2008 The Year of Firsts

My first grandbaby



and her first fall on her beautiful
little face



First time watching a life-long committment to love happen.





First time to feel my heart explode while gazing
at my baby's baby




First Time moving parents in....first time for me, first time for them.



First time hospitalizing my mother....her first
time in a hospital. A New different kind of
first fear evolving from that fiasco.

First time to face cancer with a beloved girlfriend and her
beautiful, wanted, fought for child





First time to watch a different family journal as they lost their child to cancer.



and another





and yet another



First time to realize that not all children with Down Syndrome recover
from Cancer



First time I realized that each and every one of
us are key to beating this horrible disease that robs families of their children.

http://curechildhoodcancer.ning.com


First formal swimming lessons:



First time to build a play center




First time we missed the Christmas
celebrations due to illness/hospitalization

First time no big kids home for Christmas Day

First time Molly mastered the scooter

First time to walk in and pick out a new car, and just drive it off the lot.

First time to own AND operate a Blackberry.

First time to have a major disagreement in my little, close family.....but not the first time I've prayed that we stay close.....regardless and forever




First real trip to Vegas! made so much better by doing it with GIRLFRIENDS!



First year we didn't tourney bass fish.

First year to come to terms with the possibility of Autism.

Not the first time of celebrating my anniversary, but i stay in first-time amazement that love like this exists and maintains.

2008 has been a fast passing, heartbreaking, joyful, rollercoaster year.. I've met so many new friends, seen new life born...but also experienced
devastating losses, and faced some of my worst fears. Life is dramatic and weird and always full of wonder:





Blessings to all my friends and family....and hopes for a 2009 that is full of joy and devoid of heartbreak. For the times it isn't....remember...no matter what...just get back up. It doesn't matter how you get there....keep plugging...fight to overcome the bad...and finish strong.

like Nick:

ok..it's becoming evident that i can only blog every OTHER week now! HA! Maybe it's just the holidays catching up with me....or the weather...or my parents...or molly......or????

Maybe that is the OTHER reason Christmas is such a blessing! IT'S DONE!! and onto NEXT YEAR! Here's hoping 2009 is the year that brings you all you wish for!

We keep Christmas very low key here..especially after the party of Thanksgiving....and enjoy that, but it is never low key enough to think you can't do ANYTHING...the stress to perform like June Cleaver always lies lurking in the hearts of women everywhere.

Here's the scoop. Last Thursday, after me nagging her for a week, my mom finally came out early and said YES! she WOULD go meet my doc! YAY!! She had HAD a cold, but it had progressed to being scary!

She then proceeded to go into her bedroom to get ready, when i heard a thump....i hollered at the Sarge to check on her (i was in the other bathroom getting ready to take her) but the German Shep was already on duty and alerting us to a problem. He BARKED BARKED and then went back to her room, laid down
on the floor, and tried to shove his nose under the door while scratching at it.

Mom had collapsed against the bedroom door, and we all FREAKED!

We got the door open enough to check for a pulse and then scooted her and the door
inch by inch until we could gain access. Quick trip to town and she's in the hospital with double pneumonia, dehydrated to the point of renal failure, and somewhere in the fall/rescue...managed to break two toes. EEK!

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday and brought her home (12 degrees here EEK!)
She was just starting to show some signs of depression so we may be a day or two early, but they had unhooked her from all the fluids, and her 02 stats were staying up...so we took the chance. She is very impatient with the healing, still a little weepy, but getting around, and doing what she should to get better. She is very happy to be home! (so's the dog who had been camped out in front of her door since she left, and
will forever be her "hero")

We have been iced in, and i gave up on a timely Christmas, but Christmas Eve morning the weather warmed up and although i had to work all day, i grabbed a cooler and ran into town early...got all the shopping done before i had to work a full day PLUS an hour, and finally got home!!

Molly was SO FUNNY under the tree this morning, and again made me feel like the 'bad mommy'. She wouldn't open her presents!! When i asked her why, she looks at me with the stink eye and says

"BOOK"

"NOOOOOOOOOO it's not a book!! Santa did not bring you ANY educational toys this year!! PROMISE!"

