Another one bites the dust.

Tomorrow is technically the last day of school.  Jack and Ryan decided to stop going a few days ago claiming no one is going anymore and the teachers aren’t even taking roll.  I always get anxiety with the end of a school year.  Nothing signifies my kids getting older more than the school year ending and knowing they will never be that little again. I know a lot of moms cry on the first day of school.  I cry on the last day (or the last week). I feel lucky that I got to be part of so many end of year activities this past month . . . egg drop, field trips to the zoo, This Is The Place,  Wheeler Farm, park and helping with the parachute game on field day.  

I want my teenagers to have the fun memories that come with the end of the school year--hanging out in the halls with their friends, passing their yearbook around; Instead Jack picked up his yearbook and stayed for about an hour for signatures.  Ryan didn’t even go to school today and missed getting his yearbook until he went up after school for work.  I saw a picture of another middle school student in front of the school with his buddies. Next year that school will be gone, torn down, to make room for the new school they’ve been building behind it these past 2 years.  I’m hoping I can get Ryan and a few of his friends to go up there tomorrow to get one last picture before they make their way to high school next year.

I’m helping with the end of year party for 6th grade tomorrow.  I don’t think it has sunk in yet that Hadley will be going to junior high in the fall.  She has grown up so quickly and is becoming such an incredible young lady.  She helped Morgan and Griffin tonight with writing their thank you cards to their teachers and gave them a bath while I was at a Ds moms dinner.  She is always looking for ways to help.  It feels like uncharted waters with her going to junior high.  Not sure what to expect with a girl.  I remember the catty and meanness of junior high girls.  I remember the insecurities and never feeling good enough.  My wish for Hadley is for her to know SHE IS GOOD ENOUGH.  She is MORE than good enough.  I hope she is able to focus on what really matters and always be the first one with a kind word or to lift another.  To continue with her strong faith and testimony in her Savior.

The kids all made cards for their teachers tonight and put a picture collage on the front of the card with a gift card inside.

Morgan had an amazing 4th grade year.  Her teacher loved having her in her classroom and part of the class.  She insisted that all of her therapies be pushed in the classroom and that Morgan only leave her classroom for 30 minutes of Math each day.  We are going to miss Mrs. McBee and her love, attitude and belief in Morgan.  Luckily her aides are both planning on coming back next year to be with her again.  That gives me some peace through all of the transitioning and hope that what has happened this year can continue next year.  Morgan’s behavior tracking had 3 choices this year: Super, Okay, and Rough.  ‘Super Day’ meant she got to watch a movie on the computer when she got home from school (her favorite thing), which meant she was laser focused on getting a super day and asked her teacher and aides repeatedly throughout the day, “Super Day?”

Griffin is ready for summer.  Academics and reading come so easily for him and I don’t think he felt very challenged this year.  He started the year in a classroom without knowing any of the other students (all of his neighborhood friends were in another class) and ended the year with lots of friends.  I think he had a good year but he definitely loves his electronics and would rather be home on the iPad watching Pokemon or playing games.

Mia is so ready for Kindergarten now that Preschool is over.  She asks everyday if she is going to Kindergarten today and how she will know when it is the end of summer.  She loved preschool and was excited to go every time.  She learned classic songs that even her grandma remembers, how to tie her shoes, her address and phone number, how to write her letters and is able to sound out simple words and is totally capable of reading but just waiting for her mom to check out some beginning reading books from the library and get started.  She had her final preschool program and talked about it for weeks before it happened.  She loves performing and doesn’t get shy at all to be in front of people.

I’m looking forward to summer and having everyone around for a little bit.  It gets crazy with scout camp, basketball camps, girls camp, Brighton camp, EFY and Trek.  Everyone will be together for only 3 of the 10 weeks of summer.  Hopefully we can make the best of those 3 weeks.  Now it’s time to get ready for the “clap out” tomorrow when Hadley and all of the 6th graders make their final walk down the halls of their school.  Sniff, sniff.

