4 Years Ago!

2012- Yesterday for Crazy Hair Day

Found him "fixing stuff" with his little drill and of course the safety goggles!

So happy to get his baseball trophy last week

2012- Tie Day at school

2011

2010

2009

2008

That's right.  4 years ago tonight, we stepped off the plane with our little Serbian.  He was so tiny and low tone.  Not anymore.  Now we wonder if anyone has told him that he is not supposed to be so strong!  Boy is he an athlete! He cannot wait until he can play more sports.  This year he played baseball and hit coach pitch better than half the team. (And he is by far the youngest player.)  He can run, jump and climb like you've never seen.  OK--I had never seen.  My other 3 were busy but mellow.  Max can rearrange a room in 10 minutes.  I mean, everything out of the closet, mattresses on the floor, water bottle emptied on the carpet...  Max is my "always know where he is or you will pay for it" kid.  :-)  He LOVES the garbage truck and could watch a landscape crew all day.  He loves hats, sunglasses, crazy colored socks, and scarves.  He is funny as funny can be.  He is smart and figures out  everything before I think he can/should.  He is so fun to sing with as he uses his funny voices to make me laugh. His smile is the best around.  I really, really cannot imagine my life without him!  He adds spice to my life making sure it is never dull or boring.  Oh how I love that boy of mine.  I thank my Father in Heaven for leading us to him! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIA

10 years old! Wow. So, in honor of her 10th, here are 10 things about Tia:

1. Tia is our little entertainer. She loves to sing and dance and talk. And talk. And talk.

2. She is super flexible and can tie herself into a human pretzel.

3. She's a picky eater and has eaten the same things since she was a year old, pretty much. I'm so done smelling Vienna sausages. But the girl loves them!

4. She has several celebrity boyfriends. She especially loves Greyson Chance! If you don't know who he is, you tube him. He's adorable.

5. She HATES to have her hair done! But she also hates to wear her hair down. Everyday she begs for "just a ponytail".

6. Her favorite color is pink pink pink!

7. She is in 4th grade and she loves school.

8. Her nickname is Tia Maria Sophia Tortilla Shnookems Girlfriend.

9. She has an amazing memory and rarely misses a spelling word.

10. She is happy most of the time which is a huge blessing! She is just super fun and contagious.

Is this a Reality show?

So here are a few more of the funny things my kids say/do:

Tyler recently got new glasses. As the woman fit them to his face he turned and looked in the little oval mirror that sits on the table. Then says, "Well hello Mr. Huff." We were totally laughing. I love that guy!

The other day my sitter was putting Max down for a nap. We turn the light off by the string hanging off the light on the ceiling. This way the boys can't just get up and turn the wall switch on all the time. Well, this is not a problem for me as I am 5'8" but my sitter is 5'4". She was jumping to get the string and Max says, "Tammy. CHAIR." Like, duh. HAHAHA

This is for all you Veggie Tales lovers out there: Tia was saying she didn't want to go to sleep because she was scared. Tyler said, "Don't be scared Tia. God is bigger than the boogie man." To which Tia said, "Oh, your right Tyler." I laughed but you know, it worked.

So my allergies have been horrible lately. I woke up and was sneezing and sneezing. Tia asked if I was sick and I told her I think I have allergies. She said with great concern, "Oh no. I hope you're not allergic to Roxy!" Now friends, you need to know who Roxy is to make this story funny. Roxy is Tia's IMAGINARY cat! I assured her I was NOT allergic to Roxy.

Now this one I had to wait to tell until was actually laughable to me. Others could laugh much earlier at this story than I could. So here goes:
We had an exchange student for 2 weeks during the summer from China. Sweet 14 year old girl who did not speak much English. I woke up the first morning she was here a little before 6 to get the boys. I noticed Tia's bedroom door was open and neither she or our student were in there. I got the boys and as I came into the front room I noticed the front door wide open. As the anxiety began I looked quickly around the house and didn't see them. So I went outside with a boy in each hand and call for Tia. No answer. (Anxiety mounting) Then our student comes running around the corner. Here's the conversation: (She's JR)
JR: Tia at park. She need help. I help one, I help two, I cannot help anymore. I come to get you mom.
Me: Tia's at the park now?
JR: Yes.
Me: And you are HERE?
JR: Yes.
(Anxiety changed to panic)
I run inside, wake Kevin up and tell him Tia's alone at the park, here's the boys, gotta go.
I take off running for the park. JR is running and only speaking Chinese quietly. (Probably praying I don't kick her out. Poor girl.)
So, I round the corner to the park which is about 2 blocks away, I see Tia. And my anxiety decreases. Hooray for that.

