Easter

First a big thank you to my sweet dh!!!  He recovered all of the pictures that I had accidentally deleted.  I had taken a lot of just "regular" shots and was excited about them.  On Easter morning, I was took a bad shot and was trying to delete it.  Well, I accidentally deleted ALL of the photos on my camera from the entire week-end.  :-(  I was really bummed.  There was no quick fix.  I took no more photos that day in case that somehow would mess up the retrieval of the deleted pictures.

Roger worked with some software and was able to recover all of them.  Yippee!!!  I was very thankful to see them again.  These are some of the photos that have been restored.

We spent Easter week-end in Virginia with our friends.  We arrived on Friday and it was beautiful!  We spent most of the day outside.  The kids enjoyed hiking around a nearby lake. 

I love shots from behind - can you tell?  (I have more that I haven't posted too.  LOL)

We saw ducks and the older girls even found a duck's nest - with eggs in it!

It's a little fuzzy, but can you see the eggs?

We walked around to a little dock area and the kids had fun splashing in the water.  Isn't lovely?

Roger worked on fishing to the delight of several of the children.  They enjoyed finding worms even though they weren't able to get any fish (this time). 

This picture needs a story.  Christopher was laying on the floors and spinning around while Eliana rode on his back.  She loved this - as you can tell from her face!

A cute, little Easter craft/snack was a hit with everyone.  The nest is "rice krispy treats" made with cocoa puffs.  The chicks are twinkies.  Gummy candy and frosting completed the bird.  A simple craft - with little to clean up and nothing to display but a photo.  ;-) 

I just thought this was cute.  They both love riding on this toy and I love that they enjoy sharing it!

Saturday we attended an Easter Egg hunt which was a large outreach function for our friend's church.  The day loomed dark and threatening.  The rain held off - but it was COLD!  The wind played a factor, but we were all surprised at how cold we were.  The event was very nice.  They served food and snow cones.  I couldn't believe anyone wanted one!  lol

There were 10,000 eggs hidden in a field for the children to find.  Yes, 10,000.  It was covered!  Eliana was thrilled to be able to join in on the action this year!  The littlest ones were allowed to go our first.  Eliana is using my old Easter basket.  :-)

The surprise of the day wasn't how MANY eggs everyone got - a lot!  It was a drawing that was held at the end of the event.  We were surprised to hear "Daniel Nelsen" called and then to hear he had won a new bike!  It's a nice one too! 

I was embarrassed that he wasn't excited about it.  He really dislikes a lot of attention and this was very uncomfortable for him.  In addition to the bike, they fit him for a helmet too.  It is very nice and I know we'll get good use out of it. 

On Easter morning, we made resurrection rolls.  I love this tradtion - we've been doing it for at least 12 years that I remember.  I love being able to tell the Easter story as you make the rolls with each ingredient representing a part of the story.  I love the visual of the "tomb" being empty.  He is risen!  (We all love that they taste sooo yummy!)

That's it for my pictures from the week-end - in that they didn't go any further.  (Our friends have some though.)  I feel like I have shared a sampling of our week-end.  I hope you've enjoyed it.  :-)

Blessings,

Leslie

What do the workboxes look like in use at our house?

Well, we are often not all at the table at the same time.  It's a tight squeeze.  Typically we are alternating spending time with Eliana while others are working. 

Here's a shot of  4 working at the same time.

I know that some worry about the space and mess of the boxes.  Here's what we are doing with ours.  When the box is completed it is put on the floor.  The completed work goes in one stack and the empty boxes in another.

I thought I'd share a few of our fun things.  A poster activity that has been a "center" is this outline map of the United States.  We were studying the New England states and I asked the boys to go in and mark these states.  Later I went in and found x's on random states and they were all the states that my 7yo knew.  I can see that we will get a lot of use out of this poster.  I think having the write-on/wipe-off pen makes it all fun!  LOL

Another great resource has been this book of science activities.  Most are simple concepts using things you have around the house.  My younger boys are loving it! 

A little chocolate in the day never makes anyone unhappy.  It's a sweet break and neat way to do some math.  We have several of these chocolate math books to enjoy.

This is something I made to go with our Keepers of the Faith badge work.  This sheet is my 4yo's work to earn the badge for knots.  The older boys have much more to do.  I put this checklist in a box along with a piece of rope and he is ready to learn about knots. 

Just thought I'd share a few extra things.  We are still loving our boxes!

Blessings,

Leslie

The Special Mother

Someone shared this with me and I thought others might enjoy it too.  :-) 

THE SPECIAL MOTHER
by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger. 'Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecelia. Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity.'

Finally he passes a name to an angel and smiles, 'Give her a handicapped child.'

