How Does Your Garden Grow?

Kate and I had grand plans today. My goal is to have a maintainable yard, which means lots of stuff that stays green all year round, some ground cover and as little area to mulch as possible. But it still has to look great as "if" I tend to it on a regular basis. I digress, we needed to pot the two pots in the front. Sounds reasonable......


Kate was a big help, she kept me company and I couldn't help but think I like this-me and her-together. I gonna like this.







On a different note, Kate ate green beans for the first time......I can't say she liked them.


But she recovered.

A good work has begun in me. I didn't ask for this, I certainly didn't want this but I am beginning to feel it and it's because of Kate.

Summer ..Summer..... Summer

Can you see it? The dreaded slip n slide's beaten path, the coarsely combed blades of grass. The very sight of this earthly artwork makes Jerry just shake his head "they're going to kill the grass". Please... it's summer (not technically) and kids love it. It is suddenly unforgivably dreadfully hot in Cincinnati and true to form it went from chilly, unseasonably cool to humid & 88 degrees.

Did I mention they broke the slip n slide in record time-8 minutes. Busted.


I spy a yard, sprinkled with jewel toned enemy warfare. I will be picking these up from now until Labor Day. Did I mention these are the BEST squirt guns I have come across.


Grass clipping toes, Further evidence of my littles destroying the yard.


How much these two boys make me smile. In all their splendor, full of joy, they are just "being" . What a child can really teach us about living and what is important and what really matters, if only we look. It is amazing sometimes I begin to feel overwhelmed by all I will have to teach my children when I suddenly realize it is they who are teaching me. They are reminding me of the joy I thought I would surely never feel again.

A Day In The Life

The unfortunate role of the fifth child. She is constantly in tow on the go. She keeps quite the schedule.


10:00 Will soccer game
1:00 Jack baseball game
3:00 Cameron soccer game

At some point she needs to eat, which now includes cereal & some kind of orange/yellow vegetable + bottle, poop, and sleep.


One of us could just stay at home with her and a few of the others but they want her there, I want to be there, I want to be there with HER. Secondly, I always have thought just because we have a big family isn't an excuse to divide and conquer until we absolutely have to. I know that day will come but for now I love toting the gang from here to there....extra balls, diaper bags, coolers, folding chairs, blankets and all.....

Owen

Oh, how I love my little man. Today Owen has been especially clingy and I think it is just what I needed. If he told me once he told me 10 times he loves his mom-mom. I so needed this little to need me today.

One of Those Days

Today was just one of those days. You know the kind that won't let you come up for air. It has been raining for 3 days straight and while that is great for the new landscaping it doesn't do much for the spirits. Couple that with a Dr.visit/evaluation for Kate at this center for children with DS. That stuff just doesn't do anything for me, the less I know (not about the really important stuff) the better right now. I am going to let Kate dictate my reality and right now she is exactly all and everything she is supposed to be for a six month old.So take that sucky rainy day.

Right now I am loving how her little hands are constantly grabbing and squeezing mine while I trace her fingers and palms and she gazes up and I can see in hers eyes, "I know your my mama & I love you.
After holding her as she fell asleep all is right again. Her heavy breathing, pacing my heartbeat instantly relaxed me and I couldn't help but smile. The kind of smile that at the end you almost laugh. Then I lay her forgiving body into her crib and tell her I love her and we're going to be more than okay. Tomorrow is already going to be a better day.

Happy 6 Months Kate!


My how you & I have grown.

The Supporting Cast

Well, here they are.....the ones I love.

Jerry and the boys: Jack, Owen, Will & Cameron

A little note about my husband Jerry. He loves his family. He is a hands on daddy, he loves to be with his children and everyone knows it because it is authentic. He loves me, we are kindred spirits meant to be with one another, like peanut butter and jelly, we are better together than apart. Happy 37th birthday Jerry I love you.

Cameron, my first born. He is a beautiful child. He has the deepest, darkest brown eyes that are gonna knock'em dead. He is inquisitive, sensitive, intense and deep down he wants to please. He is all of 10 years old and I love him fiercely.

Jack, my second, 8. He is as loyal as they get, he loves his mama and I think the sweetest soul I will ever know. He will play any sport, all day long until the sun goes down or he falls down. Everyone is Jack's friend, he is the "mayor" and he is so equally matched with personality and all american, boy next door good looks. As they say "he's a good egg".

Will, the third and Daddy's little boy. This one loves life (amazing for all of 5 years old) I've often heard that phrase before but until you meet this kind of spirit you don't get it, he loves to live. He puts himself out there-go big or go home. Everyone loves Will (almost as much as we do).

Owen, my fourth little boy. Stubborn, strong-willed 3 year old with a killer grin. He can be so sweet to his mama and when he is for some reason it is so sincere, so special. He has just always fit right in with his brothers and just wants to be with them. He adores them. I always think of Jerry's first words about Owen. I am not sure if he really meant them or just wanted to head off any remote chance that I would be disappointed with a fourth boy. "Callie, he is the cutest one yet!" I can honestly say without hesitation there was never one ounce of disappointment that he was a boy. I loved that baby something awful the minute I laid eyes on him.

My dearest Kate. I don't think there is any other little girl more adored by her brothers on the face of this planet. Never, ever did I dream that if we had a little girl they would react the way they have, crazy mad love for her. If they could pack her up and take her with them everywhere they would.

Me. Sadly I am still searching for a current photo of myself. I am the picture taker in the family. But with this whole new stretching/growing thing I vow to take more pictures of myself. I want my babies to be able to remember me, the way I am now and each phase our life takes us through, bad haircuts and all, weight fluctuations and fashion mishaps.

This is MY family, which when I sit back and really look at my blessings it takes my breath away. The love that I feel, takes my breath away.

Callie

I Did It

I am not a talented writer or photographer. I never thought I would ever have my own blog. However traditional therapy is not for me so maybe just maybe this blog is what I need. A little corner of space out there somewhere where I can just lay it all down.

You see I was thrown a curve ball on November 18, 2009. I struck out that day (i'll get back to that later). My fifth child was born, a girl, after four beautiful boys. We named her Kate Louise. We chose not to find out the gender, we never have, this pregnancy was a surprise so we decided to keep it that way. When Kate was born we were surprised to find out we finally had a girl and even more shocked to learn Kate had Down Syndrome.

That was my curve ball, I struck out that day but the good news is I get many more chances to get back up to the plate. After many months of dealing and grieving I am learning to hit this curve ball. This blog is not going to be about Down Syndrome, our family is not defined by a diagnosis, this blog is about our life-living, evolving, growing, getting stretched and sometimes it hurts but then it feels oh so good in the end. At least that is what they say....we'll see.

This is a journey and I know I am not alone.......

Callie

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