Beach Baby

On Sophie's 3rd birthday I fulfilled a childhood dream. My family spent the day at the beach, body surfing, building sand castles, and soaking up the rays. Growing up in Iowa meant that the closest thing we had to the ocean was a man-made lake and it wasn't until I left home that I saw an ocean for the first time. As a young girl I devoured the Sweet Valley High books that were set in Malibu, which may be where my desire to be a beach babe began. I lived in a bikini as a teen in my pre-baby body and rocked a serious tan during those Iowa summers. Nowadays my skin is fair enough to glow in the dark. Seriously.

No one was as giddy as I was when our family of five parked our van a few hundred feet from the boardwalk. Camera ever in hand, I captured my son's first glimpse of the sea. I studied the girls over the next few hours as they gained more confidence in this strange new place. At first they were unsure of leaving the blanket for the dry sand. Then, the wet sand was a whole new ball game. Venturing into the water was both exciting and scary. Sophie grabbed hold of me so tight the first time I took her into the water. When the wave washed over her feet, she lifted her lower body as high as she could and I couldn't stop roaring. She impressed me with how quickly she adapted and spent a great deal of time walking out into the waves which occasionally knocked her off balance. "Whoa!" she said all day long as each wave came in.

One of my favorite shots is Helena's first dip in the water. Scared but trusting, she clung to me for reassurance. "Wee!" she would yell with each wave. She also quickly adapted and was soon scurrying across the sand like a hermit crab. Alexander jumped in right away but never ventured too far without us. He was intent on exploring and building sand castles with his dad. My children have no idea just how lucky they are.

As the day came to a close, we strolled the boardwalk, sharing fish and chips, ice cream, and checking out the cute shops busting at the seams with tchotchkes.

I dreamed of spending the day at the beach with my family. Though this dream had to wait for me to grow up and create a family of my own, it finally happened and it was better than anything I have ever imagined.

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Hurricane Game

If you are a Phillies fan, you may have heard about this game last week. They are calling it the hurricane game. As midwesterners, we are used to big thunderstorms. This storm was technically a thunderstorm but it was definitely not like what we are used to.

The guys went to the Phillies vs. Indians game and from their seats on the 4th deck, they watched the storm move in. We were in constant contact via texting as the girls and I watched the storm from the safety of the house. Sirens went off three times and the power was flickering constantly.

We are used to powerful wind gusts, but this was different. This wasn't a gust but more like a sustained hurricane wind. From their seats at the game they kept an eye on the buildings in the distance. Slowly those buildings began to disappear as the storm marched closer.

They left their seats and took cover in a merchandise store. Dale reports that they were some of the last people that the store let in. This monster gave the stadium a whopping, breaking off parts of the building, shattering glass, tossing hot dog stands and merchandise like it was nothing. The super heavy tarp that they put down to cover the infield was whipped in the air like a flag on a pole. It even drug a small truck that was parked on it to hold it down. Garbage was flying through the air and the tv monitors were destroyed. Trees were blown over and people got hurt at the ball park. After a long rain delay, the game resumed, but they guys had come home.

That evening I picked up pizza at a neighborhood family owned place and chatted with the owners. A grocery store nearby had a collapsed roof. Neighborhoods were littered with downed trees and power was out in many places. I had been under the impression that this part of the country didn't have storms like this. Guess we brought them with us.
our footage

other videos of the hurricane game found on youtube

Sundaes in the Park

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening for our goodbye party. The gorgeous sky was cloudless and the temperature was perfect. It was warm enough for splashing around in the water, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable.

Gathered at our neighborhood park, a large number of our friends came together to build their own sundaes and say goodbye to our little family. I was touched by how many came to wish us well. Yesterday was a day filled with tears. Happy tears for the new adventure that we are set to embark upon and sadness for leaving behind a community that we have grown to love. A community that embraced us from the moment we set foot in this corn field.

Thanks C-U. You will all forever be in our hearts!
(slideshow below)

Spontaneity

We were exhausted from cleaning and packing all day, not to mention dirty. The girls had bed head from their naps. Despite our appearances we got out the double stroller - M.C.U. (mobile command unit) and headed out into the neighborhood.

Some how, without prior planning, we made it all the way to our favorite restaurant where the guacamole makes me happy, the chips are addicting, and the beer comes in a giant mug.

We sat outside under a giant umbrella and learned that Helena, (who takes after me), can put down a serious amount of chips and guac. I loved sitting at that round metal table. Every once in a while when I look at my children I am overcome with how amazing our little family is. In that moment the festive Mexican music set the mood as we all relaxed. Sweat dripped off our mugs as I drank in my beautiful family and rested my weary bones. Heaven.

I can't help it. I love this shot (above), but it needs a caption. Anyone?

Afterwards we made a detour to the custard shop and then headed to our park. The kids have always thought of it as our park because it is so close to our house. We're going to really miss it.

We headed home and ended the night with bubble baths. Sometimes the best family trips are 100% unplanned.

Memorial Day

We have a new header photo!

click the collage to enlarge

I ♥ Glee

Yet another reason why I'm a Gleek. Come on and jump on the Glee bandwagon!

scene from last night's episode

Oh Playgroup, We Love You!

For a LONG time Sophie was working primarily on gross motor skills. So much so that some of her other areas of development had to take a back seat while she learned to walk. Watching her today, you would never know how hard she had to work to get here. Her stride is confident, balanced, strong, centered, purposeful, and her gait is nice and tight. Now that her attention is diverted elsewhere, we are seeing an EXPLOSION of new skills. I cannot begin to keep up with my beautiful girl.

even at home, one of her favorite activities is the play kitchen and food

So, to be short, in her incredibly wonderful playgroup today she spoke TWO new words, water and splash. She said this while playing at a water table. In the table were 3 sets of animals; a momma duck and 3 baby ducks, a momma pig and 3 baby pigs, and a momma whale/fish and 3 babies. It's not unusual for Sophie to dislike it when she gets her hands or clothes wet (even if it is just water). Not today. She was soaked and loving it. Not only did she bust out with 2 new words, but she spent 20 minutes matching the correct babies with their mammas. When the piglets were with the mamma duck (oh, and she was quacking and oinking too) she would fix them. Matching! Her DT Judy will be so proud!

can't get her to eat real pizza, but share pretend pizza with a friend and she's on it!

Last week, she surprised me by washing her own hands before snack time. Today I got it on camera. Watch in amazement as my baby girl shows us what she can do. To those who have no experience with special needs, you need to know that this is a BIG deal. She knows what she is supposed to do, where, and how. She can't get the soap on her own, but when asked, she looks to where it is. Later, during music time, listen for her pretend snore while bear has gone to sleep.

Priceless!

on a side note, I do try and label my posts so that they can be searched. I have recently noticed that rarely does a post get labeled with "disability," or "down syndrome" without also being labelled "happiness."