Up a Tree

You might get the impression that we spend a lot of time in trees. The truth is, we probably are not in them nearly enough. This time of year is especially good for tree climbing with those you love. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and the leaves are displaying their fabulous Fall colours. Furthermore, it is apple picking season and time to grab some cider and make some homemade applesauce. We love Fall at the Lindsay household. The pictures you see here are from Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. They have signs all around the area pointing in the direction of their orchard. There is probably a sign near you, even if you're in Hawaii. Kelly, Amelia, Sunny and I went over today to get a few Fall things and enjoy the weather. One thing about Fall is you never know what the weather will bring, so I want to urge you to get out there and enjoy Fall while you can. Take some pictures and file them away, so you can remember Fall 2009 long after it has past. The snow will fly before you know it and that is great too, but don't let it come before you climb a tree.

James

Beautiful Morning

A few days ago when Amelia and Nikita went out to feed the goats, the sky was absolutely beautiful. Nikita came in to get the camera and take a few photographs...

8 Shots!

We have had four medical appointments this week, which resulted in 4 not so happy kiddos.

Monday Sunny had her check-up; she is doing very well. She was due for two immunizations, and also received the seasonal flu shot. I had taken Amelia along because I always like her to see the doctor, given her fears. I was surprised when the doctor suggested Amelia also get the flu shot as long as she was there, but did not say no. Amelia didn't say "no" either. She screamed it. And fought like crazy.

Yesterday Micah and Dante had their annual physicals, plus Micah saw his ENT. He does have a lot of fluid in his ears, and will have tubes put in on November 5th. He is otherwise healthy, and received the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 flu vaccination. He protested briefly, but did not cry at all. Dante was not so happy, and made sure we all knew it. Once his exam started, he pretty much screamed until we walked out the door. Then he literally shut the tears off.

Unlike Amelia, Micah thoroughly enjoys his doctor visits and is very cooperative. Considering he spent a HUGE amount of time in the hospital during his first two years of life, I am not surprised. Amelia would typically only see a doctor for her blood draw every six months, and decided that doctor visits are terrible. Now that I have been taking her along on pretty much every appointment, she is good. In fact, in true Ame form, she now puts herfelf in charge of using the stethoscope, checking reflexes, and blood pressure. I do have to draw the line at trying to look into her siblings ears.

I felt a little badly for her on Monday, since she thought she was just going along as Physician's Assistant, and suddenly she is on the receiving end of the needle. The McDonald's fries did help her get over the pain, though!

We are (mostly) healthy, and God is good! (Zachary is a little under the weather, but I am not supposed to talk about him...)

When Micah Offers to Pray at Dinner....

...we all sigh a little, I have to admit.

Amelia has for some time now insisted upon praying whenever one of us is, and it really is sweet. She does have speech delays, but each of us is touched when we hear our name in the midst of her words with the Lord. Often we even hear the names of at least one pet, most often Zachary's hen Pip. It was actually some time after my mother's death before Amelia stopped praying for Grandma, which had been a daily habit.

The last few weeks Micah has also decided to say Grace at dinner. Unfortunately he tends to mumble, and ramble, making it difficult to know when he is done. I am sure the Lord is quite willing to listen to Micah and I am happy he likes to talk to God, but he can go on at length in true preacher form! Occasionally, one of us will make the mistake of peeking to see if he is done, since a mumbled "amen" might have been missed. "Dad, eyes!", letting Dad to know to close him. Tonight I peeked, and heard "Mom, close eye!" Just how is it he knows our eyes are open???

And Amelia has taken to encouragingly whispering "Micah, amen" at intervals throughout his prayer. Apparently she likes her dinner hot, and is not afraid to interrupt his time speaking to the Lord. He just ignores her and keeps on saying whatever it is he has to say.

I am thrilled they are both willing and happy to spend time in prayer, even if it does mean a lukewarm meal now and then.

Happy Birthday Dante!!

This is Dante when we brought him home, three years ago December. He was 14 months old.

He is 4 today! This is Dante on Friday feeding himself...something he has not been doing since last February, when he regressed so much and was ultimately diagnosed with autism.

I am so proud of how far he has come since March. His teachers and therapists in the special needs pre-school are an amazing bunch of women who really push him to do his best and more.

Pumpkin Patch or Buddy Walk?

Today Jamie and I took Amelia, Sunny, Micah, and Dante to the MDSC Buddy Walk in Wakefield. He and I had been trying to guess what color the shirts would be this year, and I joked that if they were orange it would look like a giant pumpkin patch.

The shirts were orange, and there were a LOT (2,000-ish) of pretty pumpkins in attendance. My orange shirt and I stayed behind the camera.

We really enjoyed the beautiful sunny day, being with so many other families like ours. The teens did opt to stay home, but it was nice for them to have a chance to spend an entire Sunday just hanging out with the goats, the PS2, and the football games on TV. Before the walk, Jamie and I took the littles to his Uncle's church in Stoneham, where we had a nice visit and enjoyed the service. Shortly after arriving home, I was off to milk the 5 dairy cows for my friends (which I enjoy doing).

Definitely a busy and very satisfying day. God is good!

Let's Dance!

This morning, getting ready at Boston Ballet's Adaptive Dance class.

Would You Like Some More Tea?

Today we had a tea party, using a set Sunny received for her birthday.

Every homeschool mom knows that ANY event can be made into an educational one and go into the record book. This party was especially important for social skills.

Micah even learned to answer "Yes please" instead of simply repeating "more tea?" when asked if he wanted more. He also really needs to work on being part of a group, and remaining with that group until dismissed. He seems to think that he can leave whenever he wants, and even tried to wander with his tea cup and cracker. This has also been something we work on during seatwork in the mornings.

Sunny worked on her English skills, and was saying "yes" to Nik when asked if she wanted more. Now that we know she has been learning English, we are pushing her to use it.

And Amelia. Well, she clearly needs to work on some tea party etiquette.

Maybe next time we'll all put on frilly dresses, to help set the tone. (Except for Micah-- he would certainly wear the frilly dress but I don't encourage it.)

Happy Birthday Sunny!!

She turned 8 today!!

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. I hope that during this month more people are educated about the syndrome, and fears are taken away.

I wish more people would stop assuming the worst at the diagnosis, and instead realize the possibilities. In the meantime, I will pray that my own four with Down Syndrome will touch someone's life in a special way this month.

To show how "typical" a little child with Down Syndrome can be, here are some pictures from yesterday's schooling efforts here in the Lindsay household. It is "D" week, so they drew pictures of Dad. Later, I needed to peel and cook some apples, so the kids sat at the table to paint while I did my work. How many seven and eight year olds don't enjoy drawing and painting?

Isn't Dad handsome?

This picture of Micah is one of the cutest I've ever gotten!