It's not a party til someone gets punched in the mouth.

**I have to officially turn this post over to Jason. It is the first time he has actually agreed to write one of these. But I needed him to. He was there, He was the one experiencing this first. I wish I could have gone but I just wasn't ready to see it. It was Owen's very first school birthday party. It was at a indoor sports place so it was much more fitting for dad to go than mom.**

Well with that being said....I was the only Dad there! 

Walking in, it was so nice to see that several of the boys ran up to say hi.  It was also nice to see that Tyson (also has DS and is in Owen's class) was there.  Before long, all of his classmate's parents left except me and Tyson's mom.  Awkward. We started out playing mini-golf and it was fun to see that it's fairly universal that no 5/6year old boy has the patience to play correctly.  Mini-golf didn't last very long, but it was pretty interesting that Tyson and Owen stuck with it longer than the rest. 

Then, we moved into the gym area and they had a couple inflatables in there, one was an obstacle course and one was a jumper with a ladder to a slide.  The boys all loved the slide but the ladder was really difficult for several of them to climb with socks on.  Owen had a real hard time with it because he kept slipping off and couldn't get a good hold with his feet.  Tyson's mom and I had to go in and help him and Tyson get up it a few times.  It was pretty funny because they would move on to the obstacle course and we would be left standing in there waiting for them to come back around.  One of the times that neither of us was in there, I came walking up and a little boy named Gabe was holding his mouth and looking sad.  He came up and told me that Reece had hit him.  One of the other boys told me that Owen was trying to climb up the ladder and Gabe wouldn't stop jumping.  Owen got frustrated and told him to stop but he didn't. So Reece socked him in the mouth!  I didn't know what to say.  I was so happy and proud that Reece had stuck up for Owen but I felt obligated to be a good adult/parent.  All I could come up with was "are you sure it wasn't an accident?" I think I failed that one. 

 Next it was on to laser tag.  It was dark and loud and Owen was not having it.  He did not like the vest and kept telling me that he "didn't want it."  That is until he saw that everyone else was going in. Once he got in, he LOVED it and then we had the problem that he didn't want to leave it.  By the time that it was time for hot dogs, cake, and presents...I could tell that he was pretty tired.  He found the energy for another game of laser tag before we left.

I have to admit that I was fairly nervous going into this.  I was worried about whether or not anyone would play with him.  I was worried we would have melt downs.  I was worried what the other parents might be thinking.  But overall, it was a good experience.  Yes he is behind. The other boys are stronger, faster, and more coordinated.  But he is holding his own and interacting!  It's so nice to see him being included but more importantly...he had fun!

Now that this post is done...that should hold me over for a couple more years.

Adventures in Tricks

Sometimes it feels like everyday is halloween at our house. Not because we have an unlimited supply of candy for people to come knock at our door with a bucket to gather it. But because it seems like at least one of the kids is always wearing a costume.

So when the real deal is here, it is pretty exciting.

We headed out to a local pumpkin patch a few weeks ago to find our perfectly mishapped pumpkins. The wind was crazy but this adventure is always one of memories.

 It was so windy the sand was blowing in their faces so they both wanted their hoods up. Good thing because it made for a cute picture!

By the end of this adventure, Owen was tired. And somehow talked Olivia into pulling him. She actually did pretty well.

Getting those pumpkins home was the next big adventure. I don't think Owen remembers last year when we carved the pumpkins. And Olivia was just not into it either. So this year was quite fun. They both were super excited to see inside it and help with the dirty work.

Here is the special needs mom in me. As he was doing this, I was thinking, wow this is great OT for him. Olivia would barely get her hands dirty. Each time she got a little gunk on her hand she wanted to go wash them. Finally after a few trips the bathroom, I convinced her it is ok to get her hands dirty. All from the mother who will not reach inside - but don't tell her that!

I had the pleasure of volunteering in Owen's class for their halloween party. It was really the first time I have seen him in action at school. I was nervous how he would do with me there but he actually did pretty well. Here is a shot of them doing the words to one of the songs, each kid picks a spot to say the line for that number chair. Owen did fantastic.

