The kids and I headed off early Wednesday for our mini vacay to Phoenix. The trip was pretty uneventful and we made really good time getting to the hotel. After grabbing a quick meal, we headed back to our room to change into swimsuits and hit the pool. The babies had an absolute blast. It was shallow enough in many places for Caleb to stand on his own, so he was ruling it. There was a little boy a few years older there and the two of them played for much of the time.

Emily seemed to love the water. When I started thinking back, I realized that this was her first experience with a pool. We hit the beach a lot, but she was too sick when we lived at our house with the pool, so this was all new to her. She took to it with no problems. I will post some pics later.

For reasons I hit on in my protected blog; hubby will now be referred to with just his first initial. You guys know who I mean.

So, M called me late that night. He had just received a call from the loon, H. I couldn't figure out what exactly she needed this time. That woman or her mother have called us at least fifteen times in the two weeks they have had the children. Seriously, spend some time with the kids and leave us alone. Anyway, she called to speak with me. He informed her that 1) I was out of town and 2) I wouldn't have spoken with her if I were home. He would be happy to pass a message along to me, however.

It seems that H wanted to apologize to me. When asked for what exactly this time we got quite the surprise. As you all know I am Josh's primary caregiver. M works many many hours and H is just not exactly mother of the year material. As such; I see things that those two either refuse to see or are just simply not around enough to see. For seven years I have been beating my head against the wall because no one but me could see the problems this child was experiencing. M has tried, but it is son and it is difficult to want to see something you really don't want to see. Well, apparently Josh has been filling H's head full of the horrors of me for these past several years. I already knew this, but I also knew that they were completely false. In Josh's world, telling him no means that you hate him and that you are only out to get him. Putting limitations upon his behavior and expecting him to respect those around him isn't about making him a better person. It is to limit his growth and fun and is done simply because "everyone hates me".

It seems that karma has now come and bitten H squarely in her behind. This is the first time that I can ever recall that H has had the children for more than a weekend totally alone. She took them last summer, but her husband was here as well and from what I have heard; he makes me look like the most non strict person on the planet. I was interested in seeing how this summer went for her. I am saddened to report; not well, not well at all.

I don't know the entire story, but this is what I do know. Josh has taken to telling H's mother (the second loon in command) that H is either beating him or hitting him on a daily basis. H is doing nothing of the sort, but that didn't stop Josh from making it up and telling it to whomever would listen. My inner dialogue is going something like this "Josh makes things up??? No way, really? Why, I have never had that experience with him. He is just the most well adjusted children I have ever met. If he is saying you are beating him, well then it must be true. I must contact CPS immediately!"

Having now been on the receiving end of Josh's somewhat questionable behavior for the last few weeks, H seems to have had an epiphany. If Josh would lie about her only because she is expecting him to be respectful and listen to the rules of the home; perhaps I have been telling the truth all these years.  Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

My first thought was; she will not be sending him home. This is her son and I am not going to give her a nice quiet summer only because she can't handle  him. Thankfully, M agreed and strangely so did H. She said she was not sending him home early no matter what. I get the sense that Josh really thought it was going to be a free for all summer and having learned that H is going to set some boundaries and expect him to follow them, he is more than a bit out of sorts. Having all three parental figures on the same page is not something he is accustomed to and he is probably not enjoying this turn of events. His usual course of action is to make the person he is with miserable to the point of them wanting to send him somewhere else. When he is here; it is to H's house. Apparently now, it is H that is being tested to the point of hysteria and he is wanting to come here. Thankfully, she is not going to grant him his wish.

My crazy summer with my kids remains just that; me and my kids getting the chance to see how well Alyssa adjust to this new dynamic. So far it seems to be going okay. I can see problems arising no matter if she decides to stay or if she decides to go back after the month. My hope is that she remain even if it means a bit more craziness while everyone get used to the new person in the home. That is a blog all by itself and will be coming in a few days. For now, I am going to do some laundry and just enjoy having her here. Have a great holiday!!

Last night I was sitting in the living room watching Caleb and Emily play. Emily was busy with her Magna Doodle (can't ever say enough great things about that toy) and Caleb was switching from his blocks to nickjr on the computer. There are those moments that come over me and I just sit and watch them with wonder.

