2011 - Year in Review - Part 1

I just realized I only have 8 posts for the entire year of 2011. And one of them was about Christmas from last year. I have been seriously slacking. I am going to post a quick review of our year and beg that you forgive my absence and stay tuned for more frequent updates.

January -
We spent some time remembering how much we love where we live. The beach. In January.













The beginning of the year was overall slow for us. In April, the kids experienced their first hail storm.











Don't mind the fact that my kids have on no socks and no shoes in some pictures. We live in California and don't see hail storms much and if we do, they pass quickly. I didn't want the kids to miss it so they threw on the closest shoes they could find.

May-

Hannah got her first haircut! I was sad to see her last little curls on the bottom to be cut but it was time. We cut off almost 8 inches in some spots. Brushing her hair is a nightmare. Still. This at least helped a little bit for awhile.













I have decided that this post has gotten way too long. I am going to break this recap up into a few posts.

Stay tuned for the summer edition!

Shaking the dust off.....

...... of this blog.

I haven't been writing much in the last year and I do miss it. Over the years it has been therapeutic writing about the kids and life and Down syndrome. I love going back and reading the posts and seeing how much the kids have grown.

Rarely do I write about me. I have been thinking lately that I want to start writing more about me and using this to record some of my thoughts and talk about what I am up to. Next year I am vowing to be way more active. Not only me, but as a family. For all of us. I need to lose a large amount of weight and maybe if I talk about it more with others it will keep me accountable. In 2009 I lost 48 pounds in about 6 months. When I hit 50 I was going to post about it on here. I didn't hit 50. Then life got in the way and I stopped working on the weight loss. In 2010 life got crazy with ... well a lot!(you can go back and read the posts). And then Hannah turned 3 and officially entered CrazyTown and truth be told... I would have a glass of wine, or sometimes 3, a couple nights a week. It seemed to take the edge off of the stress of everything and those calories added up and back came the 50 lbs!

So I ask you... do this with me. Post comments and let me know you are with me. If we are Facebook friends we can stay in touch and motivate each other. I have also joined a couple friends on FitnessPal. It is a great free program that you can help make things a little easier.

2012 is going to rock. I can feel it!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Dear Hannah,

You are now 4 and the lovely sweet girl that you are is re-emerging. 3 was hard. Really hard. You pushed every boundary you could find. You averaged more fits a day than I can keep track of. You told me and your dad that you hated us.

The fog is lifting and we are communicating better. It was definitely not all you. I am still learning how to effectively parent a "spirited" child. It is a learning process for us both.

Your gigantic heart is emerging and showing us that compassionate, loving, smart, beautiful girl that I know you are.

You recently started at a new preschool and you are learning so much. You are becoming even more independent and confident.

I am so proud to be your mom. That fog, that was 3, just goes to show how strong willed and passionate you are going to be as you grow to be an amazing young woman.

I love you more than you will ever know Hannah.

Happy 7th Birthday Zachary!

Little Dude,

I know, I know.. you would correct me and say "not little dude... big boy"... but you are my little dude. You make my heart swell with love and pride on a daily basis. Your amazing spirit and ginormous heart makes my world so much better than I ever imagined. I love our cuddle time every night and how the weight of your body just sinks into me and I wrap my arms around your back. You use "we cuddle?" as a negotiation to agree to do things at night. Shower, brush teeth, etc. But what you don't realize is that I want that cuddle time just as much as you do and hope you never stop wanting that as part of our evening routine.

I love you buddy.

As heard....

Tonight the kids were getting ready for bed. They had their jammies on, Zach was going potty and Hannah walks by the piles of their dirty clothes on the floor.

Hannah: Ew! Zach has a birth mark..... Ew! So do I.

Me: Skid mark Hannah. The word you are looking for is skid mark.

Stroke Awareness Month

May is stroke awareness month and since today is the last day of the month, I wanted to get something posted. I wanted to write out a long moving post but I got nothin'. But.. I wanted to re-share our story to remind people to know the signs. Know that many young people suffer from strokes. Trust your instincts. If something seems off, ask questions. Don't let them rest. Get help FAST.

Use FAST to remember the warning signs:

F: Face - Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A: Arms - Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S: Speech - Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
T: Time - If you observe any of these signs, call 911 immediately.

An interesting fact that I have read is that only 3% of stroke victims can get the TPA treatment because most people do not get to a hospital in time to have it administered. Every minute that passes increases your chances of having a residual effects from the stroke. Side effects that could be debilitating and lifelong.

I am so thankful that I trusted my gut and called 911 quickly when Chris had his stroke. Our future could have been drastically different had he not received treatment as quickly as he did.

Wordless Wednesday

As heard....

This morning we were discussing sleeping arrangements for the night. Chris' mom is coming for an overnight visit and we are going to have her sleep in Zach's bed. We asked Hannah if she was ok with Zach sleeping in her room with her. Her response...

"No... it will smell like boy"

.........

"But Hannah... Daddy sleeps in our room and he is a boy... does my room smell like boy?"

.........

"True"

As heard...

 The other day Hannah was eating an apple and had some interesting things to say

Hannah: "Mom... an apple tree is going to grow in my stomach"

Me: "Why, did you swallow an apple seed?"

Hannah: "No"

A few moments later....

Hannah: "Mom... a booger tree is going to grow in my stomach"

Me: holding back the laughter "Why, did you eat a booger?"

Hannah: "Yes, the other day at Miss Cindy's house"

Me: "Hannah... please don't eat your boogers"

Christmas

Another Christmas has passed us and as always, we had a great holiday. The kids really embraced Santa and was excited about him bringing them presents and filling their stockings. On Christmas Eve, Zach was convinced that Santa was not coming. He explained to us, numerous times, that one of the elves had a cough and Santa had to stay at the North Pole to take care of him. Because of this he did not want to make cookies for Santa or put out carrots for the reindeer. Later that night, Zach came down with croup and we sat in a steamy bathroom helping him breathe. In the middle of the night on Christmas night, it was Hannah. So.. needless to say.. that was not a fun part of the holiday yet seems fitting after the year we have had. Christmas day itself was nice so we are left with some great memories.

Here are some pictures from our holiday season...

The kids on the carousel at our towns "Winter Wonderland" celebration


Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Claus. While in line, Zach insisted that he would not be speaking to Santa or taking a picture. When it came to be our turn.. this is what happened...






Hannah had her first chance to ride on a horse and she LOVED it


Hannah and I making cookies for Santa (yes, I used break and bakes... don't judge.. it was a busy day!)


Hannah putting out carrots for the reindeer




Hannah putting the cookies out for Santa. This picture makes me laugh... as she was walking the plate over to the table.. one of the cookies fell... I told her she could eat it. Then she wanted to eat them all. I told her she couldn't and this was the face I got


Digging into their stockings on Christmas morning


After opening presents, having breakfast and playing with toys for awhile, we drove over the hill to Nana's house (my mom) for more presents and Christmas dinner.

Zach helping Nana make gravy


Zachary having an after dinner nap with Uncle Brian (and yes.. they were both really asleep. In fact, there was snoring)