So she opened it and enjoyed it all...although she knew what was in the DVD wrapped one, and was a little unhappy cuz we made her wait till last on that one. we KNEW she would immediately run to the TV if it was opened! (she loveeeees spongebob)

I'm pooped but about ready to go start the big dinner. I work tomorrow, a long day in retail,
and then I'm off for the week! I can feel a cold coming on, and just know my productive
week off is going to turn off into THE FLU! grrrrrrrrr.

My video of the day is here and is the true meaning of Christmas in my eyes! What a gift SO many people had to come together to make happen. Go down below and click on 'view video' to see, its definitely worth the load!

http://www. myfoxatlanta. com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=8124636&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3. 2. 1



off to shove a Zycam swab up my nose, and OJ down the hatch! I'll update more next week

Maybe

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Sarge the Wonder Dog, and Jager got presents, too!



And not forgetting miss Aubrey...she's been entertaining her parents by playing
peekaboo while they're trying to study for finals!!




Please keep Coleman in your prayers....My little fighter was all set to do his first
big family Christmas in years (always have had to keep him secluded from the
bugs) when he took a turn for the worse.

http://www.carepages.com/
ColemanScott

Priorties

Priorities
Priorities...i will always be a priority driven girl. I try to keep ahead but i think, somewhere genetically, it is just impossible DNA...

My name is Eileen, and i am the queen of procrastination.

Blogging took the back seat last week, the priority being the Christmas tree, the lack of lights, the purchase of wrong lights, and it's finally up, but not to my satisfaction....i will probably buy more lights, take it down, and re-do it soon.

I tried to stay on top of it! REALLY I DID!!

i found a note in my PDA from last december, lining out what i needed to do to prepare this year, as last year i threw out all the lights...but failed to decipher the note. (*bonk* oh THAT'S what that note meant!)

My mom and molly kate are both croup'd up, so we've maxed out our ability to buy Mucinex D for the month, and are treating with that and other OTC stuff...with me being frustrated because mom has no voice, a deep chest
cough...and WON'T GO TO A DOCTOR!! I'd give my right arm for 3 Zithro 500's right now.....She's worse about seeing the Dr than the SARGE! I suppose when she can't walk anymore, i load her into the truck and take her against her will....she must be a priority driven woman, also.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Molly is maintaining but her nose is running so much she now has a "Kool-aid smile" chapped face...and nothing seems able to calm it. HER priority in life seems to be finding new and exciting ways to shoot liquid medicine out her nose, while daddy and mommy have her hog-tied with warm washie in one hand, and a syringe full of Dimetapp in the other! She probably would be all better now if these danged ole pharmacy companies would make all these otc meds... IN SUPPOSITORY FORM!! I'm currently sporting half of her dose in MY HAIR!!

My mom and dad are not attending Mass this morning (they really have to be sick to skip THAT!) nobody got to go to the Christmas parade, or the Bowling Birthday party for Evin, we did not "shop with a cop" all those events occurring on Saturday....and we had hoped to make it to Branson today to see the Santa train pull in, and i would have TRIED as we could have just stayed in the truck and watched....... but???

Our weather is making a change for the drastic. The only trip we're making will be a run to town for extra gas, and digging the generator out of the garage. The Ice Storm of 08 is heading this way, although I'm praying that we're jussssst far enough south to miss what my gf's in New Hampshire are experiencing...but I'm not taking any chances.

Maria, Jackie, and all the readers in the nor'easter states? My prayers are with you, and I'm hoping your power is restored soon.

I have also procrastinated the upgrading of the cell phones, but got a blackberry message from gabe yesterday showing Miss Aubrey Jo SAYING and SIGNING "Da-da"!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

She JUST turned 6 months old on the 7th!!

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

That little girl is too bright for words! I am so excited to see all that awaits her in life! Gabe works with her all the time so I know he sees it, too.

