celebrate....

world down syndrome day. a day to celebrate our sweet magpie and all the other sweet souls out there that also have that magic chromosome :)

today is a day to spread the word that individuals with down syndrome are a blessing, not a burden. how it is something to celebrate, not fear.

i think maggie rae will teach us far more than we will ever teach her. she has already stretched our hearts and our faith more than i knew possible. she has shown us how to see the world through eyes that do not discriminate.

our sweet girl has blessed our family with her endless kisses, sunshine smile and eyes that are like windows straight to heaven.

maggie rae...we could not possibly love you anymore :)

happy heart day :)

i know it is a little late for valentine' photos....and i know this poor blog has been terribly neglected . but life just keeps getting in the way ;) but i wanted to share these sweet pictures of our sweet girl. and share that she is finally taking steps! we waited 2 1/2 plus years for those steps...many, many happy tears were shed :)

so on with the cuteness.....

:: our girl's thing...to cover her mouth with her hands when she laughs. be. still. my. heart. i could not possibly love our magpie anymore :)

:: sweet treats for all of our wonderful therapists and teachers who we {heart} so much :)

:: my coupon book from emme grace that has coupons for 'one free drawing of anything i want', 'helping clean up' and 'unlimited hugs and kisses' ....my sweet, sweet mimi. and cupid's bottom, oh my. how stinkin cute ;)

:: happy, happy weekend :)

wishing you a very merry....

from our home to yours wishing you a very merry Christmas =)

thankful for....

....my jeffrey. for loving me more than i feel i deserve. for having hands strong enough to build our home yet gentle enough to button tiny buttons on our baby girls dresses. for being so patient and giving. for making so many sacrifices to allow me to be able to stay home with our girls. for being the kind of husband that makes it so easy to love him more and more everyday.




.....my emme grace. for your sweet tender-heart that makes you hug me tight as i am crying reading your little house on the prarie books with you ;) for your always positive sun-shiny attitude. and for your out-of-the-blue hugs and kisses that i hope never ever stop.

....my rayley beth. for always making me laugh. for your sweet sideways smiles that make my heart happy. for telling me when you think i look beautiful. for your funny little artwork that always makes me smile. and for adoring your sisters so much.

...for our magpie. for all of the magic that you and that extra chromosome have brought into our lives. for your thousands of kisses. for reminding us to celebrate every little thing. for all the clapping followed by your sweet little voice saying 'ayyyy' or 'bob bob'...translates to 'good job' :) for teaching our family so much more about true compassion. for your sweet sunshine smiles. and for bringing so much into our lives that we did not know we were missing.

and i am most thankful for HIM, who has given me so many blessings.

yes, i am so very thankful....

a girl, her man...and a house

i had to share some pics i took of miss maggie and her man zeke on a playdate we had a couple of weeks ago....

:: i mean seriously...could they be any cuter? i think not ;)

:: woo-hoo...look at us standing!

oh how i {heart} this little sweet angel-baby face :)

:: magpie's excited face that she does all the time {love}

:: giving mr. owl kisses,or as our sweet girl just started saying as she leans in to give you a big wet one 'tiss'....cutest thing ever! i didn't think her kisses could get any sweeter but being followed by her saying 'tiss'..oh my :)




i know this is nothing compared to all that cuteness you just took in...but i have been saying i would show some more recent pictures of the addition ;) it is coming along slow but steady....but the outside is finally getting CLOSE to being done! that was the goal anyway, and then we can work on the inside over the winter months.....

:: we finally have enough painting done that we rented a bobcat to move some dirt around the house...

:: even though we aren't using any of the new space i could not resist decorating the cute new portico once all the shingles were up....

:: i spent many a weekend mornings on ladders painting while everyone else was sleeping ;) this is the new master bath where an old clawfoot tub that we found in our barn will be refinished and sit....i can't wait to sit in that tub and soak, one day!

:: emme grace could not wait to help jeffrey drive the bobcat...our little worker :)

:: miss rayley was more interested in perfecting her cartwheel than driving the bobcat ;)


i also have some pics from our buddywalk....another beautiful day just like last year and this year we got to walk with lots of family and friends that were there to support our girl. but the bed is calling me since we have to be at school at 7:45 for a thanksgiving brunch and to watch miss emme grace in a play that she is very excited about ;) so i will be back to share those soon....


happy weekend :)

a cowgirl, a butterfly and one cute little stinker....

is it really november 2nd? i am not sure where the time goes. i know my poor little blog has been so neglected....but life seems to keep getting in the way ;) seems like we are always so busy between miss maggie's therapies, school and homework for emme grace and rayley beth and then trying to keep up with the everyday stuff.... then throw in trying to work on the addition. i have been falling asleep WAY to early and can't seem to work in enough time in front of my laptop!


so i am feeling really bad that i did not post more during october, which WAS (emphasis on was ;) down syndrome awareness month. and i definitely want to spread awareness of just how much miss maggie rae has blessed our lives. everytime i post i hope that our girl affects someone in a postive way....that it helps someone see all the 'wonderfullness' that comes with that magic chromosome :)


so i have lots to share...but i thought i would start with halloween pics. i would hate to be posting those after thanksgiving ;)

:: love. love. love.... this sweet girl even when she is a little stinker ;)

:: LOVE the white fur mohawk our little skunk was sporting ;)

:: our gorgeous cowgirl/horse-lover/want to be a veteranarian emme grace

:: our beautiful butterfly rayley beth

....oh how i {heart} these three baby girls

:: girl's cute halloween art that has already come down :(

:: this cute little girls reminds me of magpie's tiny little pigtails... and of how my big girls USED to have tiny little pigtails :(

:: this funny little witch that makes me smile has also gone away for another year....every time i would unlock the door i would picture her saying 'how bout a little smooch sweetie?' in a high-pitched witchy-like voice ....followed by a cackle, of course ;)

happy wednesday :)