Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween

Happy?
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Yes Sis, Happy!
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What if I am not Happy?
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You better find your inner sunshine Sis!
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Inner sunshine Gabers, you can't be serious.
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Yes find your Zen and chill out Sis.
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I know how I can 'chill out'.
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SIS!
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What Gabers, you don't like my chilling?
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Serious Sis, if I did that to you it would be the end of the world.
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You told me to find my Zen!
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So are you going to tell everyone to have a Happy Halloween crabby pants?
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Happy Halloween everyone, and I am not crabby!
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Drawing to take place tonight. Watch for the video and announcement tonight (or tomorrow morning, depending on how available Gabriel is)!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

dirty kids

Gabers give me your arm, you are dirty.
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Speak for yourself Sis!
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Who me, dirty, never.
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Sis, have you seen yourself eat?
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How could I see myself eat Gabers?
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Okay, lets try this a little differently.
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What differently Gabers?
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Sis, you have seen the mess you make after you have eaten.
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I like to call it my artistic creation.
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It is a mess Sis!
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Gabers, you have no style.
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Better no style than DIRTY!
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There are only ONE day left honor Down syndrome awareness month by ordering your very own Special Olympic wax warmer! Remember $8 from each warmer goes to the Special Olympics. Ms. Amanda is donating 20% of her profit on any orders through the webpage, to a local chapter of the Special Olympics.  Mom also has the two Buddys up for grabs (I get to draw the names after 6pm tomorrow), all you have to do is buy something from THIS LINK during the month of October.  Remember to like Ms. Amanda's page on Facebook by clicking HERE!  Ms. Amanda posts all kinds of good deals on her Facebook page!
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Monday, October 29, 2012

Kids teaching parents

In honor of Down syndrome awareness month I am going to post another person's blog post.  Gabe and I were both deeply touched by this post.  You can find Dave's post by clicking here.  He has many other great posts.
The post goes as follows:

Down Syndrome, Off The Clock

They make, if not the best, a very serviceable eggplant parmigiana. We don't go there often, but when we do, we each always get lunch from the same vendors. As they are at the start of the food court, we grab a table right at the entrance. It's perfect for people watching, eavesdropping and is almost always the source for amusement. The parmigiana comes from the vendor right at the start of the court, Joe gets soup from the vendor next door but one. I grabbed a table just two in, with a chair removed, there is enough room for me to pull in and be out of the way.

We'd just sat down for lunch when we both heard that pronunciation of the word, 'Mother' that communicates so much. 'Muhhhhh-therrrrrr'. I glanced up and saw a frustrated and harried woman, carrying packages from the Bay and her son, a young man with Down Syndrome who was in his pre-teens.

Of course, I listened.

(Realize that I would have listened irregardless of the boy's Down Syndrome. I would have listened if it was a couple having a spat, if it was a businessman mumbling to himself, if it was someone having an animated conversation on a cell phone. That's what I do.)

So, aside, aside, I listened.

It seems that the mother wanted to go with him to get his food and then have him go with her to get her food, then they would eat together. Son, thought this was silly. Why doesn't she get hers, he get his, then they meet for lunch. She did an admirable job of keeping herself calm. I did an admirable job of just listening, not judging. Who knew what kind of experiences she'd had that led to this arrangement? They had been standing arguing and just before she moved again towards the court he said something that had a profound impact on me as a listener and she as a mother.

'Trouble is you think I have Down Syndrome all the time and I don't,' he said with real frustration.

She stopped again, 'What?'

'I only have Down Syndrome sometimes, when I'm learning something new or if the words are real hard. I don't have Down Syndrome the rest of the time when I'm doing what I know how to do.'

'And you don't have Down Syndrome now?' she asked.

'No, I know how to get my lunch, I buy my lunch at school all the time. I don't have someone with me all the time you know.' he was frustrated, he didn't even realize he'd said something of real importance, to me and to his mother.

'So,' she continued looking at him hard, 'you don't feel like you have Down Syndrome all the time.'

'No, most times I don't even think about it,' he said.

She said, her tiredness seemed to be gone, 'Go ahead, we'll find a table after we've got our food.'

They disappeared from view.

Joe and I looked at each other. I said to him, 'That kid should teach classes to parents of kids with Down Syndrome.'

On our way home, chatting about just stuff, I realized that at that moment I didn't feel disabled, it wasn't part of my consciousness. I knew that everyone saw me in my wheelchair but what they saw, what they thought, didn't impact what I felt. I'm only disabled sometimes, when things are out of my reach, when aisles are too narrow, when a curb blocks my way. The rest of the time I'm just - me.

Gabriel and Isabella teach us each and every day!
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No matter what is thrown Gabriel's way he makes the most of the situation.
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Isabella makes each situation her own.
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We are so proud of our kids for being exactly who they are!
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They teach everyone around them that Down syndrome is not who Gabriel is!
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There are only two days left honor Down syndrome awareness month by ordering your very own Special Olympic wax warmer! Remember $8 from each warmer goes to the Special Olympics. Ms. Amanda is donating 20% of her profit on any orders through the webpage, to a local chapter of the Special Olympics.  Mom also has the two Buddys up for grabs (I get to draw the names), all you have to do is buy something from THIS LINK during the month of October.  Remember to like Ms. Amanda's page on Facebook by clicking HERE!  Ms. Amanda posts all kinds of good deals on her Facebook page!
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Sunday, October 28, 2012

the story behind... well kind of

Dad, we need to have a talk about all of this baby stuff.
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You sent out this email to everybody at work.
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Why the heck would you put a picture of mom's crashed car on it?
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No Dad, the crash did not cause mom to get pregnant, I even know that!
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What is a IUD Dad?
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How does a crash know something lose inside mommy's tummy and nobody know?
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This is too crazy!
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I am asking too many questions?
Photobucket I will try to ask less questions but I just don't understand.
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Dang, I did a good job putting your boots on!
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So let me get this straight one more time.
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Mommy gets into a car accident. The accident knocked things silly in her belly without anybody knowing and now we are going to have a baby in May.
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I'm okay with it all Daddy, you might want to worry about Isabella though.
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I WANT A PUPPY, NO BROTHER, NO SISTER, PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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See what I mean.
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In honor of Down syndrome awareness month remember to order your Special Olympic wax warmer! Remember $8 from each warmer goes to the Special Olympics. Ms. Amanda is donating 20% of her profit on any orders through the webpage, to a local chapter of the Special Olympics.  Mom also has the two Buddys up for grabs (I get to draw the names), all you have to do is buy something from THIS LINK during the month of October.  Remember to like Ms. Amanda's page on Facebook by clicking HERE!  Ms. Amanda posts all kinds of good deals on her Facebook page!
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Yes, this is the car accident that keeps on giving. It will be giving to our family for the rest of our lives. ;) Some things are just meant to be.