Molly Kate's arrival into our family... and all that came with her seems to be trickling out 8 years later in the parenting skills of her older sib. It's fabulous to see the gift that she is,
continuing to shine in the world.

Anyway............I have to sign up/download something in order to save that file and show YALL, so it became a priority to get my own blackberry...hopefully I'll only have to download
one set of software, and then i can come show you....otherwise, you just have to be on the *big-mama brag email addy list*, as that's the only way you can see it!

(edited to add...if you are in 'blogger' you can go to aubrey jo's blog! and see her DO IT!!)

Little Bill just traded up for one, too....so we'll ALMOST ALL be connected! (elbowing shauna here)

Being trapped in the house (with the exception of that one run to Wal-Mart) did force me to take care of the Christmas cards. They are in the mail with many thanks to the sarge for his calligraphy pens, talent and addresses being done for me!

My mom and dad got a Christmas card from the Bush's on White House stationary. They have one from every sitting president since forever, except for my hero, Bill Clinton. *sigh*

I will start on my bedroom next, and the bills....ahhhhhhhhh no rest for the wicked.

Priorities again with me....it's awful. I got a note from the bank saying they had dipped into my savings to cover December spending splurges, and Master Card actually RAISED MY INTEREST RATES as soon as they saw me charging in VEGAS.....AS IF!!

Hence...i will get balanced and back on budget track today...and transfer my balance
all to AMEX, as soon as they release that good deal in January! I don't keep much $$$ on the cards....but to RAISE my INTEREST rate because i'm in Vegas?? AUGGGGGHH!! No WONDER people get into trouble!!

The bedroom priority comes from ripping my foot on exercise equipment currently stored in my master bath.....hahahahahaha. Yep, today is the day! I still don't have the clothes all put up in the new furniture...but THAT is because of the way my brain works

Let me try to explain it...

i have to move an old chest from the master bath into the laundry room (first moving a folding table from the spot the chest has to go into) THEN i have to take all the clothes out of a HUGE walk-in closet and PACK THEM UP TO GOODWILL!!

My closet is so full of clothes that don't fit (i am estimating about 7 different sizes in there) that we cannot utilize it for clothes that we DO WEAR! (currently in bins waiting for space)

AFTER that, then i can go through the bins...do the same to them, and then put the clothes back where they belong! I'm forcasting only having 2 drawers full in the chest, but one pickupbedful upon completion.

No one understands that....they just wonder why i'm sitting at the puter, and not putting my clothes away. AADHD is misunderstood in adults, and I thank God everyday I am married to the only man in the world that does understand. He stays patient enough to know that it WILL happen, and when it's complete it will be glorious and be done in one day to perfection.....oh yea, that is the other thing that sux about being an AADHD procrastinator with a disconnected agenda...we are PERFECTIONISTS!! hahahahaha

Had to laugh at my dad, yesterday and I think he must be responsible for some of this mess.

He went with me to Wal-Mart yesterday, and even though he worked for Wal-Mart in Nebraska...he has never seen southerners freak out about the ice storm! We left and i cringed the "oh i forgot something" cringe that comes from trying to think while you are in a tornado of
shoppers...when I hear that familiar "man tone'come from him.....

"what did you forget?"

"nothing important"

"well, WHAT??"

"a puzzle"

??????

"we like to keep a puzzle in the house, in case we're stuck for days...it helps, trust me"

So we get home, he goes to his "magic car trunk" where he has stored everything-important-in-his-life-for-the-move-but-hasn't-got-unloaded-yet, and comes back in with a box that has 10 puzzles in it!! 2-1000pc 3-750pc and 5-500pc jigsaw puzzles!!

LMAO! HOW LONG has he had this gift stuck in the trunk for JUST THIS MOMENT!!

That's how we roll here....have a great ONLY TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS EEK!!!
week!!
***********************************************************
Here's my card...taken from my favorite pic where Molly Kate, and her little niece Aubrey Jo
had a little too much turkey and passed out side by side on the couch.