The angel is curious, 'Why this one, God? She's so happy.'
'Exactly,' says God. 'Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel.'

'But has she patience?' asks the angel.
'I don't want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make him live in her world, and that's not going to be easy.'

'But, Lord, I don't think that she even believes in you.'

God smiles, 'No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness.'

The angel gasps, 'Selfishness? Is that a virtue?'

God nods, 'If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says Momma for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations.'

'I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.'

'And what about her patron saint?' asks the angel, pen poised in midair.

God smiles, 'A mirror will suffice.'

At Home Therapy

Much of the therapy that we do with Eliana is incorporated into play.  Most of the skills that she needs to work on can be done in fun and interesting ways.  Not to say that it isn't ever a challenge - especially the feeding/oral skills - but mostly it's just a new way of looking at play. 

I've tried to incorporate the rest of the children into Eliana's play so that their time with her can also be helpful to her.  Since we are going to play, it might as well be done in a way that benefits her.

Rebecca has really taken this responsibility to heart.  She helps in many ways with Eliana.  I think her favorite thing to do is dress her.  It's like having a live baby doll.  LOL  Notice their outfits in the pictures below.

On Friday, when they went out to play, Rebecca decided to make an obstacle course for Eliana!  All on her own initiative she created a fun play area - that helped with her therapy goals!  Isn't that just the sweetest!

She started by pushing uphill on this little ride-on toy.

Then she walked across a balance beam while Rebecca held onto her arms.

Next came an inclined plane.  It tilted up until she reached the middle then shifted down as she finished the second half.

Then under a slanted board.

Love the look on Eliana's face. 

The next task was to put the balls into a box.

There was one more inclined plane before going up two steps to the finish line!

Great job girls!!!

Just a fun picture of my little boys.

We are all loving the beautiful spring weather and the time outside to play. 

Blessings,

Leslie

Historic Yates Mill County Park

Yesterday was field trip day.  I love field trip days.  The day was beautiful!  Sunny and a little cool - just perfect for being outside. 

We visited the site of an historic mill and had a short tour of the mill.  We watched the wheel turn and heard about the comunity that lived around and depended on this mill.

We then split into groups for classes.  The older kids (middle and high school) had an intro to geology class.  The reports that I heard from the kids and adults were that it was an interesting and fun class.  I was hopeful because the man who taught the class sounded excited about the subject when I talked with him on the phone.  (The topic though wasn't one that I found all that exciting.  I'm thankful that someone who did love the topic could share it with my children.)

The middle group of children (2nd to 5th graders) did a pond study.  They had a class time first to learn about the food web.  Then they went to the pond - to get wet, explore and learn.  They had a blast and found a lot of neat things.

I tried to get photos, but we left to walk around the pond before the kids did - and totally missed them while we went on a mile hike.  LOL

You can see some photos of this group on my friend Lynn's blog.

The younger children were free to do a number of things.  We could go on a hike, do a scavenger hunt through the museum, play with colonial dress-up clothes or read some books in the reading corner.  We did a little bit of it all. 

First we went on a hike.  I was hoping to find the pond study group, but we found some of our own finds.

Turkey tail fungus

A goose

A turtle

There were also snakes, but I didn't get a picture of one of those. 

Daniel enjoyed the hike and Eliana rode contentedly on my back.  We shared the walk with a friend which was nice too.

When we got back to the museum, we did the scavenger hunt.  They had a set of picture cards.  When you found the item that matched it, you turned it over and read the question on teh back.  You could then answer the question on a separate piece of paper.

When you finished the hunt, you were allowed to draw a wheat penny from a large barrel.  They chose these because of the wheat that was milled at that site.  We learned about the various types of wheat pennies.  I even got one made of steel that was made during the war.  Copper was needed for the war effort.  Its a lighter penny and obviously different in color. 

The kids enjoyed the hands-on nature of the museum.

Eliana had fun playing with puzzles, looking at the various animals on display, playing with a friend and just wandering freely about.

A photo of the kids and I.  This doesn't happen too often as one of us is usually behind the camera.

If you live nearby, this is a delightful site and I do recommend a visit.  I look forward to going back again one day to explore some more. 

We ended our day at a nearby park.  I didn't take many photos except for those I shared yesterday.  I did take one of a vending machine though that just made me giggle. 

Thanks for sharing our fun day!

Blessings,

Leslie

Happy Heart Day

I can hardly believe it's been 2 years.  Things seem so "normal" now that the day almost slipped up on me.  A dear friend asked about our celebration - and I was so incredibly touched that she remembered! 

We didn't make a lot of special plans.  Today was a field trip day with our FIAR homeschool group (more on that tomorrow).  After our field trip, we went to a nearby park for a picnic lunch and some play time.  I love being able to have this time to talk with other moms - to share, to laugh and just relax.  It was an amazingly beautiful day and we enjoyed it all.

