A New Springtime

A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit of That

Last week we had a vacation from homeschool...

the mornings were awesome just sitting  around watching the kiddos instead of giving out orders and hustling to get them going for the day. I sat back and observed Elle drinking her hot chocolate and the others doing their own thing.

I was sitting on the couch with the laptop when I noticed this lil' guy who had made his way under the cardtable  trying to check out his new domain.

When this cute face looks at me, all I can do is smile back, laugh, ooh and ahh! He melts my heart and gives me so much love and joy.

Last vacation, I ended up making these skirts for the girls, they were quite easy. All I did was cut strips with a rotary cutter, sewed them together, bound the top and bottom and put the elastic in the waist. Thegirls were thrilled with them. Hannah decided to wear hers and she dressed up little sister to match. She is always thinking of ways to be creative and helpful.

Another sewing project was this simple skirt. I had picked up this beautiful piece of fabric from a tag sale quite awhile ago and never got aroundto using it. The fabric is just so bright and colorful, to pretty not to use.

It was going to be a library bag but there wasn't enough fabric.

Small accomplishments can sometimes be the best. It felt good to finally do something other than school . I enjoyed doing a bit of this and a bit of that, nothing really planned out but getting satisfaction from watching the kids and slipping in a project or two.

Lead Us Not Into To Temptation

Lately I have been missing out on the joy of life due to my lack of faith in Jesus. It is a hard thing to admit since He has shown me His great love and faithfulness many times over. I have been a bit angry at some of the things that have taken place in the Church, forgetting my own imperfections and listening to the opinion of others and their misconceptions  about the Catholic Faith.

                                          
The whole time I have been saying my routine prayers and sort of going through the motions and finally asking Jesus if He could once again prove himself to me. I know that sounds so horrible but that is the place I have been these past couple of weeks.

It hasn't been a very bright place for me. The kids have been sick and I have been trying to re-establish a relationship with my oldest son. There has been spiritual battle raging but as always God is The Victor. He worked a miracle in my life yesterday!

Sweet lil' baby boy had become quite sick so off to the doctor we went. He had a rash of tiny prickly red dots and the doctor diagnosed it as petechiae. She wanted blood work done, STAT,  because it can be associated with Lukemia. Children with Down Syndrome are more prone to getting it.

As you can imagine, I was worried. I tried to pray the Divine Mercy in the office but I just couldn't get it together.  On the drive to the hospital to get the blood, I called my good friend and asked her to pray. She said she already did that she was inspired to pray at 9:45, the very time we were on our way to the doctors. The prayer she said was the Divine Mercy. Heaven had us covered.

 

At the very moment she was telling me this I spotted our parish priest in the hospital parking lot. My heart began to swell and I knew Jesus had sent him there. I pulled up to him and beeped the horn as he was about to get in his car to leave. I told him about the possibility of the Lukemia and without hesitation he asked me if I wanted him to give Malcolm the Anointing of the Sick.

   

We walked into the hospital and sat down in the lobby where he gave Malcolm the sacrament, crossed his forehead with the oil and we prayed the Our Father together. I began to cry and felt as if I  had a healing, too. I had such peace and knew once again my faith had been restored. I had been searching for answers to questions and I should know better.  Jesus doesn't make it that difficult for us to know Him. I am humbled once again by God's love and humility.

Two hours later the tests results came back negative for Lukemia, Malcolm has a case of Bronchiolitis but has recieved the best care and treatment from his doctor and is already on the road to recovery. I am sure all is well due to the awesomeness of the Sacrament of the Sick.

The Catholic Church has many wonderful signs of God's love to offer and there are many members who do wonderful acts of charity and service. There are also many priests who sacrifice their time and lives for the care of others. I am so thankful to Jesus for giving me His mercy through them.  Next one will be confession!
 

Glorious Christmas

Even though I had some help this advent, I am glad Christmas has finally arrived.

This lil'guy is trying to get in on all of the action, he doesn't want to be left out of anything.

These two are quite the tag team these days. Eliana can't get enough of her Malcolm. I am always giggling at their daily antics.