So, what is Tia doing? She is completely wedged in the baby swing. Feet dangling. PJ's on, bare feet hanging. Legs lodged in the holes up to the fold where the thigh meets the hip. You know the swings with the four holes for babies? Well, they are really for babies!!! So let's recap: Tia convinced JR to unlock the door and take her to the park-- before 6 am--while everyone is sleeping. Then she convinced her to put her into the baby swing. Now she can't get out. Her body weight apparently pushed her into the holes but because she was all the way past her thighs, there was NO getting her out. I pulled and JR held the swing but it was never gonna happen.
At this point, what are the choices? I call Kevin who does not answer his phone. So, I tell Tia and JR we will have to call the Fire Dept. JR doesn't understand so I say, "Police." She gets this terrified look and says, "For me?" Seriously, people this is her 1st day in America!!! This poor girl! I know she was just being nice and following my daughter's lead. My daughter with NO concern for safety or danger apparently NOT the best to follow.

So, I do call the Fire Dept. and Kevin eventually answers and loads the boys in the car to come see if there is anything he can do. As he is loading the boys, Tyler asks where they are going. Daddy tells him they are going to help Tia who is stuck in a swing at the park. Tyler then says, "This is Serious." (Wonder Pet fans will get that.)
I was glad Kevin came because the F.D. went around the corner to where I could hear the truck but not see them and they could not see us. Kev ran over and redirected them. I say them. Yes, all 5 of them get out of the truck. People, I am in PJ's. It is not attractive. It is barely 6am. My daughter has left the house without my knowledge and is stuck in a swing. I'm a tad humiliated!

I joke with them about it being a slow morning for them and tell them the situation. And yes, they had to take HUGE cutters of some kind and cut the swing up both sides to get her out. So if anyone in my neighborhood is reading this and wondering why one of the swings was cut and cursing the teenagers that must have done it---it was us. Sorry.

So how was Tia you ask? Does this tell you? "Thank you firefighters! Thank you so much for saving me firefighters! You're my best friends firefighters!" Social butterfly to the tee. But her legs were fine. A bit bruised but fine.
I came home and was ready to crawl into bed for 24 hours as my adrenaline crashed. But no, it was only 6:15 am the day was yet to begin...

So now let's vote? Who wants to trade lives? Liars! You just want to be a fly on my wall and watch the mass chaos that is our life. I love it but I need a therapist! Hahaha Seriously, I know that morning could have been disastrous for us and I was truly blessed to have it turn out as easily as it did.

Hope I made you laugh today and appreciate your own families. I sure do love mine!

First Day of School 2011

Week 3 of school and all is well. We actually have the same aides as last year!!! That has never happened before. I love it. It saves so much time/stress when they already know about my child and his/her capabilities. They can help the new teachers get to know my child quickly too.

Short post today. Just wanted to get the pics up to show how adorable and awesome my kids are. *smile* I will post more about our fun summer another time.

Our California Adventure

Tia's cheer team attended the Nationals in Anaheim. It was amazing to see them perform at such a huge venue. There were 5 special needs teams and hundreds of other teams. Tia was in heaven as she cheered for other teams. Every time she walked by a group of girls she complimented their hair, outfits, makeup, something! In her element for sure. She "won" a trophy, medal and national champion jacket. It was great to see the typical cheer teams interacting with our team and really loving their performance. Thank you to Elite Gym in Scottsdale for giving us this terrific experience!

The day after Nationals, we went to California Adventure which was a blast! Tyler loved Soarin' California, Tia loved the shows, and Max loved driving the bumper car the best. A really great trip.

March already?

Ty's 7th Birthday



New Year's Eve



My husband's full costume Risk game. I think if you click on it, it will be bigger.



The kiddo's Christmas pic.




Adorable pic of Max one fall morning waiting for the bus.



Tia's 9th birthday!


