The "PoopenHiken"

Keeping the theme of staying home for Spring Break, we all decided to go for a hike.  We have great parks around here and this one is the absolute best for hiking.  All was well.  

I think the above photo shows exactly how much Tony needs a haircut.  He however does not want one at all.
All was well until nature called for poor Nick.  "I have to POOP."  Oh dear, we are in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of the valley at the falls, no bathroom within miles.  He was miserable.  He kept yelling about his condition and saying he wanted to go home. Poor dad had to take him into the bushes.  Yuck!!  Poor Nick!  

The rest of the hike was uneventful and thankfully we saw no snakes.  This is the first time I have had Luna out hiking since our neighbors dog's have all been bitten by rattlesnakes.  After we got home, Nick had a 2 hour nap.  I think he was traumatized by the events of the day.  We have nicknamed this Spring Break activity  "The PoopenHiken"  Back to School Monday-Boo!!  38 days left 'till summer vacation-YAY!!!

Spring Break!!

We stayed home for Spring Break this year. (We always do, due to Dad and his work schedule during this time of year) Luckily we have fun places to hang out right in our own "backyard."

You may be wondering...

Why I am interested in internationally adopting a child with Down Syndrome.   I read this today and thought that Shelley (who is in the process of adopting a THIRD adorable little boy with Down Syndrome) explained it perfectly. Shelley and her husband recently adopted boys from Serbia and Ukraine and are now in the process of adopting from Bulgaria. This is in addition to their 3 homegrown children.  What an amazing family!! Thank you Shelley for letting me share this post.  Click on the highlighted word "this" above, and it will take you there.

Is this the cutest kid?

She is currently living in a baby home in Eastern Europe. Well...in a few short months she will have a birthday, not the kind with cake and presents, she will on that day be sent to a mental institution where the mortality rate is unspeakable.  Yes... she is beyond adorable, yes, she has Down syndrome.   I would love for someone to help her!  Wish it could be me!  If you or anyone you know would be interested in adopting this Princess,  go to www.reesesrainbow.org   Look for the link for "Most At-Risk girls.  

WOW!!

Is this Normal for a 4-yr. old?  He drew this himself and Claire was wondering why he asked her to spell "toilet" until we heard him laughing and saw this!!! He cracks himself up.  

Nick does a Basketball Tournament

This is what a 4-year old boy can look like when asked to travel 2 hours in the car and sit through 2 of his brother's basketball games when he would rather be doing something else. At least he got a razzleberry icee and an In-and-Out Burger out of the deal.  Good times!

Huge Progress!

I had a wonderful surprise when I picked Nick up at school today.  The kids are usually outside playing when I come to pick him up so I have a minute or so to chat with his teacher and ask about the day.  She will tell me how the day went and report on his behavior.  Sometimes if she is busy with another child or teacher, she will just give me a thumbs up or thumbs down.  Today, the minute I saw her she signaled me over with a huge smile. She reported that Nick had been in the sandbox happily doing sandbox "stuff" minding his own business.  Another boy out of the blue, comes over and dumps an entire bucket of sand on Nick's head.  Why?  Who knows? probably because they are 4 yr. old boys. In retrospect, if Nick had done that, I may have flipped out and figured something was wrong with him. I wonder if the other kids mom freaked out? oh well...I'll never know.  Anyway, Nick quietly got up walked over to the teacher and told her what happened.  She even said he had tears in his eyes.  This is a major miracle in 3 ways.  First, Nick did not retaliate and throw sand back at the kid, kick him, yell or fight. Second, he came to his teacher and asked for help instead of taking care of it himself. Third, and this is huge. He was sad. Sad that his classmate had done something mean to him. Really sad with tears in his eyes. Not horribly spitting angry as he has been in the past in situations like this. His teacher was thrilled.  She gets Nick and truly loves him and wants to teach him.  I was so excited.  He was excited because his teacher made a big deal out of his good behavior.  When we got home,  I broke into Tony's secret stash of candy and gave Nick a teeny pack of M&M's.  He deserved a little treat.