The dear friend who asked me about our heart day plans, made these heart-shaped cookies to celebrate.

Aren't they sweet?  And you can't see this - but they tasted yummy too!  Thank you Rebecca!  I'm blessed by you dear friend!  Eliana even tried a bite. 

Two years.  Our little girl is strong, healthy and vibrant.  That wasn't the case two years ago.  She was weak, unable to eat and in heart failure.  Today you'd never know what she has been through unless you looked at the road map of scars across her chest and stomach.  She is a strong little girl.

As I cradled her in my arms tonight, I remembered back two years and how much I wanted to hold her then and couldn't.  Too many wires.  Too much pain. 

Thank you God for the healing you did in our little girl.  Thank you for the wonderful care she received and for a successful surgery and recovery.  Thank you for blessing us so much with this little ray of sunshine. 

Thank you too for the work you have done in my heart.  I didn't expect that having a child could do this to me - open my heart to so much more.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn so much more about love.

From a full and thankful heart.

Leslie

PS  For anyone that is new and reading this - it has been 2 years since Eliana had open-heart surgery.  If you want to read more about it, you can look in the archives of my blog.  (Look in the side-bar to the right.)  If you choose April 2007,  you will see the entries and photos there.

Viruses and more

My computer has 2 viruses on it.  Thankfully the software Roger has installed has kept it from doing damage.  What it is doing is making it very slooooooooow!!!  In addition to being slow, I'm typically stopped multiple time in the midst of typing and besides being frustrating, it really slows me down.  It's been like this for over a week and is making work on the computer - like blogging and reading and emails - very slow.  So, I'm behind.

The more - I'm also having camera troubles.  I accidentally deleted all of our photos from the week-end.  *sigh*  I'm hoping that Roger will be able to recover them - but he isn't sure.  I know I still have the memories, but with the state of my memory some days, that isn't comforting.  LOL

We spent the week -end in VA with our friends and I'll hopefully share more - with  photos - soon.

Just a little glimpse of what's going on here.  More fun stuff soon I hope.  :-)

Blessings,

Leslie

Just a little note to let you know what is going on around here. 

Praying and Remembering

Two years ago, a little girl entered our family and we were forever changed.  Learning that she had Down syndrome was a shock and hearing that she had heart defects was difficult.  The early days were hard, but we were surrounded by family and friends that reached out to love and support us in so many ways and medical and professional staff that showed us how to care for her.  Those dark days were ones in which we saw God's hands at work in so many lives - all touched by a tiny, sick little girl. 

We watched her struggle - heart failure, feeding difficulties, sickness and feeding tubes.  We have also watched her succeed - crawling, walking and learning to eat.  We have had numerous people help in these successes from doctors to therapists, from family to friends, from encouragers to prayer warriors.  All have made a huge impact.

I have learned so much about God in watching Eliana.  I've been blessed in ways I never could have imagined when I sat scared and alone in a hospital room while my baby girl was in the NICU.  This was not a journey I wanted to take because I was afraid.  I'm so glad that God knew better.  We would have missed out on so much!  Eliana is a gift, a blessing, and a delight.

Children like Eliana in other parts of the world don't have the same opportunities that she does.  The conditions are grim and heartbreaking.  These children need someone to love them, to pray for them and to help them. 

I wanted to share again about Reece's Rainbowm a wonderful organization which helps facilitate the adoption of children with Down syndrome from other countries.  We have been sponsoring children there and praying for them too. 

One of the little girls there has drawn my heart.  I pray for all of the children in general and very specifically for this beautiful little girl named Tonya.   

Her time is running out.  She is due to be transferred to a mental institution when she turns 4 - this summer.  Will you please join me in praying for her?  Will you also pray about what God would have you to do?  There are lots of ways to help an orphan.   You can pray, sponsor a child, sponsor a family that has made a commitment to a child or you can go yourself and bring a child into your family. 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." (James 1:27)

Another mom, Meredith, has written about her children and the conditions into which they were born and lived their early lives.  Please go read what she has to say - it is very moving.  I know I was in tears after reading it.

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do.  God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act"  Proverbs 24:12 

I know that God loves each of these children just as He does you and I.  I know that He is there with them.  I pray that these children and those that care for them would also know how much He loves them.  I pray that God would move our hearts to follow His will.  It is hard sometimes to know what His will is for our lives.  I know that He wants to guide us and that we will be blessed in following His path for our lives. 

Praying as we celebrate Easter that we would know the joy of His resurrection, the amazing gift of His sacrifice and the blessing of His abundant love.

Blessings,

Leslie

Eating Success!

