Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving filled with food, family and fun.  

Looking forward to a restful, family weekend to celebrate all we are thankful for this year.

Hope your holiday was wonderful and that you stop to reflect on all the things you are truly thankful for this year.

I can see clearly

We were able to pick the girls glasses up last week.  Dariya's are really cute and she is wearing them all the time.  Alayna's however, she isn't sold on and neither am I. 

 Hmm thinking to myself that going shopping on the day you were given a cancer diagnosis really wasn't such a good plan.  

Don't get me wrong they are cute but, they are just a bit wide for her petite face.  

I didn't realize until we picked them up how wide they truly are...

We opted to go with regular frames instead of the frames made specifically for kids with ds.  Nobody in the metro area takes our insurance and carries those frames.  

So we opted for cute and covered instead of cute and $400 a set of glasses. Obviously, they sink just as well as the ones typical glasses anyway.  

Thankfully Ms. Juanita said that both girls are wearing their glasses at school.  Let's pray that continues.

I promise Dariya was not drugged, she just looks like it

Had to include a cute one of Dariya as the top photo caught her off guard but it is the only cute one I have of Alayna wearing hers so far.

Wordless Wednesday: Beauties

photography by Sarah Fentiman

Winning streak

The kids are definitely on a winning streak.  Aidan won a $50 gift card to the mall from his orthodontist.  Then Alayna won an iPad 2 from the DSG, who was giving away an iPad a day in October for down syndrome awareness month.

Maybe Dariya should pick out some lottery numbers...hmmm!

We are so grateful for sweet blessings like this.  Thank you Dr. Klein and DSG!

Happy Halloween

We had a fun filled Halloween.  Alayna was TOTALLY into it this year.  Last year she had just gotten out of the hospital with bronchiolitis so missed her preschool party and the fun of trick or treating.

She practiced and could say trick or treat and thank you with the best of them.  Once we were out she wanted to keep going. Usually Jason is the energizer bunny of trick or treating never wanting to go home but this year Alayna kept saying, "next house please."  

We finally convinced her to come home to hand out candy to the big kids and of course try a few pieces of her own collection.  

Dariya was thrilled to pick out the candy, not sure why because she is my non sweet eater.  LOL

They were all so tired the girls slept until almost 8 this morning.

Hope your little pumpkins had a great time too!

P.S. We had the girls ophthalmology appointments on Tuesday and both girls will now be sporting glasses.  Alayna just for strengthening her one eye that tends to pull inward especially when she gets tired.  However, keeping glasses on a girl who doesn't have acuity issues might prove to be a hard thing.  Dariya knows she can't see without them and has literally been caught walking into walls or sinks.  Ugh.  Will be thankful when she has her new ones.

Step Up for Down Syndrome

Today was our annual Step Up for Down Syndrome.  

It was blustery cold but that didn't stop us from having a great time.  

We thank everyone who donated and supported our team.

We missed half our team as the Heigele crew we busy adding, Effie June to their family last night.  

Congrats Heigeles!  Both mom and Effie are doing well.

Climbing on up

Poppin' Joes Kettle corn is the best.
Joe has down syndrome and autism and runs this business.

Someone LOVED the pony rides.  She went back 3 times!

Alayna's beloved Juanita

Here you go, Taylor you are totally blog worthy!
♥

Our sweet friend, Sarah was there taking pictures.  I will be sure to share those when I get them.

Fall Family pictures

Our sweet friends at SOMA photography blessed us with fall pictures.  It was a beautiful day at the park, all until Dariya decided she would take her glasses off and throw them in the lake.  

I am blessed.

Sweetness

She loves the camera

My baby boy is growing up too fast

Here she is trying to make her escape after throwing her glasses in the lake.

Thank you Sophia and Thelma, you have no idea what a blessing these are to us.