Victoria Is 2!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Victoria Jayne!! It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone! I have enjoyed every moment of life with you and am thankful that the Lord saw fit to bring you into our lives!

You have done so many things this year that I am so proud of. You began walking, started jibber-jabbering (although we are still waiting on real words to come) and have done tons of things that have amazed your therapists! You are a miracle living right in front of our eyes!

Thank you for being so loving and such a blessing to your momma and daddy! We pray that this year is a great one for you! We love you!
March 10, 2010
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She’s Like Me!

Now that Victoria can walk really well, I’m letting her walk a lot on her own. She’ll walk with Natalie and me from their Mom’s Day Out classrooms over to the other side of the church to Elyssa’s 4K classroom. The other afternoon, we were walking over to the school to check Elyssa out and saw a lady in the hallway that is no stranger to us. Her name is Kathy. She serves as a maid at the school. Kathy also has Down syndrome. She is the sister of Kim, a sweet, fellow church member. We met Kathy a little over a year ago when Elyssa started 3K.

As we were walking down the hallway, Kathy intently watched us. She especially seemed interested in Victoria. We passed by Kathy’s cleaning supply room and proceeded to sign Elyssa out for the day at the school office. As we walked back to Elyssa’s room we, again, passed Kathy’s room. Kathy came out of her room and tapped me on the shoulder. She then said, “She’s like me!” She was pointing at Victoria. She said again, “She’s like me!” I replied, “Yes, she is!” Several people in the hallway passed Kathy, but not before she told them that Victoria was like her. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever witnessed. I almost cried. It was such a touching moment to me. I felt blessed to know that one day my little Victoria would be so sweet and innocent … and maybe she, too, would find pride in meeting others who were made “special” like her.

Kathy walked down the hallway with us, trying to hold Victoria’s hand as she walked (although, Victoria is quite independent and doesn’t like to hold hands!). Kathy asked me before we left the school if she could hold Victoria. I had wished at that moment I had a camera with me to capture this moment, but I didn’t. I handed Victoria to Kathy and she held her for a few seconds (as long as Victoria would let her). It was so sweet!

I told Kathy that Victoria had heart surgery just like she did when she was little. She said, “Really, she had heart surgery like me?” She was so amazed at Victoria and how much she had in common with her.

Before we left, Kathy told me, “I am Down syndrome and she is like me.” And, with much joy in my heart, again, I said, “Yes, Kathy … yes, she is!”
February 27, 2010
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Snow Day!

Today it actually snowed in Alabama! Who would’ve ever thunk it! I dressed Elyssa and Natalie warmly and we played in the yard while the snow was pouring down. There were some really big pieces falling! It was a lot of fun! I always hope for snow each year, but it usually doesn’t happen so this was a huge treat for me!

Here are a few pictures from our snow day!

The girls before we went outside! We were ready for the cold weather!

Elyssa made a little snowball!

Mark with Victoria

Natalie

A picture of our front porch. You can really see the snow coming down!

February 12, 2010
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Daddy’s Pants

Today my mom had several medical tests done because of some issues with her bladder. My dad took off of work so he could be with her. While at the doctor’s office, he looked at my mom and said, “I must have lost some weight because these jeans feel big on me today.” My mom remembered washing clothes the day before and hanging up some clothes in their closet. She told my dad that she remembered putting her jeans on yesterday and told him that they had felt small on her. Then came the moment of revelation! My mom said, “Howard, maybe I hung my jeans on your side of the closet and hung your jeans on my side of the closet!” She told my dad to go to the bathroom and check the size on the jeans he was wearing. He came back from the bathroom and sure enough … he had on my mom’s jeans! They laughed and laughed. My mom then knew that she had worn Daddy’s jeans the day before and that Daddy was wearing her jeans today. They continued with their plans to go to the mall and eat out for lunch. And, all the while my dad was wearing my mom’s jeans!
February 2, 2010
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