Oh and a BIG PSS!

I'm begging for prayers for my g/f who is struggling in the aftermath of a pediatric cancer dx and treatment of her child....it's a bad time of year to try and deal with THAT!

and for my co-worker, who finally got her baby girl, only to find "issues" and a quick trip to Children's in Little Rock. More to come on that...but for right now....please pray that baby stabilizes and gets home to the loving family that God has blessed her with, and with whom God has blessed THEM with! (she doesn't know about this Blessing stuff yet, but I have no doubt she is about to experience the JOY of her LIFE!) *BEAM*

the morning after....

OH MY GOODNESS!!

What a long weekend. I'm reorganizing, cleaning, and basking in the love of having this large family of beautiful, smart, funny members. I've looked
at the pics we took, and everyone is too comfy to share....so this time? you'll just have to use your imagination!

We watched Christmas movies, ate WAYYYYYYYYYYYY too much, and the highlight ended up being board games on Friday night. We playedTaboo and laughed until our faces and sides hurts....and honestly until pants were wet! ha!

The game is a cross of password and sharades. You are given a card with the word you have to make your team say.....but 5 words underneath
that you CANNOT use!

So, Gabe has this new blackberry....and is constantly making fun of my PDA which is a dinasaur at 2 years old. He says it HUGE and SLOW! and it's been the butt of every joke all weekend.

The first phrase Gabe draws in the game is "cell phone" and opens his clues with "Mom has one that's HUGE!"

well let me tell ya....."cell phone" was not among the 100 answers that started flowing out of the mouths of my beloved children!! EEK!! AND gabe could NOT get them to stop for another clue!!

I couldn't breathe because i was laughing so hard, and he was still yelling "SHUT UP" when the timer ran out!

Taboo was a blast, but not to be played by anyone who is sensitive by nature! that was only one example of the stuff that can happen! It's hard, too! any word you could possible use as an adjective, is on the list! 5 stars! go get it to have at your next family gathering!

Hatten the Cat was EVER so greatful to see his mommy....and i think my big city lawyer-girl was glad to be home....the safe place where you can let
down your hair, be teased to death about your new accent, eat better than you will all year, and sleep in the warmth of the special love that only family can bring.

Aubrey Jo and Molly were inseperable, and neither of their feet hit the floor.
The baby slept all night again, but that's not hard to do with all the attention she was getting.

Her Mom and Dad both got to be here, and uncle bill and angela fought over time with her! The sarge bypassed helping carry any of their stuff in, as he wanted to be first to get the baby! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...and it kinda went
like that all weekend.

She has stopped the squealing, and started this new noise by sucking IN air! It's too funny! She can drool your shirt totally soaked in 5 minutes flat, and is attempting to "inch worm" across the floor. The rate at which she is developing can only be described in nana seconds. She is the Amazing Baby!

While we were playing the game in the diningroom, the baby was throwing the HUGEST fit! Turns out she was NOT to be left in the livingroom....and she sat at the table watching her parents, aunts and uncles screaming and laughing.

She is sooooooooo bright eyed and quick with the eye-hand coordination, that keeping the cards away from her was a TRICK!

My parents, i think, were awestruck at the amount of noise, and the number of grocery bags that kept coming in. My dad just kept saying TWO TURKEYS? AND a HAM??? lmao! They got a lesson in the amount of food that can be put away by a family of this size. (and by that i mean the two sons) I loved every second of cooking time.....

We are doing well together, the parents and us....it was a big worry. I have to remember to let them do more...(i keep kicking mom out of the kitchen)....and stop treating them like guests. That's hard to do!

So far?? Very Good! I'm extremely happy that they are here and I think they just might be enjoying their stay.

Saturday, we took Shauna to STL to catch a plane back to the District...and today, Sunday, the games are on... there is a beef stew simmering in the kitchen, and SNOW FALLING outside! My parents must believe I'm a liar...cuz i kept telling them..IT DOES NOT SNOW HERE!

