughout his fight and have continued their story about their brave little warrior and their lives without him. Evan never ceased to amaze me and neither do they.

Through Evan's blog I met Sara at ThinkPinkalicious. She is a mommy to the sweetest little girl, Maddie. Maddie has a rare form of dwarfism. Sara and Maddie had a wonderful summer and I was able to share in their fun through Sara's wonderful descriptions of their capers.

Sara found a jewelry website and was looking at it and noticed that the owner of the website had a little boy with CdLS. She e-mailed me and that is how I met Lisa Leonard at It's the Little Things. Lisa's son is David and he is 6 years old. She has another boy named Matty. She is very creative and a great photographer. I always enjoy checking in on her.

From these three, I have met all the other bloggers on my list and then some. I have truly enjoyed the time I've spent with each of you and thank you again for letting me peek into your lives. I look forward to much more.

Have a great week.

CdLS Blog Challenge - Public Scrutiny

The challenge this week is to write about our experiences with public scrutiny. We have always gotten lots of looks when we're out and much more so now that Sean has gotten older. He is about the size of an 11 year old but now sports a pretty nice mustache which can get some double takes. I am holding off as long as possible before I start shaving him because it's quite a chore just getting through his hair cuts.

I do remember one time when he was around 10. My mom and sister were here visiting. Clayton was about 3 and my niece was just a baby. We all went to the mall. Sean was still small and was in a regular stroller. After shopping for a while we went to a restaurant in the mall to eat. While Sean loves riding in a stroller, he doesn't like it when it stops moving. I took him out of the stroller and was holding him and feeding him crackers while we waited for our food. I had noticed a man and woman looking our way a few times, but with three little ones we were putting on quite a show so I didn't think a whole lot about it. As that couple got up to leave they came over to us and applauded me for bringing Sean with us . The man commented how lots of parents don't take their kids out and it was very good that I was doing that. The man had worked with special needs kids and that's why he had noticed Sean. They asked about his syndrome and then went on their way. I thought it was very nice of them to have stopped to make their comments.

Another time, only a few years ago, I took Sean in to Dollar General to pick up something real quick. He had been at school all day and wasn't in much of a shopping mood (come to think of it, he never is!). We went in, I went directly to get what I needed, and then got in the checkout line. There were several people in line so we had to wait a little bit. Sean has the patience of a gnat so didn't like having to wait. He was starting to get antsy and a little loud. I was singing to him and clapping with him (things he loves) to try to keep him occupied. I looked up and saw a man and we made eye contact. He said "Good for you, good for you." I just smiled and turned my attention back to Sean. I'm not sure exactly what I was getting kudos for but I took it as a compliment.

I know people aren't trying to hurt my feelings or Sean's when they say stuff or ask questions. I try to always look at it as showing people that these kids have lives just like everyone else. There are so many people that are never exposed to these kids and if I can show just one that they are just people, too, then maybe they can show someone else. I would much rather someone ask me a question than just stare and go on by.

And, like Maddy's mom said, maybe there will come a day when we won't have to explain why our kids look different. They will just be kids like every other one.

And the Countdown Begins...

Well, it's actually been going on for a while but one month from today my baby will turn 13. I don't know where the time has gone. Thirteen years ago I was waddling around the office with elephant ankles wondering how I was going to make it two more months (my due date was two more months). Anyway, Clayton is so thrilled that he's going to be a teenager. He's been taunting me with that fact for several months now but I'm sure it will be more constant now that he's this close. When you're young you can't wait to get older and then we you do get older you wonder where the time went. I wouldn't want to necessarily go back in time just to be young again but there are a few things I wouldn't mind getting another chance at. Okay, now I'm rambling. I tend to do that when my boys have birthdays. I don't know why. Stay tuned as the countdown proceeds.

CdLS Blog Challenge

Well, as usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short. Actually, I'm two days late. Here goes anyway. My simple pleasures are

Sitting by the campfire with friends & family.

Having lunch with an old friend.

Logging on to check on new friends.

Fixing my son a smoothie and
getting a hair combing in return.

Garage sales on Saturday morning.

Watching Sean carry his lunch tray at school.

The challenge also asked if pleasures are drawn from more simple things because I have a child with special needs. I have always been happy with just being home and not needing to be entertained so I don't think that changed. I appreciate the simple things more. I will always remember when Sean learned to drink out of a straw - he was about 5. We celebrated like he had just won a gold medal in the Olympics. When I saw him carrying his lunch tray at 19 years old, I cried. Those were simple pleasures that I would not have thought about otherwise. So, I guess the answer is I do appreciate the simple things more.