Stress simply is not a part of their lives. I might be sitting there pondering what bills need to be paid this week or what in the world I am going to make for dinner, but those two are just enjoying the moment. Caleb had decided that the blocks were boring him so he suddenly stood up and started spinning. Do you remember as a child that sometimes the most fun thing in the world was just to spin so that you would get dizzy? I couldn't help but smile at him; he was so happy just spinning.

I so want to go back to the time in my life that the most difficult thing I had to worry about was which Barbie to play with next. A time when the Hokey Pokey was fun even though the song made no sense whatsoever. I mean really; what is a hokey pokey and is it really what it is all about? A perfect example, Caleb wouldn't care what it was, he would just be laughing at the song.  I on the other hand must figure out what exactly a hokey pokey might be.

I am making myself a promise. For just one day I am going to live in the moment. I am not going to concern myself with how much needs to be done in preparation for Alyssa's visit or our trip to pick her up. Tomorrow I am going to lose myself in a coloring book. I am going to sit outside and watch Caleb's face when his kite takes off into the sky. I am going to slide down the slide with Emily a million times if that is what she desires. I am not going to ponder anything tougher than "why is the sky blue, momma?".

No phones, no computers, no outside distractions. Just a day of learning the art of being with my two little ones.

I will be back on Tuesday to let you know if indeed the hokey pokey is what it is all about. Have a good one!

Now Sarah; just a few months ago I was singing your praises after you admitted something pretty difficult at a conference. You spoke honestly about your feelings when first hearing of your son's diagnosis of Down syndrome. Having a child with the same genetic issues, I was pleased to see you once again raising awareness for Down syndrome. I did mention in my blog that I hoped you wouldn't do anything stupid to make me regret my praise.

Well, you somewhat behaved yourself until recently. Today I ran across this. I was prepared to be outraged. I was outraged, but I was outraged at you. Why in the world would you make this issue about Trig? Was the picture done in good taste? Absolutely not. Was it done; as you inferred; as a slap to children with disabilities? Absolutely not. They photoshopped a picture of Trig and put another person's face on it. Apparently someone that you are warring with up in Alaska. I don't follow Alaska politics, so this was all new to me.

When you decided to make this an issue about special needs children; you just set us back years. This is a political attack; one done in a not nice manner, but one that has absolutely nothing to do with Trig. This just smacks of your "outrage" over that Special Olympics joke the President made a few months back. I mean come on; you can't use Trig or Down syndrome each and every time something doesn't go your way.

I have spent the last two years learning all that I could about Down syndrome and how best to help my daughter function in this world that might perceive her as a bit different than most. What I refuse to do is expect anyone to treat her any differently simply because of an extra chromosome. I expect Emily to face challenges; I expect Emily to falter at times; essentially; I expect Emily to be just like my other children. Be outraged that they used Trig's photo in a political matter. Be outraged because it is your son, NOT because he is special needs.

I will NEVER use Emily's Down syndrome as an excuse for anything. She is as capable as anyone else to accomplish whatever she desires. Had they used her photo in such an unflattering manner; yes, I would be upset. Not because she has Down syndrome (what in the world that has to do with the picture, I will never know), but because they used her image to propel their agenda.

Honestly, I expected some alteration of Trig's actual face. Perhaps they had emphasized the traditional features of a child with Down syndrome in such a manner that was beyond belief. IT WASN'T EVEN HIS FACE. They placed some man's face over his body. Seriously Sarah; stop using this for your political gain. Your son deserves better.

(Stepping off soapbox now)

Last night I was having a horrific time staying asleep. I went to sleep fine, but Emily has a bit of a cold and kept tossing and turning. I am a crazy light sleeper, so I woke up with every turn. Sometime around two, she woke up for some snuggle time. In all honesty; this is my absolute favorite time with her.

I put her into bed with me and gave her a bottle big girl cup. She quickly fell back to sleep and I just laid her on my chest. I kissed her sweet little head and inhaled the scent of her. About ten minutes later she began to laugh in her sleep. Caleb does the same thing almost every night and it never fails to warm my heart. I can't help but think that they must have had a great day if their dreams are making them laugh out loud while sleeping.

Another thing I love is watching Caleb and Emily play together. I have mentioned before, they have this very close relationship and I could spend hours watching the two of them laugh together. Chasing each other through the living room always brings laughs from us all. Caleb is even nice enough to let her catch him on occasion.

I love the fact that Emily is becoming more verbal. Yesterday she started telling me something and I finally got the idea. She kept telling me "paw print" and "clue". We  all know she loves Blues Clues and she was telling me all about it at dinner.