This past month I have been extemely exhausting. I think it is mostly due to my somewhat broken sleep. Baby Malcolm is  working so hard on teething and he likes to nurse alot at night to soothe himself. So, between that and shopping  my fuel has been running low.

  I wouldn't change a thing though, I have experienced an overwhelming sense of love from God through my children so I know it is all worth it!

We attended the four o'clock vigil Mass, I just love the beauty of the church all adorned with evergreen trees, white lights and the bright red pointsettas.

I felt so joyful and blessed for the family  I am a part of. God has been so good to us and I am so glad to be able to honor Him at this special time of year.

The manger was another awesome sight and the children couldn't help but to be drawn into the mystery of it all.

After church we went out to dinner and when we got home the kids watched a movie and off to bed they went. I stayed up enjoying the quiet and finishing up some last minute cooking preparations.

The tree looked so luminous and there was that special warmth in the air that ole' tananbaum gives to the home on Christmas Eve.

This cute lil' vintage ornaments was a GW find, it is a set of eight mini bells all different Christmas characters. They are so cute I am going to have a hard time putting them away. I am glad to have 12 days to enjoy them and all of the other decorations and festivities.

All of the stockings got filled and I headed up to bed with a feeling of relief and contentment knowing that the family was about to share another glorious Christmas day together.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and I hope you get to slow down these next twelve days and  savor the season and soak in all of your blessings from above! May Jesus be in your heart and His peace shine through you!

Oct. 2011 Snow Storm

This is the maple tree our backyard Sunday morning after the storm.

 

Our neighbors across the street had a tree in their front yard that was leaning on the wires.

Our power went out Saturday night and we just got it back today,Thursday, at around 4:00p. m. We were still able to cook due to our gas stove and our hot water is also heated by propane. The first couple of days weren't so bad,  Here is my babe all bundled up.

The kiddos kept busy playin' some games!

We  had a no power Halloween party in our karosene lit living room, we played our own version of  trick or treat trivia pursuit. DH even got in on the action got himself some candy!

The girls kept warm in their costumes. They were Sacajawea, Amelia Erhart,and  Strawberry Shortcake.

The "boyz" came down dressed like this,  they had me laughin' acting like gangstas!

We had some fun but as one day tuned into two and two turned into three and three turned into four we began to pray for electricity and heat to warm our lil' feet.  It  was starting to get a bit frustrating. This morning we got into the car p.j. 's and all and headed over to grammy's. Later around 4 p.m. DH called me and told me the power had come back on, thank you Jesus!

 

Down Syndrome = Flexiblity

Besides being so loving and cute, Malcolm has other gifts and talents, he is extremely flexible! Children with Down Syndrome usually are quite limber due to hypotonia.

I can't get enough of him grabbing his feet and pulling them all the way up to his shoulders. These are the things that make our family laugh and smile throughout the day!

If I could do this  maybe my mouth might not get me into so much trouble (lol).

Sister is trying to learn his techniques...

but decides she would rather do her own thing!

Malcolm Boy, Malcolm Boy What Do You Hear?

Last week Malcolm had his first appointment for a  more in depth hearing test. At six months kids with Down Syndrome get this done because they can be more susceptible to hearing loss due to upper respiratory infections and ear infections. Malcolm has been " congested" since birth, he always sounds like he has a lot of mucus. The suction bulb is in constant use.

                                      
Children with DS tend to have smaller ears and ear canals. Aren't his cute? Malcolm responds well to our voices and he loves to engage in conversations with us. He is very vocal. He mummbles,coos and babbles just like any other six month old.

Our appointment was at the Clark School for Hearing and Speech and I was impressed with the professionalism and care they showed to Malcolm.

The grounds were beautiful and we are so blessed to have these facilities not far from home. My older son who is 11 went with us and got to sit with the audiologist as she performed some tests. He was also a big help to me and made a wonderful impression with his charitable behavior.

                                                                                                                                          

When we returned home the kids and I discussed what took place at the appointment. We talked about the parts of the ear, vibrations and sound waves.
 
Having a child  with DS is such an opportunity  for all of us to learn something new each day.  It is a great experience and helps me to practice my Catholic faith by  trying to serve Malcolm and my family better.

My Lil' Charlie Brown

Yesterday was my DH's birthday and this called to mind how much he is a gift to me and our family.