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but for me, having a child with special needs has opened up a whole new world.  There are so many things that I've taken for granted - for myself and my children.  The many things that children learn so effortlessly.  Things like eating and talking and even pointing with their finger.  All of these things are skills that we have worked on teaching Eliana.  I'm so thankful that someone has figured how to do this and that I have people helping me to teach Eliana.

Today's milestone may seem small - and for most children it probably would be.  For Eliana, it was a neat milestone.  I was reflecting recently on her eating and how far she has come.  Just recently she seems to be tolerating textures better and her oral muscles seem stronger.  Part of having Down syndrome is low muscle tone.  This includes the muscles in the mouth which affect speech and feeding.  The tongue is also a muscle which lacks tone and is why sometimes it is harder for children with Ds to learn to keep their tongues in their mouths.  So many little details that I took for granted before loving someone with Down syndrome.

Anyway, back to today.  During Eliana's speech therapy, we had been working on oral motor exercises.  We were going to give her some food to eat and then noticed that her lip was bleeding.  We didn't want the food to irriate her mouth (and give her a bad food experience) so we passed on the food.  A little while later, Eliana signed "eat".  She then walked over to a low cabinet and pulled out a plate and a bowl.  She then set these on the table and crawled up into a chair.

None of this was surprising to me.  She likes to imitate and play and I thought this was what she was doing.  Well, we decided to offer her the food I had gotten out earlier - "pirate booty".  It's similar to popcorn, but has more of a "melt in your mouth" consistency like cheese puffs.  To my surprise, she picked one up and put it in her mouth.

For those that haven't been reading about Eliana's journey, here's a little background to put things in perspective.  Eliana was 10+ months old before she was able to eat without the aid of a feeding tube.  She is still eating foods mashed and we are trying to teach her to bite foods by putting them in her mouth (when she'll let me!) and asking her to bite.  She still has huge oral aversions (from the feeding tube) and often does not want things near her mouth.

Oh, and she has *never* asked for food.  She has at times wanted food someone else was eating, but never initiated it.  This was big for a little girl.

She continued eating and eating the snack.  Almost stuffing her mouth at times.  (I won't share that picture.)  She didn't throw her food onto the floor, she ate it.

This feels like the first step on a long journey where I can see a glimpse of the light.  She is getting it.  It's been slow, but she is getting it.  My little girl is going to learn how to eat. 

Blessings,

Leslie

Easter Fun in our Workboxes

We've been having fun this week - with school and also in adding in some Easter things.  Part of the fun was going shopping on Sunday with two of my dear friends.  We were all looking for craft supplies for our workboxes.  We hit the jackpot at the dollar store and also at the dollar bins at Michaels.  Go check it out if you haven't already.

I put this in my 13yos box.

This was to make fabric covered eggs.  You can find the directions at the V and Co.  (Thanks Vickie for sharing this with me!)  They were very cute - but it was a little trickier than it looks to get those smooth ends.  Still a pretty centerpiece for our table. 

We also found inspiration at the Crafty Crow for Easter Egg Suncatchers.  All you need is contact paper and a variety of craft supplies.  We used paper, feathers and sequins.  It was easy and fun. 

We used an egg shaped pattern and taped it to the table.  Next I taped a square of contact paper on top of the egg - sticky side up!  The egg is just a guide for the child to use for decorating.  The child can then decorate the egg using sequins, ribbon, paper, feathers, etc.  When finished, lay another piece of contact paper on top and then cut out in an egg shape.  We hung ours in the window in the kitchen.

My friend Jen LINK shared an auditory discrimination activity that we enjoyed doing. 

Get 12 (or however many you want!) plastic Easter eggs.  Fill 2 with some beans, 2 with rice, 2 with a rock, 2 with something else, etc.

 

The child shakes the eggs and tries to find 2 that sound the same.  It's basically an auditory discrimination activity...good for pre-reading (they are being trained to hear differences in sounds) and fun because you have little instruments and Easter eggs.  :)

Tomorrow we are doing the Resurrection Eggs.  I split up the pieces into the younger boys boxes and think they'll enjoy that.  We are also doing some watercolor egg paintings using this pattern.  I have some sweetart candies (chicks, bunnies and ducks) to give out as motivators.  (It worked really well here today.  lol )

Next week we'll be working on these finger puppets.   Aren't they cute?

We are also reading the Easter story in a 40 day devotional called Journey to the Cross.  This book is wonderful!  It gives lots of background information that helps to give the story so much depth.  It has also helped me to understand and appreciate the Easter story with new eyes each year we have read it.  I know it is too late for this year, but maybe you can look for it now and have it on hand for next year.

That's all for now.  It's late and morning always come so early.  lol

Blessings,

Leslie