It's a beautiful, light, puffy and non-sticking kind of snow....more like "sky decoration" and a little reminder that i need to venture to the garage and get out the Christmas Tree.

I am anticipating a more quiet Christmas....and although I'm relishing the weekend, and the present quiet, warmth, and aroma of my home....I already miss the hustle and bustle of the parent i used to be.

*Sigh*

ok can't resist...here's daddy (gabe) and ally(mom) making AJ's drooly gums make a funny sound....Uncle Bill is holding her:

Isn't she the sweeetest????

GOBBLE GOBBLE!!

We are settling into a ROUTINE!! YAY!!

everyone but molly, that is...who has found new and more interesting ways to upset her teaching staff...more on that later.
(after i get over it) UGH!

Mom and Dad are settled in...are getting active in church and mostly this first two weeks...all of us have put together new "schedules" and are helping them recover from such a long move! I cannot believe their spunk! In their 80's and so driven to get everything moved in, set up, and comfy! They seem to have more energy than me!

I think i've been late or nearly late to work everyday....because things are so different at home! It's nice to be able to have coffee with your mom before work...we get to gabbing too much! Molly has already added their names to her vocabulary, which although I'm happy for them, it does hack me off a little, that she still calls me "EYE" yet has no trouble calling gramma "MOM MOM" GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I've waited 8 years to hear her call ME mom mom!!

*sigh* sometimes i think she knows that, but just loves to jerk my chain! She is so cut from daddy's genes.

Mom and I shopped for my bedroom furniture all week last week (pooped us both out) and still NOTHING!! Larry and I have been living out of bins for 2 weeks, as i've been dragging my feet on making a furniture decision, but what i liked for what i wanted to pay??? NOT HAPPENING!

WHO KNEW furnishing your bedroom was more expensive than the rest of your HOUSE???

We got a tip on a store in Mtn Home (thanx deedee from work) so on Saturday Mom & Dad...& me and molly kate took a road trip (about an hour south, and over Norfolk Lake) to the big city, and actually BOUGHT the whole set! (locally and budget conscience they way i am, i was going to start piecing one together...the dressers here were almost 4 grand! unbelievable!!)

This set is Mahogany, well priced and will be delivered here tuesday!! YAY!

Mom had a birthday on the 15th, and dad's is tomorrow...and then? THANKSGIVING!! all my kids are coming home, and ALL of us are psyched about that, too! We have one little purple baby sock on the coffee table, and every morning molly picks it up and says "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeebee"

Yes, molly....Aubrey Jo will be here for TURKEY DAY!! and so will SHAUNA!! I'm trying not to get too excited around her,
as that doesn't transfer well to school, and i imagine her week is going to be hard with all the festivities there....but it's been really hard not to! ALL MY KIDS IN ONE PLACE! a rarity i just CHERISH!





So off i go to further ready the house, all the groceries are bought but the turkeys, which i'll pick up tomorrow night...give them a couple of days to thawwwwwwwwwwww...it's been SO COLD HERE, i don't think they will! I cannot believe i've been extolling the wonderfully warm winters we have in Missouri to my parents all these years...just to have them finally come, and have it be COLDER than it is in COLORADO!! go figure!

I did get my C.E.'s finished today, which im expired the end of the month, and THAT monkey on my back was getting heavier by the day....so now off to find the last DVD i rented. Molly evidently didn't like the choice and has hidden it from me....always another project!

Hope this finds you all aglow with the anticipation of upcoming holiday seasons....Nothing better than being with family!


e & molly kate




May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Deer Season!!

We have been SOOOOOOOOO busy!

Last weekend both my sisters and their husbands caravanned down here and moved my parents. That's 8 adults and molly all in one house,
and it sounds crazy, but the house is laid out well, and i really didn't stress about it at all. Turned out fine and it was good to visit with my sisters...they have never been here!

Mom and Dad are all moved in...kind of....they brought a little trailer and it's coming in a piece at a time....and we're a little short dresser space.

