Normalcy Has Returned

That's my hope, anyway.

School came pretty early this morning.

And this year... there was no leaving Reese behind.

She started Kindergarten today and got to ride the big bus with her big sisters.

Kean and I weren't sure what to do with all the quiet and uninterrupted time!

Reese goes half a day but they are all at the same school.

The girls came home happy and excited.

Let's hope that lasts and lasts all year.

The Cat Walk

Oooh, I am so far behind on my posts.

I guess that just tells you we've been busy 'round here wrapping up summer.

Tonight Greer and Reese did makeovers on each other and then put on a fashion show for the family.

Thought you'd enjoy a little Fall Preview of what's hot and highly in style!

 Never a dull moment with those crazy girls around.

I also thought you'd like a little Kean update.

He's a movin' machine... if you're around him, you can testify to how amazingly flexible he is...

he can sleep folded over in half and easily do the splits.

 He's also mastered the army crawl--- crawling over sisters and everything else in his way!

He can easily get to a sitting position on his own

and today at church, he pulled himself up several times to peer at the folks sitting in the bench behind us!

I think he is trying to figure out this new ward (church congregation) as much as we are.

And finally, he can wave bye-bye and say buh-buh at the same time!

He just started that a few days ago and I tell ya, we are pretty thrilled.

Mickey, meet Holland. Holland, meet Mickey.

It is looking more and more like a trip to Disneyland is in our future.

Every few days, you'll find us up and at it in the Blackberry bushes...

The girls have quite the racket going-- getting mom and Grammy to help them pick so they

can sell the goods-- forget the stock market.

It's going all to the D.F.  (Disneyland Fund).

 We picked nearly ten gallons the other morning.

We'll be back at it tomorrow. 

Please take special note... that those are berry stains, not bruises on Holland's face etc.

Don't worry, we're saving plenty for ourselves... I've made my favorite pie and put them

in just about everything else.

Dontcha just wish you lived here?

They taste as yummy as they look!

From Peanut to Keanut

Ah, well the boy is now officially two.

They do that you know... grow up.

And he really has.  He had his 2 year checkup today with the Doc.

A few milestones:

•  he has officially topped the 20 pound mark (finally).
• as for percentiles:  he is about - (negative) 15% on the growth charts
• but he is in the 50th percentile on the Down Syndrome charts (so he's doing just great).
• and after a month of Strep (3 times) his tonsils are clear and back to a normal size.

We kind of celebrated his birthday on Wednesday.

Holland is out of town-- so we'll wait until she and my folks are back.

 We took him (and the girls) out to dinner, then came home to open

his presents.  He especially loved this one from Grandma Kay (Byron's mom).

And he LOVED getting serenaded to - via the phone - by his cousins.

He has a thing for music.

Happy birthday little man!

His Birthday Eve

It is crazy to think that tomorrow Kean will be the big deuce.

It's even crazier to think that two years ago, I was stuck in a hospital room with certificates 

on the wall to mark each week I'd survived. 

 And it's crazy to remember that my children actually asked me

 if I'd like to come visit them at their house!!!

 But you know what is the craziest thing of all?

The fact that I was freaked out about the unexpected "news" that came 45 minutes after his birth.

What a fool I was.  If only I'd had a glimpse of the joy that awaited me.

I read an article today about a woman who had a daughter with Down Syndrome.

She titled her book something along the lines of The Year My Daughter And I Were Born.

What a perfect title.

Chhh-Chhh-Chhh-Changes

I have an excuse for not posting.

I've been out of town.

No kids... but it wasn't a vacation.

I'll explain later.

For now though, I'm in a bit of a funk.

Our church congregation (ward) is getting chopped up.

Our church has grown so much in this area, they are re-aligning boundaries and we have been exiled, ooops, I mean, sent

to a new ward in a new building.

This will be hard on all of us in that we have loved, loved, loved this ward.

This is the group that rallied around me, served and loved us when

I spent half of 2009 at the hospital.

There are so many great, great people I will miss seeing each Sunday...

including this guy.

Months and months ago Andy asked me if he could hold Kean during our first meeting (Sacrament).

I can't even begin to explain it-- but there is some amazing connection between the two.

I'd get emotional just watching them stare into each others eyes with pure love.

Nearly every Sunday since then, I walk in the door and Andy takes Kean-- he holds him,

plays with him and more often than not, gets him to settle down and sleep.

Andy will kill me for saying this... but it was truly one of the sweetest things I've witnessed in this life.

We love you Andy!