I love the fact that Caleb has begun to ask me to read to him more often. He is all into the Kingdom Hearts game and Jake had some of the books. While it is not my idea of entertainment; Caleb loves it and I am willing to take one for the team on occasion.

I love that Emily spends hours each day dancing around the living room. She loves music and will sing along to just about every Taylor Swift song.

I love the fact that I have been blessed with these amazing children. Yes, even the ones that drive me crazy most days.

Okay, I am off to dress Emily. I love that she likes to run naked through the house as a sign that she is sick of her jammies and wants some real clothes.

Have a great day!

As you guys know, my poor Bella had some pretty serious medical scare this past weekend. As a result I was in the vet's office on Friday and on Saturday. While waiting to pick her up on Saturday I had the unlucky break of sitting next to a very strange man. Raised as a good southern girl; I was taught to be kind to everyone, even the idiots. I really feel the thought process behind that is simple. You never know if the weird person next to you is a long lost relative. Better safe than sorry.

So, I am sitting next to this man. The conversation starts out innocent enough. There was a family waiting with their very large dog to be seen. Mom, Dad, and two children. The girl looked to be around five and the boy was somewhere between two and three. Having had the same wait the day prior with both my young children; I knew exactly what the mother was going through. There are huge dogs everywhere; some not so nice; and nothing at all for the kids to do. At some point the parents had reached their limit and it was decided to take the young children out to wait in the car. The mother picks up the boy and he begins what I view as a typical reaction. He begins to whine and beg to remain inside with his puppy. She heads to the car with him and the man turns to me. "I guess they call that the terrible two's?" I smile and say something like; "yes, but it usually lasts well into their four's."

Now, there is something worth knowing about me. I am a very friendly person, but I am not an overly friendly person. What I mean is; I make friends very easily, but I do not start up spontaneous conversations with strange men whom happen to be sitting next to me in the vets office. Had that been the mother of the young boy; chances are we would have had a lovely conversation about our children and then moved on. This guy was just making me uncomfortable, but I was too much into my "must be polite" mode to attempt a seating change. Chances were slim I would have found one, but it would have been too impolite to try.

That one innocent comment turned into one of the strangest encounters I have had in a long time. In the next breath he is telling me how he has custody of his son and he is a real smart mouth. Just recently he had a physical altercation with the son to prove to him that he was the real man of the house. (Okay, thanks so much for sharing. Oh man, where is Whitney when I need her?) I do my usual nod and smile hoping he will stop talking, but no such luck.

The next comment left me floored. Mind you, I had been sitting next to this man for all of five minutes. He begins to tell me about his transgendered daughter. He disagrees completely with her lifestyle and those of gays and lesbians as well. It is just the "cool thing" to be right now; she doesn't really mean it. (Oh sheesh, I am the most outspoken person in the world for equal rights for ALL and I get stuck next to his closeminded pig). I just kept nodding and smiling wishing that the floor would open up and swallow one of us up.

He then asks me about my bracelet. I think I have mentioned I wear a blue and yellow rubber thing in honor of Down syndrome awareness. I have had it since the Buddy Walk and I rarely take it off. I cringe, but never one to turn down a chance to educate someone on Down syndrome I briefly explain that my youngest child was born with it and I wore it in honor of her. This was the point I almost got up and walked away, rude or not.

He begins to tell me what a wonderful person that I am to take on this horrific burden. How selfless I must be to give up my life to care for this challenged child. Okay, A) We don't think of Emily as a burden. B) Selfless hell, that little girl has enriched my world in ways that you can't imagine. I am the luckiest mother in the world. C) Please go back and deal with your children. I have no need for your thoughts.

Yes, I know that some people do not realize that this life is not the hell that they might imagine. He meant no harm, but he really creeped me out on many levels. Thankfully, Whitney called at just that moment and told me Caleb had to use the restroom. I gladly told her to bring both the kids in and we would take him right away. The moment they came in; Bella's name was called and I got away from the creepy dude.

One other weird note; as I was waiting with Bella for the vet tech to bring us her leash; I saw the creepy dude peering into the small window on the exam room door. I was just glad to have Bella in my arms. She might be small, but she is one protective dog and had he come near me, she would have bitten his ankles off.

Okay, I am ready for your weird stories from the doctor's office. I am sure someone can top mine.