Happy 5th Birthday Henry!

1 years old!

Dear Henry, Today was your 5th birthday. We had a great day of spending time together and doing things the b-day boy wanted to do... you are a boy after your daddy's heart - your only request was that we do everything as a 'family.' So by 11am, we had gone to breakfast, played a game of Operation, and played a game of Monopoly. Impressive for a Saturday morning! On Friday, we took a snack into your Pre-K class. Of course, you know how I feel about 'bad' sugar, so we prepared these fruit kabobs together. You helped me the whole time and took your work very seriously. You were so excited about sharing them with your friends! You also asked me twice why I had to walk you into preschool that day... and that you could "handle your backpack AND your fruit plate" by yourself. I still walked you in :) We went to the Spaghetti dinner at Daddy's school - and we are sure you were convinced it was held in honor of your birthday. We got home at 8pm, and not once had you asked for a gift. It was so sweet. I think you were honestly satisfied with just being together. Wyatt gave you his gift tonight -- new Superman pj's! You were PUMPED! You'll get your other gifts next week with Uncle Devon and Aunt Beth. Oh, and as a special part of your birthday, we let you jump off the couch like Superman in your new PJ's. That was special b/c you aren't allowed to stand on furniture or jump off it and, of course, you were pretending to be like Superman.

We love you so very much. You are so independent, very responsible, conscious of your health, make your bed without us asking, get dressed every morning before you come downstairs, fold all your clothes and put them at the end of your bed, want to show Daddy everything when he gets home from work, love school, like to think you're in charge of everything... and then you'll remind yourself out loud, "Oh that's right... I'm not in charge. You're mommy and daddy, not me," and you ask questions about God all the time. Tonight we were walking by the woods when it was dark, and you asked me to hold your hand b/c it was dark. I said sure, but reminded you that we were all together and that God is always with you. You said, yes, I know, but will God be with me when I die? Just another great opportunity to tell you of the love of Jesus. You are five already -- and we love you like crazy. Praying all the time for your salvation. Happy Birthday!! (Btw, Daddy prepared your special birthday treat tonight... an artist at heart!)

Memorable Things Kids Say - Volume 17

I have been doing some serious online shopping for weddings, Christmas, and birthdays. Therefore, we have had packages arriving daily to our doorstep. Henry loves to bring them in for me. The other day...

He said, "Mom, there are 3 boxes on our steps! I'm going to bring them in."

I was finishing up something in the kitchen and walked through the hall to see this. I thought he had gotten a bit quiet. (Thankfully my camera was sitting right on the counter.)

I said, "Oh, wow, I wasn't expecting this package."

He said, "Mom, guess who I am?"

I said, "um... let me think... Jesus?"

He smiled.

 

Smiles with Myles - Volume 5

We visited the Thomas Center for Down Syndrome on October 26th. (Yikes, 2 weeks ago and I'm just now writing it down.) It is associated with the Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We originally had 2 back-to-back appts scheduled- one with the developmental team and one with the doctor. They had to cancel our doctor appt and reschedule us for December 28th. But we still went down to meet with the developmental team. They were awesome. So knowledgeable and so many good things to say. The team is made up of a speech therapist, an occupational therapist (OT), a physical therapist (PT), and a dietitian. The speech therapist and OT both work exclusively with Downs patients... 40/hours a week - that's all they do. One of them also has siblings with Downs. We felt really blessed to be so close to this center and know that we have full access to them at any time.

The majority of the visit consisted of getting initial information, updating them on who Myles is, what the birth was like, how we found out, what services he gets now, what his schedule is like, his growth, etc. They were very encouraging about him at this point. They said he is exceptionally strong for his age. Hypotonia (low muscle tone) and Downs go hand-in-hand so weakness is expected and delays in typical milestones like turning over, holding head up, etc. So far, so good. I see some slowness in him compared to the boys, but he is still within the range of 'average.' We'll just have to wait and see how he progresses. But he is definitely off to a good start. We will see this team and meet the doctor on December 28th. We are excited to meet the doctor. We have heard excellent things about her and how thorough she is.

The bottom picture is of Margaret -- Myles' EIS (early intervention specialist) that comes to see him every 2 weeks from Warren County. She is wonderful! The boys are liking her too... especially since today she brought them a Snickers bar :) Next time I'll get her face!

It has been a wonderful 4 months with Myles. Like I always say, he is very pleasant and mild-mannered. We love having him with us. I never forget that he has Downs, but there are definitely days when it is not at the forefront of my mind. However, the other day I was in the Flower Factory shopping by myself and saw a middle-aged lady pulling a cart and an older lady (60-ish?) pushing it. I'm almost certain the oldest woman had Downs, but I could be wrong. At any rate, it got my mind thinking about the future and the very good possibility that Myles could be in our home for as long as we are here on this earth. That certainly changes the way we think and talk about the 'future' of retirement or having kids out of the house, etc... :) I also got to thinking about how thankful I am that Myles has two big brothers. It brought tears to my eyes to think of them being older and maybe married and possibly having to care for Myles. That 'thought' doesn't really go anywhere beyond just a 'thought'... b/c I have no idea what lies down the road. Just seeing that lady got my mind thinking and it was the first time in a long time that I cried. My heart is getting bigger for all of these boys... and I'm overwhelmed with gratefulness for what the Lord has given us now!!

