Myles Turns 9!!

Myles is now 9-years-old and it strikes me as so odd that I can have an almost 10-year-old, that's a whole decade! The old cliche is true when it comes to Myles - the days are long, but the years are short. I cannot believe he is already 9, yet life with Myles, and more accurately, life with Down syndrome, does not always come worry or stress free. He is an amazing little boy who has overcome so much, and still has such zest for life. He brings joy to so many around him, and has helped to mold our family - our perspectives, our values, our view of the world - into what we are today. Myles loves his life, is testing his independence, is fiercely persistent, not as easygoing as most think, but extremely loyal to his family. He enthusiastically greets most everyone, and makes others around him feel special. We have high hopes and expectations for Myles, and are eager to see where he takes life.

Myles' birthday was also the first day of Adam's Camp and our vacation at Snow Mountain Ranch. He went out with Daddy to get his birthday donuts first thing in the morning, and then we left mid-morning to head up the mountain. We stopped at Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs for a pizza birthday lunch, present opening, and ice cream. He was pretty pumped about staying in a cabin on his birthday and kept exclaiming, "My birthday party!"

Grandma's 90th

Grandma Haugen turned 90 on June 20th and we had the honor of having her in Colorado visiting to celebrate. David, Nancy, and Grandma drove out the day before Grandma's birthday and stayed for almost a week. We hosted dinner at our house on her actual birthday, and went out to eat the following day to celebrate both Sydney and Grandma's birthdays. I have said it before, but my grandma is one of the strongest women I know and I have been lucky to have her as a role model throughout my life.

 

Sydney Turns 7!!

Sydney Belle. A treasured gift to our family, a joy for a daughter, an amazing sister, humble, compassionate, empathetic, smart, creative, silly, inquisitive, nosy, rule-follower, kind - a little girl wise beyond her years who tends to carry the weight of the world around her on her shoulders. A worrier by nature, but still with the ability to be carefree and have fun. I cannot believe how blessed I am to be her mom. Seven years come and gone. I miss the little baby, toddler, preschooler she was, but am loving the little girl she is becoming. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl. We love you!!

Day of Celebration...

Our tradition of donuts for breakfast on your birthday. Sydney and Daddy headed out early on the morning of the 21st to get donuts for the family.

 An impromptu park playdate with Nouvelle, one of Sydney's best friends. I am so thankful for their friendship.

 Slurpees after the park! It was hot!!

 Opening presents at Grandma and Grandpa's house after dinner out at an Italian restaurant. Sydney requested pizza and she got it!

Having Great Grandma Haugen in Colorado on Sydney's birthday was an extra special treat. Grandma's 90th birthday was the day before Sydney's 7th, so we had a fun combined celebration.

Iowa Trip

This summer we road tripped to Fort Dodge to spend 6 days, including Fourth of July, with Gilby's family. The kids did pretty great in the car as usual, but we were thankful to have the 11 hour drive behind us and get in some good cousin time. We spent lots of time hanging out with family, riding bikes/scooters, and just playing, but had at least one fun event each day. On Saturday we went to a little kiddie fair, on Sunday the kids fished with Grandpa, Gilby, Uncle Joe and Uncle Shawn, on Monday we went out to lunch and to a movie, and on Tuesday (the 4th), we went to a small town parade in Gowrie, out to lunch and back to Uncle Joe's for more playtime and fireworks. A fun time of reconnecting with our Iowa family and memory making for the kiddos.

I love this picture of Ryker and Great Grandpa Steck. Ryker was asking him all sorts of questions about the plants, dirt, and corn field behind their house. It was great. 

SOCO State Games

In June, my mom and I took Myles and Sydney to the Special Olympics Colorado State Games in Grand Junction. We went with the Young Athletes program where kids with disabilities and their siblings can participate in the events. We left on a Friday and arrived in time for the opening ceremonies that night. On Saturday the kids participated in track and field events in the morning and soccer in the afternoon. Saturday later in the day we played lawn games, browsed the resource fair, danced a bit at the very popular dance night, and got in on more than one free food event. We headed home Sunday morning after a fun weekend. The event is held at Colorado Mesa University and we were really impressed with the campus and their facilities. We stayed in apartment style dorm housing, which the kids thought was the best, and had most of our meals in the campus cafeteria. Overall a great event and another really special opportunity our family can participate in because of Myles. There are so many amazing people, organizations, and opportunities I would have missed out on if it weren't for Myles and his amazing life!

Myles and Sydney felt the need to unpack their items for our two night stay. We were a little rushed when preparing to leave, so they each packed their own backpack. We ended up with things like umbrellas, diaries, random toys, and lots of books. 

These two have the sweetest relationship - it brings me to tears when I reflect on the bond they have, and I pray it never wavers.

Track and Field events. Myles' feet got ahead of him during the 100 yard dash and he took a rolling tumble. His face bit the track, but he immediately got up and kept running to the end! Everyone was so impressed by his bravery and determination. I actually think he was so shocked that he wasn't sure what the alternative would be other than to keep going, but it is true that he is one tough kid!

Grandma and her kids. We are SO thankful to have a super involved and very energetic grandma to do fun things like this with us (and help me!). She is an integral part of these kids' lives.

