Our Five Ring Circus: 3/21...A Day To Celebrate

Monday, March 23, 2015

3/21...A Day To Celebrate

3/21 is one of my favorite days of the year!  It's the day my husband and I started dating (16 years ago!), it's the day that my nephew was miraculously brought back to life after a horrific car accident, it's my dear friend Steph's Birthday, and it's World Down Syndrome Day! 

Two years ago, we didn't even know about World Down Syndrome Day.  Now we celebrate the day and we celebrate Liam! We celebrate something we didn't even know we wanted in our lives until we were faced with it.  We celebrate the boy who brightens our days! We celebrate ALL the beautiful people in the world!

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Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day is a great way to bring awareness.  Yes, most people are AWARE of Down Syndrome, but most people truly don't understand exactly what it is and have many misconceptions.  I was one of those people! The most important thing to remember is that people who have Down Syndrome are more alike than they are different.  World Down Syndrome Day is a great way to spread love and awareness!

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We celebrated the day with some of our favorite DS families!  A local high school student's senior project was organizing an event for children with Down Syndrome and their families.  She came up with the idea for Dolly's Tea Party after meeting Liam's buddy, Dolly, who also has Down Syndrome.  Emily did an amazing job, and we all had a fantastic time!

As soon as we arrived, the kids got to pick a princess or superhero costume, along with some accessories, and get dressed up.  Once they were dressed up in a new costume, they could get their faces painted, and the girls could get manicures.  After everybody was dressed up and ready to go, they had a fashion show. Of course, there was lots of playtime, too! The afternoon ended with a pizza party and a World Down Syndrome Day cake. As if that wasn't already enough, the kids got to take home their costumes and they each got a really nice sand bucket full of goodies! 

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It was a special afternoon full of special people. Truly, the dynamic is so different with this group.  The room was filled with love, joy, and emotion.  These kids are rocking their extra chromosomes and they are adored! Emily (and her mom!) did a great job organizing this event. I think it should be a yearly event. It made so many people happy! If Emily already has a heart THIS big, she's going to accomplish some amazing things in her life!!!

We said goodbye to our friends, some old, some new, and headed to the grocery store in costumes, face paint, mismatched socks, and lots of blue and yellow.  I'm sure we were a sight to see! 

We had just a few minutes of down time...

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...then we continued the celebration!  It was time to celebrate Steph's Birthday!!!  42 (or 21 according to the cake!) looks beautiful! 

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We had a great night with some of our favorite people!

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I think Liam is a fan of 3/21, too!

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After everyone left, we rocked our socks just a bit longer before saying goodnight. It was a beautiful day!

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Thank you to everyone who rocked their socks for Liam and helped raise more awareness for Down Syndrome!  The love and support was amazing and touched our hearts.  We are so thankful for all of you!

10 comments:

  1. Looks like such a fun time! I love all the pictures!

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  2. Sweet pictures. It sure looks like it was a fun day! :)

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  3. Thanks for sharing your captured memories. I am glad that you all had a great time.

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  4. What an awesome day to celebrate. For so, so many special reasons. That Jake costume is the best and getting to dress up in March, Wahoo!!!

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    1. Thank you! I know some people choose not to celebrate Down Syndrome, but I choose to love every single thing about my sweet Liam!

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