OK so it's been a LONG while and my family and friends are not happy with me. I know that few of you actually want to read my blog, you just want the pics of the kids and I don't blame you. However, I will take a second to catch you up.

Tia's birthday- My big 9 year old girl had a mommy made Dora cheerleader cake this year. Tia is having so much fun in Cheer this year and it has been an awesome experience. I'm sure it will continue for many years to come.

Christmas- was fabulous. Kevin gave me tickets to the opera (Turandot) and I gave him tickets to Pro Bull Riding. We have discovered over 13 years of marriage that we are ying and yang. Sometimes easy, sometimes hard but we compliment each other very well. The kids are amazing at Christmas and I can't imagine it being more fun. They love everything they get and are so thankful. (It was also Max's 4th birthday but we celebrate in May to give him his own day. He is still small and gets asked if he is 2 quite often. Oh well, we can't all be basketball player size.)

Christmas Night-The big Risk game. Kev's family has been doing this since before we met. It used to be hats required, now as you can see from above, it is FULL costume. It is only the guys in the family. (Thank goodness because I do not have any desire to play Risk.) Us girls watch a chic flic and hang out.

New Year's Eve- This year AZ legalized fireworks for a few days a year so we took advantage. The kids had so much fun doing sparklers and watching the fireworks we bought. It was really nice for us because our kids never stay up late enough to see 4th of July fireworks and we were NOT keeping them up til midnight for New Years. My sister's family came down and the kids always love hanging out with cousins!

Tyler's 7th Birthday in Feb.- Added to his collection of Toy Story characters. He had a mommy made Diego and Dora cake and pizza (which for him equals heaven). Lots of friends and relatives over for a great day! I can't believe he's 7.

Lately, we have just been busy with school/work, friends etc. We have had a pretty good winter as far as health. AZ got hit really hard in our area with lots of winter junk so we are lucky not to have anything serious. Right now it is Spring Break so I have been trying to keep the kids busy. Zoo, playground, petting farm, etc. Only one more IEP before summer--hooray. My school is the best and we have been so blessed. Hope everyone is doing well. I will try, try, try to update more often.

HELP A CHILD FIND A FAMILY

How Gorgeous is Jayson?! We want him to find a family!! So....

www.NorthPoleSecretary.com
My friend has a business at Christmas time working for Santa. She sends Christ-centered letters from Santa to children and families. My kids LOVE these letters! This year she approached me about giving part of the proceeds to a child on the Angel Tree at Reece's Rainbow. (See more children on the angel tree at www.reecesrainbow.org I am so thrilled she would do this!!! Let's raise lots of money and get Jayson a family!
Here are the details:
After Nov. 14th North Pole Secretary will be raising funds for Reece's Rainbow, a non-profit agency that helps fund adoption expenses for children with Down syndrome.
35% OF ALL SALES WITH THE PROMO CODE: RR WILL GO STRAIGHT TO OUR SPONSOR CHILD.
Individual letters for your child are $8
A letter to your family is $18

The letters are very detailed and are personalized for your kiddo/family and come postmarked from the real North Pole, Alaska. All letters also recognize your child for an accomplishment this year and talk about the Savior,serving and the true meaning of Christmas.

This is such a fun memory for your kiddos. This is also a fun way to keep kids on their toes through December... parents tell me that their kids were extra good because they got an early letter and knew Santa was watching them! I have clients who order this as a tradition every year!

Last day to order is Dec. 10th.

Letters will begin to be sent out right after Thanksgiving for a Pre-Christmas delivery!

Please visit the website www.NorthPoleSecretary.com to order and pay with debit/credit through PayPal. ON THE ORDERING PAGE THERE IS A PLACE FOR A PROMO CODE. PLEASE ENTER RR SO WE CAN RAISE LOTS FOR THE ANGEL TREE FUND!!!

October Pics

Recent antics

So people often say to me that I must have some good stories. Mostly this is parents who have children with Down syndrome because they have good stories of their own. Well let me tell you about a few in the last 2 weeks:
Fall Break, we head to the zoo. I purposefully do not put hats on the children because 2 of our hats are at the bottom of the zoo duck pond already. So, off we go. Max in the stroller, the other 2 walking. I brought my respite provider with us as Kevin had to work. Well, we almost made it out without an incident. Almost. My favorite animal is the otter. So on the way out I stop at the otters. I take Max out of the stroller and put him on my hip so he can see over the wall and that's when it happens. Mr. Octopus (aka Max) whips the hat off of a little girl next to us and before I even know it's happened, he has thrown the hat INTO the otter exhibit! The little girl is devastated and immediately begins crying hysterically! I had to run over to the snack shack and get them to radio for someone who could get it out. Which she did, thankfully. The girl was still crying when they left.