I would have gone and fixed that, as well as picking up a new office chair (i am currently sitting on an organ bench, in front of a rolltop computer desk...with the keyboard on top, instead of in it's tray...as i'm sitting too tall!)
but this weekend? opening day of deer season! Besides the holiday...it means I'M BABYSITTING!!




Deer Season here is just as big as Christmas! The Walmart was packed all day and nights Wed and Thursday...Friday it started to rain, so all the supplies being met...all the men travel into the woods and set up camp. First the boys stopped by and showed off some new tricks:




Friday night was the coldest it's been all year, and the winds were whipping hard...we even saw some snow flakes saturday afternoon! brrrrrrrr i am so glad I am not in a tent in the woods!

My boys are part of this huge ritual (i kid you not, some of the schools in the area are closed next week so the kids can hunt properly) so THIS weekend I HAVE AUBREY JO!!

Gabe and Bill...have met up with their cousin, dad, Uncle Art from Texas and big brother Josh...and deer camp set up! 3 tags were filled opening day, and rumor has it that Gabriel has FINALLY got a deer! His first NON-SKUNK opening week!

I really needed to work on cleaning and organizing...but Aubrey Jo is in the houseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! and that leaves little time to do anything! My danged BATH go cut short this morning! (thanks for waking her up, molly!) she gets a pass...since she was key in putting her to sleep last night:




So, as i say at work, because I've been late getting there 3 of 4 days...I'm really
adjusting to my new schedule this week....i like to chat with mom in the morning! nottttt working out for me! ha!

Molly LOVESSSSSSSSSS having her g-parents around! AND the baby!! She is the best aunt in the world! She is so gentle with the baby, shares her toys, and even little bear:



Aubrey was 5 months old on the 7th...is talking up a storm...rolling around....playing with her toes...and drooling POOLS!! (little teefers are starting to work their way out):



She just had some rice cereal with bananas...and
opens her little mouth like a baby bird! she LIKES dat food...as you can tell by her little michelin man legs!

She also has mastered the batting of the lashes at the men, whom she seems to just light up for....and lifts her hands and arches her back when she's ready to be spoiled.




She is all eyes, and soaking up every last detail around her! She will sit for EVER and self-entertain, but when that's over...it's over NOW!

So, if I'm not on the blog thing for a little bit, know that I miss you all...but life has just BLOWN UP here! and im loving every second!



On the prayer front...please go visit http://www.carepages.com/
and look up ColemanScott. He is one of a set of 3 yr old twins, and has had a major cancer relapse. He can't take anymore chemo or radiation, so the farm family from Iowa, currently at Sloan Ketteling in NYC...is scrambling to get on a pill-form test-study, that can be administered at home. They are a lovely family,and the boys are ADORABLE!! They are so undeserving of this tragedy...and VERY deserving of all our time and prayers. We pray for a miracle.

Big hugs to BenTheBrave (also on carepages)...who continues to struggle with the aftermath of treatment....but gets to do it at home also. We pray for his continued improvement,and for Peace for his family.

Scary danged ole nasty beast of a &)*&#@&&* disease.....it needs to be eradicated! I can't look at my babies here...and even IMAGINE the fear these parents face. Please offer up some prayers for them!


love ya!
e

I'M BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!

wow..i have so much to update on...i LOVE these kind of weeks!

First, my sis jeri, was in Springfield with her hubby attending his work stuff...her and ally and i got to sneak off to the new "Branson's Landing" for some shopping! It was SO GREAT to see her, and have that reversion to teenagerdom in the photo booth!




and then on to vegas, where the temperature was perfect..and the pool water was the same! I got a hot stone massage one day (when i was feeling a little draggy) and then spent most of our time touring the city and being friends! WHAT A CITY!! I can't wait to go back!

No Details..as you know the Vegas rule but will leave you with three thoughts:\

1) What you bet in Vegas, is REALLY what stays in Vegas!

2) However you can, take a weekend with some girlfriends. It will be hard the first time, but YOU NEED IT! Especially moms with kids with SN's! I am revitalized for the year, and am prone to bust out laughing at the simplest of things! THANKS LADIES!!