Now, I'm going to enjoy another simple thing - sleep. Good night.

Look what I've been doing

I have been experimenting making bracelets. I used my sister and one of my blog friends as guinea pigs. My sister has two kids so I made her a bracelet with both of her girls' names on it. My blog friend has one daughter so hers had one name.

My nieces liked my sister's bracelet so they wanted one of their own. So, guess what one of their Christmas presents is! When I took theirs to work one of my co-workers wanted one for her niece so I made one for her.

I had one made for myself many years ago and paid big bucks for it. It is gold and I am more into silver lately so, of course, I had to make myself one.

I now have a request to make two more for another co-worker. My key ring making is on hold until I can find some more key rings so I guess I'll be making bracelets for a while. I just thought I would show you the ones I have made. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Looking Back Sunday - Birthdays

Sandi, Jessica's mom, did this and I thought it would be fun. Looking for these pictures (in boxes) I realized how badly I need to make some albums. I've never done scrapbooking but that is going to be my next project. It's 20 years of stuff so hopefully I'll be able to get it done before the next 20 years fly by. Anyway, here's Sean on his first birthday. He looks so cute. He didn't much like getting into the cake, though. He didn't like the feel of it. Hope you enjoy these.

Why did they put this goofy hat on me?

Now, what am I supposed to do?

Oops, I think I lost something!

SOOC Saturday

This is what the toys looked like when Sean went to bed.

This is what they looked like the next morning. He had some fun during the night!

Thanks to Melody at Slurping Life for this fun Saturday meme. If you’d like to play along and share your “straight out of the camera” (SOOC) shot, click here for details.

Stroller

I have had pictures of Sean in his stroller on here and have had an inquiry regarding it. We have had it for several years. Sean was small for so long that we used a regular stroller for him for quite some time. Then, when he took his growth spurt I still wanted one for him so we could go on walks. He can walk but you never know when he'll just decide he doesn't want to go any further and stop, so it's easier for him to be in a stroller. And, he loves it. Of course, I would love it too if someone would push me around in one! Anyway, I starting looking for a stroller and couldn't find anything. I asked our two home health care stores and they didn't even know where I could find one. They only had access to wheelchairs. So, I started looking on line and found some strollers. They were quite expensive - some being $1,000-$1,200. Since Sean doesn't require any special restraints or support systems I didn't want to have to spend that much money on a stroller. I found this one and it is a Kool Stop Special Use stroller. It holds up to 150 pounds. We have had it for about 3 or 4 years and it is still holding up quite well. I checked with the company and they still have them and they are now selling for $650.00 (they have went up alot since we got ours). But, I still think that would be a good price. The stroller can be found at http://www.koolstop.com/. It is under the jogging stroller tab and then it is the special use stroller. Let me know if you have any questions.

You can see he is quite comfortable. There is also a shoulder harness to keep him in.

He's about 4'9" and you can see how he fills it out.

9/11/01

In Remembrance of the lives lost on this day 7 years ago. We will never forget.

You might be a redneck if...

You have an old motorhome in your pasture that hasn't been moved in years...



And, you have to put a sign on it that says...



"NOT FOR SALE"!

What this must mean is that people have actually inquired about purchasing the motorhome and for some reason, known only to the people that own it, they don't want to sell it. They would much rather it just rot out in their pasture. Maybe they plan on using it for fertilizer!

This motorhome has been in the same spot - unmoved - for at least three years. The "Not for Sale" sign appeared this year. I just thought this was hilarious. I don't know why people would want to hold onto something like this and just let it fall apart. And, they only live about 2 miles from a campground. I say fire that baby up and get thy self to a campground!

Smiles

Sean is not big on smiling. He never has been. But, boy, can he light up your day when he does smile. I was greeted by nothing but smiles last night when I came home from work. We took advantage and had a quick photo shoot. Here are the results. Hope these bring a smile to your face today.

Prayer Request

The son of an attorney I used to work with was killed in a bicycle accident Friday night. He was hit by a car. He was only 13. They were not able to have children of their own and adopted 2 babies from the Phillipines. He was their oldest. I am so very, very sad for them. They are going to need lots of support and prayers to get through this. Please, if you can, say a little prayer for them. Thank you.

And the Winner is......

Sunny.

The drawing was done randomly by placing 6 numbers in a hat and pulling one out. The numbers corresponded with the number of the post. Thank you all for your stories. I loved them all. They were quite entertaining.

Sunny, e-mail me at rharter@wbllawyers.com and we'll see which one you want.

Giveaway!!!

Well, I've seen other people do this so I thought it would be fun, too. I have been working on some "creations" lately. That's what I called them one time and now Clayton is giving me a hard time about my "creations".