OK, here's another one. We had a primary program today in church which is where the children are up on the stand and sing for all the adults. Now I knew Tyler was going to have a hard time sitting for the hour in the same chair with nothing to do. (When he sits with us we bring quiet games/books etc.) So, the program goes as planned and both kids get up to the mic to say their parts. Tia added "The End. Thank you." and a few jumbled words to the end of her part but that was fine. Now comes the embarrassing part. The program is done and it is time for the congregation to sing a closing song. Only they can't. Because Tyler is now lying under the organ and won't come out! So I have to go up on the stand and get Tyler out from under the organ which is no easy feat as he weighs 75 pounds and there are chairs with children in them all around the organ. The congregation couldn't see him until I pulled him out looking half asleep and having no clue he was causing a delay. Yes, once he emerged I heard a few chuckles.

After church we set off on a hunt to find Tia who was not where she should have been. As I searched through the rooms and halls with one boy in each hand I enlisted help from friends. I began to get really nervous thinking she could have tried to walk home (we live across the street) so I looked out side all around the church. No Tia. I went back in to find her chatting it up with the Bishop and several other men in his office. Oh, that girl and her social habits! It may be the death of me. I'm going to have a tracking devise implanted in her!!! Just kidding. A mom's wishful thinking.

So, we set off home where within 10 minutes Max has emptied the entire jar of fish food all over the carpet. (He knocked it down by throwing a rubber duck over the fish tank.) Where was I, you ask? Just changing. Later in the day he climbed up on the piano bench and got my church bag. Normally this would be an OK thing to get down. Not today. Today's lesson was on music and we made shakers with rice and beans. So, he poured those all over the floor. Where was I? Making dinner. Have you guessed that Kevin has not been home today?

Max also has discovered he can turn on the bath all by himself. So, fully clothed he will get into the bathtub and turn it on. Luckily this only happened once and we got to him before he was too wet. That is so dangerous! So, we are back to locking the bathroom door. Ho hum. When will we live without gates and locked doors?

Now let me tell you that I know I should be happy. After all, Max twisted off the cap to the fish food and opened 2 ziplock bags to empty the beans and rice. This is good fine motor skills. He also does a lot of problem solving. Pushing the chair over to get what he wants up high. I recognize it but it doesn't seem to make it any less irritating.
Hope everyone is doing well. I will post pics of Halloween next week.

First Day of School 2010

Once again we have been blessed with great teachers this year! We really love our school. The kids are all doing great in typical classrooms. Tia is in 3rd, Tyler is in 1st, and Max is in Preschool. Our special ed teacher is wonderful and T & T spend an hour a day with her for math and reading. Oh math! Why is it just so hard for our kids? I am at the point I need to do some reading and find out how to make it easier for them. I've been lazy about that. I have to admit my focus has always been on daily skills and now that academics are getting more important I am a bit unprepared. On the other hand, my big kids can spell! Wow! I have been amazed at the memorization skills. Tia has 20 words a week and Ty has 10 but he gets the advanced list because the others are too easy for him. Go figure! Max is perfecting colors and shapes. It's funny because he knows Pink but not Green. (Tia is a bit dominant in our house.) Haha!

Summertime

The two big kids getting big. Crazy!


Max posing at the ranch


Tyler REALLY got into painting at the ranch.


Oh my goodness, look who is EATING NOODLES!!! HUGE!


Tia being sweet with the donkey at WHR.



A little dress up fun.


Perfect paparazzi picture!!


Tia and Tyler in red, white and blue at the 4th of July parade.


Tyler's Kindergarten graduation with his teacher and principal.


Well so much for writing more often. Sorry. Summers are just so busy around here. Kevin and I went to San Diego to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary which will be on Monday. It was wonderful and weather was amazing!!! Nothing like sitting next to the ocean, reading a good book and having a cool breeze blowing. Fantastic. We rented a little beach cottage in Oceanside. It was really cute. I wanted to stay there forever and just ship my kids to us so we could all enjoy it. Max hasn't seen the ocean yet. Maybe next year we can all go.