Here is Owen with his buddy Reece. Reece had some green fangs in during the shot, his teeth usually aren't that color, ha ha. Batman and Ironman, 2 fantastic heros.

And finally we have the costumes before the venture out to the neighborhood. I am finding that it is much harder to get girl costumes to be weather proof. The boy costumes are fully clothed and you can stuff lots of layers under that muscle. But she wanted to be a fairy so she got her wish.

 My two pumpkins sitting with their pumpkins. 

What I love about the stories of them trick or treating is how different they both are. Olivia is all about the candy. Owen is all about saying hi to everyone.

Halloween was a huge success. Now the biggest challenge is getting them to forget about all the candy they collected.

Where have you been?

Ok, a few people have been asking. What's up with your blog? I check every day and still no posts!
There is a good reason. I.am.tired.
A few things going on. A new job at work. Our house is back on the market. I am 17 weeks pregnant. Oh and then there is the daily craziness of trying to figure out how to best deal with Owen's behavior.
Did you catch all that news in there?

I took a new job at work. An exciting opportunity to try something new. My new title is Continuous Improvement Manager. Now just try to figure out what that means!

Our baby news is one we have wanted to be able to share for almost 2 years now. It has been a long journey. Lots of tests. A miscarriage. But finally some joyful news. Baby #3 is expected to be here April 13. I say expected according to the calendar but if you know me I am not sure that date will happen. We do have a debate going on about finding out if it is a boy or girl. Jason says no, I say yes. Only a few more weeks to decide!

Having baby #3 has helped us decide that it is time to sell the house again. The interest rates right now are fabulous and hard to pass up. We need another bedroom. The option of pairing up Owen and Olivia seems daunting and I do not think baby would do well in Olivia's room either. So we are at it again. Trying to get this house sold. We did decide however, that if it sells we will stay in the area. I think we have a really good thing going with Owen's school so I don't want to remove him from there.

We have lots of projects going. One is finally finished and we are ready for someone else to enjoy Jason's handy work. (granite counters & new backsplash)

Another fun thing we have been working on is using our basement as a new photo studio. Trying to be
budget friendly to capture our own photos. Easier said than done, for sure!

An official Halloween post will come tomorrow...
Thanks for being patient through my tiredness!

To be included

There will come a time when the inclusion model may not be the right choice for Owen. Each year will be a decision. To be included is a controversial choice. Will the other kids be too far ahead of him? Will they be able to adapt the assignments to be at his level? Will he keep up? Will they notice a difference? Will he notice a difference?

For Kindergarten it seemed like an easy choice. But we were still realistic and knew it would take work. Work for Owen. Work for his kindergarten teacher. Work for his para. Work for his Special ed teacher.  Work for his classmates.Work for Owen. Yes, lots of work for Owen.

His first conferences were on Friday. A discussion that could have gone either way. Most times these meetings are hard to take because it usually points out all the things he is struggling with. But instead we left with a bigger appreciation (if there could be such a thing) for his team.

We heard about his day. Talked about his work. Thought through some ideas on how to adapt and help guide him through difficult tasks so he doesn't get frustrated. Talked about the friendships he is forming and learned about how Owen is being included.

Mrs. Schnackenberg wanted to remind us again that Owen is her student. Even if he has a para there to support him, she is the one doing the teaching. I love that.

The overall message is he is doing great. He is making great friends, he is being guided by amazing teachers and he is growing each day he is there.

He has made a sweet connection with a little girl named Olivia. Here they are working on their whiteboards together. Pictures like this = tears in mommies eyes.

He is following instructions and working on tasks. This is during individual reading time. I am glad to see that this has carried over from home to school. We LOVE books at home.

Another great bond has been made with a little boy named Reece. This is one like no other. Reece may end up being the captain of the high school football team but he is a gentle role model for Owen. One day a picture came home in Owen's folder that said "From Reece" on it. I can't wait for Owen to be able to draw a picture and send it home to Reece.