3 If you ever get the chance to see the Beatles "Love" by Cirque de Soleil??...DO IT! no matter what the cost..JUST DO IT!! THE most amazing thing i have ever seen in my LIFE!







Then, on to Halloween! Molly has a parade at school in the morning, then a party in her classroom, they let out at noon and we're off to Springfield to trick or treat with Aubrey Jo! Her mom and dad need to work the Halloween pub crawl....so the sarge, molly, and I went up to babysit the night, too!

So first thing in the gym..Molly was separated from her boyfriend, Robert, cuz she was sitting with me.



She fixes that problem in a hurry, and i watched as they shared a moment and a language that all that know them are amazed by. I watch as she reaches up and fixes a stray red hair...




Now, Molly is not a big party girl. Usually the gym packed full of costumes is enough to frazzle her, and then the 'more compact' 2nd grade room will finish her off...so i try to make each party, and we make a quick exit if i see a meltdown coming.
It just seems too loud for her, AND she gets frustrated at not being able to comprehend what everyone is doing.
This party was different! I'm so psyched to share this story!
At the party, Molly enjoyed the snacks and seeing miss Stephanie, but didn't seem thrilled with halloween storytime or the following game...at first



They would take one child out into the hall, hide another under a sheet, all the remaining children would switch seats, and then the hall kid would come in and try to guess which 'ghost' was under the blanket.

Molly, acting bored, wouldn't switch seats but instead pulls her social studies book out from her desk and starts flipping through it. This can be a form of stemming for her (to relax) but I notice something different this time...she is not focused on the book OR the stemming.

What she is doing I call her "side eye" or "slight of eye" It's when she is acting like she's reading, but sneaking peeks at the other activity and committing them to memory. (not a good thing when she is watching the way the keys fit into the ignition...kwim?)

Then I her move to the bean bag to "read" some more...a stratigic move on her part...i could see she seemed to want to get a closer view of the action.



From the bean bag, she watched about three more kids do the hide...and when they were picking another ghost...she jumps up out of the chair, runs to the center of the reading rug, and much to the surprise of everyone..squats down to be covered up!! YAY MOLLY!!

So she likes tents and hiding and did a good job of staying under....the poor little guy trying to guess who was under it NEVER STOOD A CHANCE! NO ONE would dare believe she was participating!

So now, it's her turn to go to the hall...i start to nay-say it...cuz i KNOW she isn't going to 'get' this part...but her aide waves me off and scoots her out, leaving instruction for the teacher to put Robert under the blanket. Robert is not thrilled about participating alot, either...but jumps at this chance! After all, if Molly can do it...HE can do it!

Sure enough...they bring her in, she's a little confused...and then they show her a little of Robert's red hair...



BOBBERT!!! is what she yelled, then threw off the sheet AND SHE HUGS HIM!!




yep...it was the BEST PARTY EVER!! Everyone was beyond happy about the involvement...and everyone 'GOT IT!' This is why inclusion is so important! You might not think the 'unique' kids are paying attention...then again, they just might surprise you!

We had a good time tricker treating in Springfield, and Molly scored a TON of candy! She doesn't like it too much, so I'll probably take it to work where everyone will hate me for doing so....but diet time is on at my house...and i need no tempations.

Molly was a flamingo dancer, but i found out fast, she would have MUCH rather been a monkey! I messed up on this one! Next year? for sure twin outfits for aunt and neice!



Allyson, baby AJ and molly tore up the doorbells! Then we found a faboulous trick or trunk put on by the Lutheren Church! THEY WERE AMAZING!! What a Fab Group of People!



Aubrey Jo is growing so fast! She'll be 5 months next week, and is SQUEALING when she sees you, wants to stand up constantly...and has "michelin man' legs!! WHAT A BIG GIRL! She also likes to pull molly's hair, and squeeze grammy's cheeks and lips until her little fingernails PIERCE THEM!! hahahahah we have learned to watch and dodge those pesky fingers!