This last weekend we took the kids to a ranch a few hours away. It's called Whispering Hope Ranch and it's a camp for children with special needs and their families. They have tons of animals. Cats, dogs, rabbits, ducks, geese, emu, a turkey, peacocks, goats, sheep, mules, horses, cows, llamas... Like I said, lots of animals. The kids had a blast and we met some great families. It always nice to meet other families and see what their children are doing. It helps motivate me to encourage my kids to be more independent and work on additional skills. One of my friends was saying her 8 year old is showering by herself. Have to say, I thought we were a few years from that. I have been teaching Tia to wash her own hair but her hair is long and she is NOT effective at rubbing the shampoo through it. So, we will work a little harder and see what happens. I think when it's your first child you are never sure what they should be doing by themselves. Max did start eating noodle while we were there though!!! SO HAPPY for that! We may progress out of pureed food someday after all. HOORAY!

School starts Monday. We picked out our school supplies today. Tyler is ready with his Buzz Lightyear backpack and Tia with her Hanna Montana backpack. Still on the hunt for good lunchboxes. We meet the teachers on Thursday. I'm trying not to stress to much. I do envy people who can enroll their kids in school and be done. No meetings, aides, arrangements, IEP's, worry about friends and teachers, etc. I know most moms worry about their kids so I try not to feel like I am too crazy for being anxious. Tia will start 3rd grade and Tyler will be in 1st grade. Same school as last year which is great. Just new teachers and possibly different aides. The kids are very well known at school so other teachers and administrators look out for them. I think my kids are the only children with Down syndrome at the school now.

Our school does not have a "skills program" which is the name for the self-contained classroom. It is at another school in our district so many of the other children with special needs attend the other school. We have been fortunate enough to have our kids in an inclusion setting that works well for us. They have one hour a day of resource or special instruction for math and reading. It has worked great so far so we hopefully this will be a successful year as well. I really just want them to have teachers who like them and challenge them and include them in the class activities. I'm not nervous for Max really. The preschool program is great. His teacher will be new this year so we will see if she has enough energy for Max. Ha ha.

So, that's our summer update I guess. I'll write more once school starts.

2 YEARS!!!!!

Serbia- May 2008
Remember the days he couldn't smile without his tongue out? Love it!

May 2009

May 2010

Yesterday was Max's Adoption Day a.k.a. Gotcha Day! I can't believe it was 2 years ago that we were in Serbia. It seems like last month in so many ways. It was such a highlight of my life! Beautiful country and beautiful friends there. We miss them very much!! So, above is the year by year look back. He is getting so big! My grandma was here a while back and was looking at pictures on the wall at our house. She said, "Now, who is this one of?" She couldn't believe it was a picture of Max taken at the Children's Home in Serbia. She said, "He just looks so different now. He looks like the rest of your children." We get that alot. Several of our friends have adopted children of different races and it's funny how even they start to just be part of that family's "look."

I think adoption is one of the stronger testimony builders I have had in my life. It gave me a stronger knowledge that God knows each of us and what we need in our lives. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Max was just meant to be in our family. I think of his birth parents often and think how proud they would be of him now. I wish we could share our joy with them to ease what I'm sure is still very painful to them. I hope they are happy and have been able to move forward.

Max is the world's busiest child. Kevin nicknamed him Velcro yesterday. He took both boys to the petstore and was amazed at how many things just "jumped" into Max's one free hand. He said "I was holding his hand! How could he have grabbed so much stuff!" I just laughed. Is that mean? =-) Don't you love when dad's experience a drop of what you have been dealing with forever! LOL Max is also the world's cutest child. (Yes, this is fact. I am not bias at all.) His preschool teachers are in love with him as well as everyone at every store we go to. He is getting more social now. He used to be grouchy to people he didn't know who said hi to him but he is gettting better. He is talking so much now. Preschool has really helped that. His favorite thing to eat is yogurt. He likes to color, play musical instruments and be outside. I am excited to start using the pool in a few weeks because I know he will LOVE it.

Anyway, so happy for the 2 years we have had with our awesome son and look forward to all the crazy things he will say and do in years to come!