Spring Gardening

Over Memorial Day weekend I got an itch to start cleaning up our backyard garden area. It had been sorely neglected by the owners before us, and in the four summers we have lived in our home, I couldn't find the motivation needed to really do much other than a bit of weeding here and there. I wish I had a before picture because it was out of control with thick, thick weeds almost as tall as me at times. I started weeding on a Friday thinking that I would spend a few hours outside, but ended up spending closer to 20 hours weeding over the weekend. We followed it up the next week with a huge delivery of mulch. It ended up being a family affair with the kids sort of helping, but mostly playing, and Gilby bringing loads and loads of mulch from front to back while I put down a layer of newspaper to act as a weed barrier. Although weeds are still finding ways to pop through, it is much more manageable to spend an hour or so at a time cleaning it up. I am so happy with the result!

This spring Gilby also made each kiddo their own garden box. They each planted a pumpkin, a watermelon or cantaloupe, and some sunflowers. It's been fun to watch the growth over the summer! We also planted veggies in our garden boxes, and are pleased to see that things are actually growing this summer. We love gardening in theory, but learning what works and how to produce results has been another story!

End of School 2017

Sydney - Franklin Elementary - 1st Grade - Mrs. Collier

Sydney had a wonderful 1st grade year. Her reading improved drastically and she is now a grade level or more above in her abilities. She's doing well with all of her other academics and really blossomed socially. She has a core group of friends (Nouvelle, Olivia, Danica, Cody, Leo), but her teacher assures us she is kind and inclusive to everyone. She loves school and is eager to go each day.

Myles - Franklin Elementary - 2nd Grade - Mrs. Lerner

Myles also had a really good school year. He spent much of his time in Mrs. Lerner's 2nd grade class, and some of the time in smaller group settings with his special education teacher, Mrs. Davis, to work on targeted instruction in reading, math, and writing. He is an emerging reader and making steady progress. He knows all of his letters and letter sounds, and several sight words. His comprehension is improving and he understands the mechanics of reading. We are looking forward to more growth toward independent reading during 3rd grade. Math is tougher for Myles, but he works really hard and is making gains. Myles continues to be well behaved in school, very social, and liked by his peers. He is treated as an integral member of the school community and feels that way as well. Some of his better friends include Ira, Daryl, and Jasper. It was a struggle to get him on the bus many mornings, but his teachers reported nothing but smiles and excitement once he arrived at school.

Ryker - The Village at Ames Preschool - Mrs. Tritz and Ms. Klein

Ryker went to preschool Tuesday and Thursday mornings each week. He had a great year and really came out of his shell. His teachers reported him to be a delight in class, which I am thankful for as he can sometimes still be resistant to new things, but is getting better and better with this. Ryker's last day of school came and went and I didn't even realize it! I totally thought he had a whole additional week, so I don't even have any pictures with his teachers! It's rough being the third kid...

"The Blue Car"

Easter weekend my senior year of college (2004), my dad and I went out car shopping. I was preparing for graduation and a move to Colorado, and had planned to buy a new car on my own. Other than my college degree, it would be the most expensive purchase I had made independently to date. A browsing trip turned into a purchasing trip when we found a 2003 Mazda Protege 5 with only 7,000 miles on it and in my price range. Both my dad and I felt great about the car, and negotiated for the dealership to keep it in storage until after my graduation the next month. It was a manual 5-speed, blue on the exterior, and black leather inside. I loved it.

Fast forward a few months to August 2004 when I was living in Colorado and met Gilby. One of the first things I remember about our initial meeting is how he complemented my car and thought it was pretty great that I knew how to drive a manual transmission. Ha!

Fast forward nearly 13 years later to May 2017 and so many new memories created. I was still driving "the blue car" as it had been nicknamed somewhere along the way. Although we had talked many times about replacing it, we were too frugal to take the leap, especially when the car had been so good to us over the years, hardly cost anything to maintain, and got great gas mileage for my commute to work. I still loved my blue car, but, a careless driver was not paying attention at a stop light and rear ended me, propelling my car into the one in front of me. With front and back end damage, and a car not worth much to start with, the blue car was declared totaled. It was a sad, sad day.

The blue car was the last real symbol of my pre-marriage, pre-kids, pre-career self. I love my life now, but the blue car could still drum up some nostalgia of a much younger version of myself with nearly no responsibility. Such is life.

I conceded to getting a second large vehicle, in addition to the minivan we already own, to haul our large family, and make trips into the snowy mountains much easier all winter long. I will always remember my blue car fondly, but the 2011 Buick Enclave we ended up with is pretty great too.

Celebrating Grandpa

On May 10, 2017, Grandpa Haugen breathed his last breath, and left this earth to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. Grandpa lived a full life and at 90 years old, his body was failing him. Grandpa was clear in his last several years of life that he had done everything that was important to him, and felt at peace with death. While his presence here is missed by all that loved him, especially my grandma, who had rarely spent a night apart from him in their almost 69 years of marriage, we are thankful for his long life, the impact he had on others, and his legacy that carries on.

My grandpa was always an important person in my life growing up. He was on of the most cheerful people I knew, often whistling, and happy to give us big hugs and "wet kisses." 

All four of us siblings made it back to Iowa for Grandpa's funeral while our spouses stayed home with the kids. Siri and I from Colorado, Ben from Red Deer, Canada, and Danny from Jerusalem, Israel. It was an unexpected blessing to get time with these three.

Our family with Grandma. She is one of the strongest, bravest, grace-filled women I know. It is such an honor to have learned from her example my whole life.