I'm uploading the squeal...it's TOO SWEET!!

Hope your last few weeks were as good as mine.

Next week? My folks move in for the winter...if you don't see alot of me...I'M CLEANING!!

*beam*

YAY!! im ON VACATION!!

My sis is coming down with her husband (has a seminar in spg) so i will spend the first part of the week with her! Shoppin in Branson on TUESDAY!! YAY!

Then? I'm taking a long weekend of respite with some girlfriends IN VEGAS!! we take one weekend a year and run away from home....and spend the rest of the year looking forward to it! All of us have kids with Down Syndrome, met online, and all of us devote our lives to our families and careers. It sounds glamerous, but honestly we sit around wherever we are, and just talk and laugh and let someone else clean up after US!! it is usually 3 days of laughter, tears, and the comraderie of sisters who understand each other and each other's lives. I usally leave sad that we all don't live closer together, and revitalized in my life as a wife and a mom to a child with special needs.

I CAN'T WAIT!!

Molly is still having a rough time at school...still acting out. We're running another round of anti-bi's, and claritin, and seeing if we can't get to the root of it. I so hope her classmates understand and don't start avoiding her. They don't understand it takes a long time for her to learn to trust them, and then BAM! a whole new group of kids! She wanted to stay in Kindergarten forever. It is so hard for her in other ways...they are all into hannah montana, and she still loves dora and the wiggles. The girls are experimenting with lip gloss, but she still likes to eat it! It has to be frustrating for her...Thank God for ROBERT!! He still adores her exactly the way she is.
I had to take the OTHER cat to the vet early Saturday morning...he has something wrong with his back leg...a 1/4 inch scratch was found, but i guess him being 13-14 yrs old, it was a big deal. He is ALSO on anti-bi's!! Giving the meds to the cat is still easier than giving them to molly! Poor Lucifer can barely walk, and if we don't see marked improvement by monday...off we go for x-rays! He is my baby, and another worry.




Molly came in today, while i was fixing bill's biscuits and gravy, COVERED in GREEN GEL TOOTHPASTE! we have not found the original crime scene....but are still looking....and just so you can understand a typical day at my house, she then brought me the kitchen scissors and her 'Easter Bunny Sponge Bob" and made me cut off his bunny ears. There was no dissuading her from it...obsessively they HAD TO COME OFF NOW!! I stapled his head back together, and she skipped off happily approving of the surgery (UGH!)

Kelsi, Bill, and Angela are in for the weekend (I ADORE a busy kid weekend!)and we took molly to McWilliams Pumpkin Patch.

Mr McWilliams is a conservation agent here in Missouri, his son, Levi (Shauna's age) is the Pharmacist across the street from us. They have some acreage outside of town and do some interesting stuff with it all year, and then invite us all in to look in October!! I love People like this!

Molly had missed her field trip to the patch with the class last week....so I was extremely glad everyone agreed she needed to go, regardless...this was our day:










she REALLY loved the bin of corn, and Bill had
to manhandle her out of it...she is IMPOSSIBLE to
move when she assumes the "flop and drop". It's
like trying to pick up a 70 pound water balloon!



Good thing we got her out, because she REALLY
loved the Hay Bale Maze! She ran right through
it, pushing me out of the way and taking the lead,
and didn't even stop to see the caged display animals.

except once, when the corn, which had been in her
shoe since we got there, just HAD to come out!!





Then? another fav!! a TRAIN! ok, not a real
train, but a tractor decorated like one...she
was confused because there were no TRACKS!!











This is Mr McWilliams and his other tour mode!
He's is just the BEST! thanks mr mcwilliams!!



I'll get back just in time to Spend Halloween in Springfield (i hope) and then MOVE MY PARENTS out here for the winter!! Molly had a pretty horrible time with me being gone last year, we paid for it for 2 weeks in weird behavior...but I'm not letting it change my mind! Keep Good thoughts that we all survive it!!
Enjoy your AUTUMN!!