ObSEUSSed with the LORAX

The theme for Morgan’s 10th birthday was a no brainer. I asked her if she wanted to do a swimming party  or have her friends over to watch The Lorax.  Morgan is obsessed with The Lorax and quickly decided that’s what she wanted to do for her party. We saw the movie multiple times in the movie theater over the summer and now it’s her first choice to watch on the computer.  She watches it over and over (with subtitles, of course)and reads and acts out every line with the characters.

THE INVITE

I was going to keep the party simple . . . a few friends over to watch The Lorax . . . since I had just had surgery and wasn’t sure I would be feeling up to a big bash.  Then I made the mistake of googling “Lorax birthday party ideas” and knew I had to try to do a few of them.  

First idea . . . homemade Lorax pinata.  This was a huge task.  I had no idea how time consuming this would be when we decided to do it.  The tutorial online said to use newspaper and glue for paper mache.  After going through 5 bottles of glue and not even half way done with first layer, I thought something wasn’t right.  Luckily my instagram girls came through for me and suggested flour and water, not glue!  It took a long time to dry in between layers and we started the project only the night before the party.  We needed three layers so it wasn’t quite ready in time for the party.  Hadley was my go-to-helper on this party.  She made it so we were able to get a lot done in a very short time.  

Hadley painted the pinata and put on the Lorax face a few hours before the party.  We realized a few minutes before the party started that it had dried and was ready.  Unfortunately we had already used all of the candy in the party bags and decided to just have a big Lorax hanging thing from the  swingset!

The biggest hit of the party was the cotton candy (aka Truffula Trees).  I ordered a cotton candy machine on Amazon after I read all of the great reviews but after several attempts, I was ready to send it back.  They were anything but fluffy.  Then I watched a YouTube video that showed the technique used with this machine and everything changed.  I give it raving reviews!  We had all of the cotton candy pre-made for the kids.  The kids LOVED making their cotton candy.  That is one thing I would change for a future party. . .  have one of the activities: making cotton candy (“truffula trees”).  

Our first cotton candy attempts.  Laughable (if it wasn’t the night before the party!).

CANDY TABLE

TruffulaTrees:  mini cotton candy (on striped straws)

The Lorax:      candy mustaches

Cake: Lorax cake (with sinking right eyebrow)

The Lorax:      cheese puff balls

Brown Bar-Ba-Loots:  Gummy Bears

Truffula Seeds:  Watermelon Jellybelly 

Truffula Fruits:  Candy Dots

Humming Fish:  Swedish Fish and Goldfish crackers
Drinks:  Orange Crush

THE PARTY GUESTS

Candy Lorax mustaches for everyone!

The birthday girl!

After all of the fun of playing in the backyard, eating pizza, singing Happy Birthday, opening gifts and making more cotton candy and eating way too many sweets, we ended the evening with The Lorax and popcorn.

Happy 10th Birthday Morgan!

Morgan hits double digits!

Happy Birthday to the light of my life, Morgan! 10 years ago you came with a few surprises. First, you couldn’t wait to join our family and arrived into the world with a quick, unplanned delivery at home. Then a few hours later, we were shocked to find out you had Down syndrome and a heart defect. Little did we know how very lucky we were to be given such an amazing gift on the day you were born. Morgan, you have blessed our lives in so many ways. And opened our eyes to a beautiful world of diversity and individuality. I am so blessed to be your mommy! ♥

Morgan’s 10th birthday was on a Monday which of course was also a school day.  This meant she had just enough time to wake up, get ready, open a few gifts, blow out 10 candles and have a quick piece of cake for breakfast.  She was so excited to open her gifts.  It didn’t even matter what was inside!  I had surgery the week before Morgan’s birthday and hadn’t gotten any gifts before so I sent Gavin to Target to pick out a few things.  He did a great job and focused on Disney Princesses since she is the biggest Disney/Pixar fan!  He scored big points with the “Merida” barbie from Brave.  Mia voiced her disappointment of the non-theme birthday cake and lack of decorations set up for her birthday.  Seriously?  I’m sure she gets that from her dad!  I reminded her that Morgan's party wasn’t for a few more days and that all of the decorations would be up for that.  