I have several purses (okay, more than several) and most of them don't have pockets for keys. Therefore, I am always digging to the bottom of my cavernous pit to locate my keys when I am ready to use them. Well, I have came up with what I believe to be a good solution. These are key rings and they clip to the top of your purse and then you have immediate access to your keys. I have several designs I have created to decorate them. I have one to match each of my purses! I also have made some holiday ones - I have Halloween and Christmas ones. I think I'll show you some and the winner can pick the one they want. I am putting a time limit on this of Sunday at 7:00 p.m. I will draw a winner at that time. I will let you know on Monday who wins and you can e-mail me with your address.


I will pick randomly from comments that I get to this post. I would like to hear a story that you may have about keys - locking them in the car, dropping them in the potty, losing them, etc. Anything that may have to do with keys.


When Clayton was about 2 I was loading both kids in the car to go to daycare. It was about 15 degrees outside. I had started the car to warm it up and when I brought the kids out I started strapping Sean into his carseat. Clayton was standing right beside me but turned to run off. We live on a busy street so my reaction was to close Sean's door and go after Clayton. Well, I had a feature on my car where the doors locked automatically when the car was started. So, you know what happened next. I was locked out of the car and my house and Sean was locked inside the car. My purse, with my cell phone & the extra key I had used to open the car after warming it up, were in the car. Luckily, our neighbor's dad was at their house babysitting their son so Clayton and I went there to call Carl to come and open the car. Needless to say, Carl wasn't too happy. He just didn't understand how I could have done that. That was easy for him to say because all he had to do was walk out to his car and get in it - no kids to worry about. He came and opened the car and Sean was just sitting in his carseat like nothing had even happened. Thank heavens I had the heat on. Of course, I was freezing because I stayed outside by the car while Clayton was at the neighbor's house until Carl got there.


Now, let me hear any story you might have.


Here's what I will be giving away.



These are the holiday ones - the one on the far left is a Dalmation - not holiday but fun.



These are kind of hard to see. The far right one is a flag. The second from right is a cross. I can show individual pictures to the winner.



Here's one on my purse. It's hard to tell what it looks like. I'm no photographer. You can see how it hangs inside the purse. They are even decorated on the back!

Good Luck!

P.S. My friend, Pinkalicious, is having a giveaway, too. Check hers out. You can link her from my blog. She is very sweet and she has the cutest little girl you will ever see.

Wordless Wednesday

Sean catching up on some reading in the car while I stopped at a friend's house.

Sean catching some zzz's.

Holiday Weekend

Well, I can't believe it but summer is almost over. Labor Day Weekend is the official end although we stretch it out as long as we can. We went to a new campground this weekend. It is about an hour from home and it was really nice. The weather was perfect. We went with some friends so we enjoyed sitting around the campfire visiting with them. We met some new friends, too, and hope to stay in touch. Their son has Down's Syndrome. He is 18 and they are facing some of the same challenges we are as far as what happens when they are no longer in school.

The campground was very kid friendly. They had a pool which Clayton enjoyed. They also had tie dying and though Clayton thought he was too big to do it, he ended up actually having fun. There was a basketball court and Clayton and his friend took on several others and, as they told it, beat the best kid in the campground!! Clayton is really good at basketball so I'm sure they did well.

They had a DJ on Saturday and Sunday night. We went to listen to the music on Saturday night and Sean had a great time. He was in his stroller and he was boogying so much at one point he almost tipped it over! You can't see it in this picture but he really had a good time. Some people came up and "Pimped his Ride". They put glow sticks all over his stroller. That is one thing that we have found at campgrounds - people are open to Sean. They don't just gawk at him, they come up and ask questions and are genuinely interested in finding out about his syndrome. Camping has been good for all of us as a family.

I don't want to write too much because I've been told it takes too long for some people to catch up (you know who you are)!! So, I'll just put lots of pictures.

Have a Great Week!

Clayton enjoying one of his favorite things.

Carl doing one of our least favorite parts of camping - dumping. At least he wasn't covered in fecal matter!! If you haven't seen the movie RV, you have to watch it. It's hilarious.

Sean getting one of his favorite things - a foot rub. I can't believe he suckered Bob into doing this, but he did. Thanks, Bob.

Our campsite. There's Rascal, too. He is starting to like camping.

Tie-dying extravaganza.

Clayton perfecting his backstroke.

They had this old firetruck that they gave rides on. We didn't get to go on a ride - too loud - but we got a picture of it sitting still.

Oh, look, there's Mom in a picture. I'm always taking the pictures so usually am not in any, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, I had Carl take this one of me and Sean.