They have 5th grade buddies as well. Owen has 2.
Another one of those pictures that brought tears to my eyes.

We also learned that Owen has been the topic of most of the conferences. Most of the parents have asked about him and how he is doing. Wow. How great is that! He is making a difference in the lives around him.

I sent a letter home to all the parents of Owen's classmates the first week of school. I asked them to talk to their kids about Owen, told them about Down Syndrome, told them about Owen. I think that is making a difference!

We ran into a classmate at the pumpkin patch today. A little girl came running up yelling "OWEN". He looked at her and said hi. Her mom then caught up and said oh is this Owen? The Owen? The girl replied yup. It was Riley one the girls in Owen's class. We said goodbye and Owen turned waved and said, "Bye Riley".

To be included is magical.

A birthday. A wish

Turning 3 is a big deal. She has been waiting and waiting to say she was three. Friday the day finally came. My little sweet girl is now a big girl.

Being a big girl means you can get your ears pierced. So that is what we did on her birthday. She wanted dora earrings but she settled for some pink sparkly flowers.

She was very excited. I reminded her to "be brave" and she showed us.

A few purple dots to mark where the earrings would go.

And away she went. Not a single tear. Just a little squeak of "ouch". 

Her face was a little sad from the pain but her words proved her otherwise.

She just kept saying, "mom they're beautiful".

Afterwards we celebrated with a few cupcakes with the Thorsens. Her "big" party will be next weekend.

 Her other wish has been a bike.

She got her wish. 

Another year that has gone by too quickly but we are reminded every day how lucky we are to have Olivia in our lives. She is an amazing little girl and we are so proud of her. She is a loving sister, a thoughtful friend and sweet daughter.

A few randoms

A lot of randomness into one big post. It is the only way I can get this done!

We took a trip to a local apple orchard with our DS parent group a few weeks ago. Owen and Olivia had a great time. We had the place to ourselves so it was nice to just let them explore and not be too worried Owen would get lost in the crowd. A tractor hay ride, picking apples, climbing mountains of hay bails, riding little tractors and playing with friends. We could not have asked for a better way to spend a Monday night!

Owen with his buddy Andrew and his sister Kate

Olivia with Kate. 

*****

We had the opportunity to go to a wedding last month for one of my cousins. The kids did fantastic, had fun and best of all the place was filled with family.

Grandpa, you are missing 1 grandkid!

*****

It's been a year since we lost my Aunt Jana to ovarian cancer. In honor of her and to continue to raise awareness for this disease my uncle and family hosted a Nana Jana fun run on their farm. It was the same weekend as our buddy walk but I felt it was too important to miss it. So Owen and I loaded up the car with a few Thorsens and made the journey down.

Here is the philben family that was at the walk. Just a "couple" of us.

Owen was excited to be at the farm. Owen was trying to tell this cow to stay in his "cage".

The cow was not happy about it.

Owen and I didn't actually get to participate in the walk, we stayed back to cheer on the runners, chat with the animals and play on the tractors.
It was quite an obstacle course through the corn maze, over a pond, through some slides, over some tractor tiles and a few other challenges.
He did manage to cross the finish line though

*****

Someone has a birthday this week...I warned you, random post.

*****

Fall Miracle League has come to an end this week. It was another wonderful opportunity for Owen to practice the game. The game of listening, taking turns, participating. I have seen a huge change in his "ways" since he started at the beginning of the summer. Jason still needs to be close by to keep him on task but it is still getting better. Better is all we can ask for.

This week we were lucky enough to have a familiar face as a buddy. NIC! Thank you Peterson's for making it to the game and having Nic participate.

A few more random things for the coming week including home improvement projects, a special announcement (which most of you already know about thanks to Jason), conferences, and a birthday.

Have a great week!

Why we walk.

Sometimes an explaination isn't about the words.

It's about a purpose.

It's about the support.

It's about hopes and dreams.

It's about family.

It's about a little boy.

A boy who believes everyone deserves a smile and a hello.

A boy who dances whenever he wants.

A boy who is who he is.

A boy we are thankful for.