Hayride

After the short session of candy gathering, we went to my parents to have dinner. My Dad built a bonfire and did a great hayride for the kids. They LOVED it. Wyatt loved hanging over the edge and watching the ground go by. They went all through the woods and around the property.

The plan was to enjoy some warm doughnuts and cider by the fire, but we did have one minor accident... which, with 5 boys, is bound to happen. Somehow (we're still not sure how!), Cam got hit in the face with a stick that punctured his forehead. It bled pretty good, but didn't require any runs to the urgent care. It did make for a fairly gruesome picture... the tiger face, blood on his clothes and his painted face, and 2 cuts right above his eye. Now that it's over, it will make for a funny memory! :) But, it did put a quick end to the rest of the evening... you know how it is with tired, over stimulated kids... one accident and everyone loses it! We still made a great memory though! Hope we can do it again next year!

Oct 30

We were in Fort Wayne over the 'halloween' wknd. Henry was a FB player (surprise, surprise!), Wyatt was a cowboy with big freckles!, and Myles wore his Colts jersey like Henry. They had a lot of fun with their cousins dressing up and pretending to be different people... or animals! Cam was a tiger!! We only went to 4 houses, which was really perfect, and then ended at my parents for dinner and a hayride. We had a lot fun enjoying each other's company!

Friends

We love these little girls - and I was delighted to get a chance to spend some time with them the other day.





The first time I met Pam was at church. I just found out I was pregnant with Henry and she was a few months ahead of me with Anna. We had not yet met, but she walked over and said, "I think we have something in common..." and smiled. And it has blossomed into a beautiful friendship. It's been so fun to watch the kids develop friendships too. They sure do have a good time when they're together! It's also very fun trying to get kids to take pictures... :)

Never a dull moment

An updated pic of the cousins -- Reuben usually spends a third of his time at our house stunned, a third being hugged by Wyatt, and the other third either eating or sleeping!! :) It's so funny to watch Henry and Wyatt run circles around him... by next summer, he'll be giving them a run for their money!



























Henry helping make cookies for school.















And Wyatt doing his "chore" (as he calls it) of reading Myles books. He calls everything his chore - it's really sweet.

Happy Fall!

Family Night

Jonathan was in charge of Family Night on Saturday. He decided that we'd make a fun time out of sorting through the bins under the train table. It actually worked out well... the boys really believed we were playing a game! It was actually quite ingenius and it was a fun project to do together. Although, Wyatt kept getting sidetracked with all the new toys he was discovering :)

Aunt Meagan...

... came for a visit with Levi, Cam, and Avery last week. A good time was had by all! Henry was in a sour mood the rest of the night after they went home. I had to be sympathetic b/c I remember being like that after we had to leave our cousins when I was growing up. And I'm thankful that he's sad... means he loves his fam :)

Memorable Things Kids Say - Volume 16

Jonathan was listening to the Book of Luke the other day on Bible Gateway. It's a great place to go if you want to hear Scripture read aloud. Henry was sitting out there playing and so Jonathan took time to pause it and explain to him what he was doing... why he was listening to it vs. reading it, what book it was, who the author was, etc.

Henry says, "Oh, who reads it? Is that God's voice?"

Jonathan said, "No, it's a narrator."

Henry said, "No, I think it's God."

You never know.

Memorable Things Kids Say - Volume 15

Football is the sport of choice lately for H & W... -- they play all the time... tackling each other, rolling over and over, deciding what team they each will be. They love to pretend like they are real players.

As Henry says, "Mom, Dad, listen for a minute. Look at me. (when he sees he has our attention.... he continues) Our heads are our helmets, our hands are our gloves, our feet are our cleats. Oh, and our shirts are our jerseys. Now listen, Wyatt is the Jets and I'm the Bengals. Dad, who are you cheering for?"

Jonathan says, "No one. I only cheer for the Colts."

Henry says, "OK, OK, Wyatt is the Colts, and I"m the Bengals. Now who are you cheering for?"

Jonathan says, "The Colts."

Henry says, "Mom, who are you cheering for?"

I say, "I can't cheer for the Bengals. So I guess the Colts."

Henry says, "OK, OK, Wyatt is the Colts, and I'm the Jets. Mom, now who are you cheering for?"

I say, "Oh good, I'll cheer for the Jets."

They they talk about things like 5-yard penalties, and field goals, and touchdowns, and quarterbacks, etc. all while they are playing. It really is the cutest thing. They especially like playing football in the sandbox.