Hadley knew I didn’t have much time to get ready for her birthday and spent the night before making gifts, signs and cards for Morgan.  She made the cute beach frame for her and the sign that she’s holding up, “I’m So Happy You’re My Sister”.  I somehow managed to finish her digital scrapbook from her 9th year.  Trying to catch up and am a year behind (if you don’t count all of the years behind the first one I did!).

She is loving 4th grade and has an awesome set up this year.  Her teacher is excited to have Morgan in her classroom and is making sure Morgan is included in everything they do.  And it’s already making a difference.  She doesn’t fight us to go to school in the mornings anymore.  And even though she has had some behavior stuff, it’s has improved so much since last year.  I think some of it is just because she is growing and maturing but a lot of it is because she feels part of something and love in that classroom.

She wanted ice cream sandwiches for her birthday treat this year and loved passing them out to all of her classmates.

We had to hurry down to the city clerk’s office right after school to apply for passports so they will get here in time for our road trip to Mexico (yes,  road trip!) next month.  We finished the days celebrations with one of Morgan’s favorite activities . . . a movie in the big theater.

We went to The Gateway and had the theater all to ourselves.  Can’t beat your own private screening of ParaNorman on your birthday!

In honor of her 10th Birthday, 10 things we love about Morgan:

1.  Her favorite movie is The Lorax.  She watches it every single day and still loves it!

2.  She loves to ride her bike and is getting faster and faster on it.  She started out riding it really slowly at the beginning of summer.  Getting off to walk over any bump or corner on the sidewalk.  Now she is going too fast for me to keep up without running.

3.  She swims with goggles!  This is huge!  We’ve tried to get her to wear goggles every summer and she wouldn’t ever leave them on.  She swims with her head under water the entire time and would have red, swollen, burning eyes every time she swam.  She finally realized goggles help and her eyes don’t hurts after swimming.

4.  She loves to play Barbies.  Her favorite thing is to get a few Barbies and watch a movie  while the Barbies act out each scene.

5.  She got “braces” (a palate expander)  this summer to help give her jaw more room for her permanent teeth.  After the battle of getting the molds made, expander cemented in her mouth and her finally opening up her mouth so we can turn the expander, we found out it’s not working.  She got a defective expander that isn't opening up.  So we get to start over and do it all again.

6.  She finished her first year with the Angels cheerleading squad.  She loved the performances but not the practices or the uniforms.  She fights me when it’s time to get her uniform on, “I’m NOT an angel!”  Amen, sister!

7.  She shares a bedroom with Hadley and many nights, shares a bed with Hadley.  She is so lucky to have such a loving, patient sister.

8.  She doesn’t eat much now that everything gets stuck in her palate expander.  She would be happy with nachos or chicken nuggets for every meal.

9.  She actually said her part in the Primary program this month.  Every year she gets a part in the program but always gets too shy to say it once she’s at the podium.  This time she got up, all excited, and said, “Ok.  Here we go!”  and then she looked out and got scared and put her head down by her hands, below the microphone and said, “I can choose the right by dressing modestly and respecting my body.”

10.  She gets great satisfaction out of doing things by herself.  It’s the simple things like making her bed, pouring her own drink, warming up her food in the microwave, getting herself all dressed for the day or for bed.  I need to be better at encouraging this independence and not always worrying about the time it takes.  It means so much to her and she always gets the biggest smile on her face, “I did it by myself!”

Coming Up:  Her big Lorax birthday celebration

World Down Syndrome Day

Today is World Down Syndrome Day.  It’s celebrated on March 21st because Down syndrome happens when there are 3 copies of the 21st chromosome (instead of two copies) = 3/21.  I am celebrating WDSD by going to Morgan’s 3rd grade classroom today.  I plan on talking to her class about Down syndrome.  I also want them to understand their role in Morgan’s education and how their example and friendships are constantly teaching and helping Morgan.  It’s nice to know that all around the world, we are all celebrating together!

ALL life should be celebrated!