A glimpse into our world

Daily life at our home is probably much like it is for other families. We go to school and do homework, have dinner together as a family and then head off to extra-curricular activities (dance, piano lessons, Boy Scouts, church activities, and school programs). Our quiet time at night before bed is spent reading together, wrestling with Dad and having bedtime prayers. Then it is time for hugs and piggy-back rides up to bed!

We love to be together! Some of our favorite memories center around our family vacations.

We also love holidays and have established some family traditions that our children have come to treasure!

We spend January and February making snowmen, sledding and making Valentine sugar cookies.

In the Spring, we look forward to Easter egg hunts, planting a garden and playing in our backyard.

Every summer we turn our backyard jungle-gym into a waterslide with the hose and have popsicles, snow-cones, and barbecues.  We celebrate the Fourth of July with our extended family picnicking, watching fireworks and lighting a few of our own.

In the Fall it's back-to-school and the Buddy Walk.  We have participated in the Buddy Walk to raise awareness for and to celebrate Down syndrome every year since Big Sister was born.  It is an awesome occasion to celebrate how lucky we are to love someone with Down syndrome!

We rake leaves (and jump in them of course)!  We dress-up for Halloween and go trick-or-treating through the neighborhood.  We carve pumpkins and set up the giant inflatable cat that grandma and grandpa gave us.

We enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with our extended family - complete with a giant turkey and all the fixings!  Oh how we love our families!

Winter brings Christmas excitement, matching pajamas, family parties and gift exchanges, and acting out the Nativity before we head to bed with "visions of sugar-plums dancing in our heads".

This is just a glimpse at a year in our life. We would love to celebrate all year with a new little one to include in our traditions!