A New Springtime

Something I Like To Do

Today, I actually squeezed in a bit ofcrafty painting. I had gotten a gift certificate to A.C. Moore for Mother's Day from teenager so I went there yesterday and picked up some bottles of paints. I wanted to bring some summer into the house so here is what we did. I say we because the girls couldn't resist a good craft moment.

 
We used the items to prettify the living room shelf. The girls painted the watering can and the wheel barrow that are hanging from the hooks. All of the items we had already but painting them gave them a whole new look and added a bit of freshness to our home.

 
I had this wooden box that I had been wanting to paint for a long time and here is how it came out.

 

 

I have been trying to incorporate more photos into the home decor and I just love it.

 
There is still some workto do on top of this hutch but we painted a couple of things and put them up until we can finish. Some flowers in the box will be nice to top it off.

 

 

This old scale is one of my favorite decorations; it was left in our home by the previous owners.

 
Abigail painted this rooster off -white, it was a rust color and didn't show up well against the mauve.  It felt good to do a couple of craft projects and make some old things new again and it was a great time spent with the girls. I hope you find some time to do something you like to do!

 

A Typical Love Affair

Eliana just loves lil' Malcolm. She always has something in mind for him. "Can I hold him ?, Can I hold him ?" is the question she asks quite frequently throughout the day.

 
They make such a cute pair. She likes to show him all of her toys and dolls even if he's not interested.

 
If she is persistant he may pretend to notice...

 
and if he doesn't she will help him along. Here she is coaxing him to shake the dolls hand.

 
When she finally gets him to do what she wishes, she turns away and ignores him.  A typical love affair.

 
He never seems to mind her silliness...

 
and she aways gives him her best performance!

No Paparazzi Please

 
This is what I get to witness each day. I am so blessed with these glorious sights.

 Moments like this go by all to fast so capturing them are so important!

 

 

 

 

Buddy and Butterbean

Buddy and Butterbean are the two knicknames I have for these two!

 
I couldn't stop snapin' the photos due to the cuteness factor.

 
I just can't get enough of either one of them and Butterbean can't get enough of Buddy!

 
He doesn't stand a chance of not getting enough stimulation. Butterbean may have a future in physical therapy. (LOL)!

 
She squeezes his squeaky star for him and talks to him whenever I will let her.


I never knew I would fall in love so much. All of my children have stolen my heart but this one, has got me head over heals. I have heard people say it is the extra chromosome and I think they are right. I just want to hug him and kiss him 24/7. I don't want to make light of Down Syndrome and I haven't experienced much of it yet because Malcolm is only 7 1/2 weeks old but I am truly enjoying this stage of his life. I guess what I want to say is; be not afraid of Trisomy 21. It sounds so awful when we hear of these "disorders" but I think fear of the unknown is worse than the actual condition.


Love conquers all things. All praise and glory to God!!

Down My Garden Walk

I love the fragrance of the Lilies of the Valley flowers. The beautiful little bells are so petite and humble no wonder they are also known as 'Mary's Tears'.

 

 
Another white wonder is the Bleeding Heart, these have always been a part of our yard. They dangle on their stalk as a symbol of God's love for us. What a wonderful Creator we have, who reveals himself to us in such awesome ways!

Children and flowers go hand in hand. I like to recall the quote from MotherTeresa, "How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers."

 

 White coral bells
Upon a slender stalk
Lilies of the valley
Down my garden walk

Oh, don’t you wish
That you could
hear them ring.
That will happen only
when the fairies sing.

This was one of my favorite childhood songs and every time I see the lovely blossoms or smell the scent of the lilies it brings back fond memories.

 

Take some time out to smell the flowers!!

 

Living In the Moment

The other day we were reading about living in the present moment and how important this is to keep peace in our lives. There are so many things that could overwhelm us if we tried to figure out what might happen next.  

 
These are the moments I want to focus on. I just love seeing the kids interact together. If I was thinking about the future I would miss out on this.

 
I enjoyed a cup of coffee and the new edition of Faith & Family. It was a great issue focusing on the Culure of Life, a beautiful little boy with Down Syndrome was on the cover.

 
Doing our homeschooling keeps our focus where it should be, this is how we serve God each day. I have a saying to remind the kids of the order of things: "Hygiene, Housework & Homeschool. I like to follow a routine most days to avoid utter chaos.

 
Hannah is so good at getting all of her morning school done. I rarely have to keep her on track. She is a self-motivated learner, it is a pleasure to watch and see her engaged in her subjects.

The days are definetly full of there own concerns and the future hasn't been revealed yet; thank God for that because I don't think I could handle much more than I already have. I am grateful for the present moment and all it has to offer.

 

Birthday's and Baby Love

Were does the time go? Abba Do celebrated her eighth birthday yesterday! It seems such a short time ago that she was the lil' one coming home from the hospital.

 
We gathered around the table for cake and presents and family love!

 
Pink flamingos and Hawaiin leis made us feel like we were havin' a party in the tropics!


 
DH and Malcolm spent some time partying and loving, too...

 

but when the party was all over the love continued!

Something Very Divine

The Blessed Mother has blessed us during the month of May!   Three of our children were born in May, one on the thirteenth, the eighteenth, and the twenty- fourth. This year we are having an even busier May...

Abigail made her First Holy Communion!

 

 and Malcolm was baptized!

 

 

We also celebrated Mother's Day and it was the best one yet!  (DH says I say that every year, lol)

 

We sat around the patio enjoying one another,eatin' some good ole' KFC!
 

Malcolm was taking a snooze in the warm afternoon sun. I feel so privileged to be his mother. He has brought new meaning to motherhood for me! It is a wonderful feeling of being needed even more because of his Down Syndrome and the love that exudes from his very being is indescribable! There is something very divine going on around here.











Contentment

It is always so awesome how God confirms things. I was just taking some pictures of our ordinary day and thinking about how much I was enjoying the beauty of the simplicity of our day. I have been spending some time on the couch nursing  baby and hugging toddler. I am blessed with so much love.

 

 

 
Earlier in the day, we finally made a long over due trip to the library and  late afternoon  the kids took some time out for quiet reading.

 

 
I love to watch the kids when they are into a book; they are in their own world.

 
We have been spending some time in the living room together, some watchin' tv, some reading, some holdin' baby but most of all just being together and lovin' every minute of it!

 

 
I am finally allowing myself some time to be a Mary in a Martha world. I still like a clean house and supper still has to be cooked but there are certain times in between when I can  spend time just being content and looking at the funny and cute lil' faces that surround me.

 

 

While I was taking some R&R, the girls set the table. This occurs everyday around 4:30, a ritual  that always brings me a feeling of peace, a small accomplishment that let's me know our family meal time will happen soon and we will all gather together.