I want to thank him for giving me the most precious gift of my children. We have many birthdays to celebrate in our home because of the love we have shared over the years. I am not just speaking of physical love but a love that comes from understanding sacrifice and commitment. Each time a new life came into the world through us we shared something that grew and continues to grow!

Joe has given our latest blessing, Malcolm, a new nickname. He sometimes refers to him as Charlie Brown because of this:

They both have that lil' swirl of hair on the back of their head.

Malcolm has Down Syndrome as most of you already know. I used to be afraid  of the thought of any of my children having DS  but now that I have experienced it the fear has turned into joy.

This lil' boy has so much personality, he loves to engage in social interaction and  is so happy to be loved and to return it to all of us. From the moment he began to nurse he was trooper. Because of his low muscle tone ( hypotonia) it took more effort for him to latch on but we worked hard as a team and made an immediate connection and everything else fell into place.

The whole family has benefited from Malcolm's life and his Down Syndrome. Every single person has some kind of "syndrome" in one way or another.  Love is the only perfection and we truly love our lil' Charlie Brown and all of our other lil' characters (especially the one peeking into the picture!)

Angry Bird Makes Happy Boy

The boys have been into the game, "Angry Bird" lately.  They have been winning the stuffed animals out of the claw machines at the grocery store. Being so generous they have been sharing them with baby Malcolm and he seems to enjoy exploring them.

Although Malcolm has Down Syndrome it doesn't hinder him from getting in on the current trends or  the current intrests of the other kids in the house. As a matter of fact he makes all of our endevours even more interesting.

The boys were so excited to let me know that he was quite entertained by the soft, big-eyed ackward looking creatures! He has even tried using them as teethers.

Angry birds make baby boy very happy...

and I can't think of a better use for them.

Fruit of the Womb

This is my crew these days! Time goes by and things are constantly changing. Even though I still have six at home there is still a void left from the two that are no longer home. The world of independence calls but a mother's heart always beckons to nuture each one of them still. They are the fruit of her womb.

My first born girl is starting to change and blossom into such a young lady. She has a very soft and sensitive heart and I love her dearly. I am enjoying seeing my little girl grow and become a  little lady.

One of a kind and she knows it, this one is the apple of daddy's eye! He loves all his children but there is a soft spot for her.

You can pick your fruit but you can't pick your sister. I hope these two stay close as they get older, they do a lot together and get along quite well.

This bunch is a blessing!  I have such wonderful children and we have such awesome friends; I hope they all know how much I care for them.

The apples don't fall far from the tree as you can see. There were so many on the ground due to all of the rain we had but that didn't stop all of us from enjoying the orchard. We trecked through the mud and the mushy apples. My good friend and her kids  are such an inspiration and encouragement to me.

The Seed Must Die A resurrection cannot occur without a death.A new life cannot begin until the old life is buried with Him.“Truly, truly I say to you, except a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24) The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5:9). “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24). Christ must increase but i must decrease (John 3:30). He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live for themselves, but for Him which died for them and rose again.” (II Corinthians 5:15).To live is Christ and to die is gain – Philippians 1:21

Down Syndrome and the Not So Moody Blues

God gives a peace that surpasses all understanding. Sometimes things aren't perfect or they do not turn out  the way I think they are supposed to but lately I am able to experience joy in these events.

 
Having a child with Down Syndrome is nothing like I ever expected it would be. I am just so absorbed in all of the love and blessings that have been poured out upon our family from the gift of this precious little one. His siblings feel the same way and are always entertaining him with toys, hugs and even music.

 
I am learning to give thanks to God even when things do not go my way. By no merit of my own, only by His grace I have come to understand His love in the " less than perfect situations" in my life. When things look bad there is always something beautiful that God brings forth from it.  I am becoming enlightened to think even more in the opposite direction of what the world says.

 
"Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added unto thee."   Down Syndrome has no power over God and I am seeing so much beauty in imperfection. 

 
So as my ears  hear the harmonica play I am savoring the tunes of the not so moody blues. The melody is sweet and the tunes are up beat even when times are a bit out of sync.  Play that song  baby and praise God in all things!!